CPI C & S Trifold

BLS

U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

www.bls.gov

BLS national and regional offices

New York

Washington, DC

Bureau of Labor Statistics
New York-New Jersey Information Office
201 Varick Street, Room 808
New York, NY 10014
(646) 264-3600   [email protected]

Atlanta

Philadelphia

Bureau of Labor Statistics
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20212
(202) 691-7000   [email protected]
Bureau of Labor Statistics
61 Forsyth Street, SW, Room 7T50
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 893-4222   [email protected]

Boston

Bureau of Labor Statistics
JFK Federal Bldg., E-310
Boston, MA 02203
(617) 565-2327   [email protected]

Chicago

Bureau of Labor Statistics
J.C. Kluczynski Federal Office Building
230 South Dearborn Street, Room 960
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 353-1880   [email protected]

Dallas

Bureau of Labor Statistics
525 South Griffin Street, Room 221
Dallas, TX 75202
(972) 850-4800   [email protected]

Kansas City

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Two Pershing Square Building
2300 Main Street, Suite 1190
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 285-7000   [email protected]

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Suite 610 East – The Curtis Center
170 South Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 597-3282   [email protected]

San Francisco

Bureau of Labor Statistics
90th 7th Street, Suite 14-100
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 625-2270   [email protected]

Questions?
If you have any questions or comments regarding
any aspect of the survey, send them to the
Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Ave.,
NE, Washington DC 20212, call (202) 691-6991, or
e-mail: [email protected].
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
has approved this collection of information and has
assigned 1220-0039 as the control number. Without
OMB approval and this number, we would not be
able to conduct this survey.

The Consumer Price Index

Commodities and
Services Survey:
Questions & Answers

Your input is important!
We need your help measuring the rate of inflation
in the U.S. economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) is asking for your voluntary participation
in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) survey to help
provide an accurate measurement of the changes
in the cost of the many goods and services
normally purchased by urban consumers. Your
cooperation in this important survey will help
provide the “big picture” of the U.S. economy.

What is the CPI?
The CPI is the nation’s chief measure of inflation
at the retail level. It measures changes over time
in the cost of buying a fixed market basket of
goods and services needed for day-to-day living.
Calculated and published by BLS, the CPI is used
by business, labor, and government for making
informed economic decisions. It is widely used
to adjust payments under collective bargaining
agreements and other contracts. The Federal
government uses the CPI to adjust Social Security
payments, personal income taxes, and other
program payments for the effects of inflation.

What does the CPI include?
The CPI measures price changes for all types of
goods and services that are purchased by urban
consumers, whether costly or inexpensive and
whether purchased often or infrequently. Each
item is represented in the index in proportion to
consumer spending on it. Items are divided into
eight major groups: food and beverages, housing,
apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation,
education and communication, and other goods
and services. Investments, such as purchases of
stocks, bonds, and homes, are not priced in the
CPI, because they do not represent consumption
of goods and services by consumers.

How does BLS get the information
on the price change in the CPI?
BLS employees visit selected retail stores, houses,
apartments, and other establishments in urban areas
on a regular basis to collect prices of sample items.
Prices are collected monthly in Chicago, Los Angeles,
and New York. In all other areas, food, fuel, and other
selected items are priced monthly; the rest of the
items are priced every other month.

Who is covered by the CPI?
There are, in effect, two CPIs. One represents the
expenditures of all urban consumers (CPI-U); the
other represents expenditures of urban wage earners
and clerical workers (CPI-W). These indexes do not
take into account the buying habits of persons living
on farms or in rural areas, persons in military service,
or those in institutions.

How was my establishment selected
to participate?
Your establishment was selected primarily from
information obtained from a household survey. In this
survey, households reported where they purchased
various types of goods and services and the dollar
amounts of these purchases. From these data, a
sample of establishments was selected for pricing of
various categories of items.

When and how is the CPI published?
CPI data appear in a news release usually issued
around the 15th of the month, reporting the data
for the previous month. Also at this time, CPI data
is reported in various media, such as television,
newspapers, and public websites.

How can I get CPI data?
Information is available on the BLS-CPI homepage at
www.bls.gov/cpi/home.htm shortly after release of the
CPI data. The most comprehensive report on the CPI is
the periodical CPI Detailed Report, issued monthly.

Confidentiality and burden concerns
Confidentiality statement:
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees,
agents, and partner statistical agencies will use the
information you provide for statistical purposes
only and will hold the information in confidence
to the full extent required by law. In accordance
with the Confidential Information Protection and
Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public
Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws,
your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable
form without your informed consent.

Voluntary nature:
This report is authorized by law, 29 U.S.C.2. Your
voluntary cooperation is needed to make the results
of this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely.

Public burden statement:
• On average, it will take an hour to determine
your eligibility and, if eligible, complete the
initial survey.
• Either monthly or bimonthly follow-up survey
should take about 20 minutes.