Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
U.S. City Average

All Items, Energy, Fuel and Other Utilities, and Motor Fuel

In November, the index had no change (seasonally adjusted).  The energy index decreased for the second month and offset increases in the indexes for food and all items less food and energy.  Both the gasoline index and the household energy index dropped—2.4 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively.  The natural gas index decreased 4.4 percent which more than offset a 2.7 percent increase in the fuel oil index and a 0.4 percent increase in the electricity index.

The annual averages for 2010 reflect that all items increased 1.6 percent from 2009, energy increased 9.5 percent, fuel and other utilities increased 1.7 percent, and motor fuel increased 18.4 percent.

Consumer Price Index

The Consumer Price Index is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.  The Consumer Price Index is used as an indicator of inflation, a deflator of other economic series, and an escalator for income payments.

The Consumer Price Index reflects spending patterns for each of two population groups, one of which is the All Urban Consumers (CPI-U).  The CPI-U represents about 87 percent of the total U.S. population.  It is based on the expenditures of almost all residents of urban or metropolitan areas, including professionals, the self-employed, the poor, the unemployed, and retired persons as well as urban wage earners and clerical workers.  Not included in the Consumer Price Index are the spending patterns of persons living in rural non-metropolitan areas, farm families, persons in the Armed Forces, and those in institutions, such as prisons and mental hospitals.

The CPI-U has a 1982-84 reference base.  That is, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics sets the average index level (representing the average price level)--for the 36-month period covering the years 1982, 1983, and 1984--equal to 100.  Then the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics measures changes in relation to that figure.  An index of 110, for example, means there has been a 10 percent increase in price since the reference period; similarly an index of 90 means a 10 percent decrease.  Indexes for different months are usually compared in relative terms.  Thus, an index of 133.5 is 1.063 times higher than an index of 125.6 (133.5/125.6=1.063); in other words, prices increased 6.3 percent.

The index below has not been seasonally adjusted to remove the effect of seasonal influences.  Seasonal influences are those that occur at the same time and in about the same magnitude every year.  They include price movements resulting from changing climatic conditions, production cycles, model changeovers, and holidays.

The Consumer Price Index measures inflation as experienced by consumers in their day-to-day living expenses.  The Consumer Price Index is generally the best measure for adjusting payments to consumers when the intent is to allow consumers to purchase, at today's prices, a market basket of goods and services equivalent to one that they could purchase in an earlier period.  It is also the best measure to use to translate retail sales and hourly or weekly earnings into real or inflation-free dollars.

Each month, the media usually focuses on the broadest, most comprehensive Consumer Price Index which is "The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the U.S. City Average for All Items, 1982-84=100."

Sources:  Consumer Price Index.  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, DC.  Nebraska Energy Office, Lincoln, NE.

Notes:  Numbers in red have been revised.  NA = Not Available.

This table was updated on December 23, 2011.  Typically, there is one month between updates.

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