Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

Washington, DC: The Consumer Price Index The Consumer Price Index is the cost to a consumer of a typical 'basket' of goods and services paid by urban consumers.

Percent changes in the price index measure the inflation rate between any two time periods. The most common inflation metric is the percent change from one year ago. It can also represent the buying habits of urban consumers. This particular index includes roughly 88 percent of the total population, accounting for wage earners, clerical workers, technical workers, self-employed, short-term workers, unemployed, retirees, and those not in the labor force.

The CPIs are based on prices for food, clothing, shelter, and fuels; transportation fares; service fees (e.g., water and sewer service); and sales taxes. Prices are collected monthly from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 retail establishments across 87 urban areas. To calculate the index, price changes are averaged with weights representing their importance in the spending of the particular group. The index measures price changes (as a percent change) from a predetermined reference date.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for All Urban ConsumersSo-called 'urban' consumers live in households in all areas of the United States except people living in rural non-metropolitan areas: including in farm households, on military installations, in religious communities, and in institutions such as prisons and mental hospitals. Urban consumers comprise 93% of the population.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent in December on a seasonally adjustedSeasonal adjustment removes the effects of recurring seasonal influences from many economic series, including consumer prices. The adjustment process quantifies seasonal patterns and then factors them out of the series to permit analysis of non-seasonal price movements. Changing climatic conditions, production cycles, model changeovers, holidays, and sales can cause seasonal price variations. For example, oranges can be purchased year-round, but prices are significantly higher in the summer months when the major sources of supply are between harvests.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics basis, after rising 0.1 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.4 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The index for shelter continued to rise in December, contributing over half of the monthly all items increase. The energy index rose 0.4 percent over the month as increases in the electricity index and the gasoline index more than offset a decrease in the natural gas index. The food index increased 0.2 percent in December, as it did in November. The index for food at home increased 0.1 percent over the month and the index for food away from home rose 0.3 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent in December, the same monthly increase as in November. Indexes which increased in December include shelter, motor vehicle insurance, and medical care. The index for household furnishings and operations and the index for personal care were among those that decreased over the month.

The all items index rose 3.4 percent for the 12 months ending December, a larger increase than the 3.1 percent increase for the 12 months ending November. The all items less food and energy index rose 3.9 percent over the last 12 months, after rising 4.0 percent over the 12 months ending November. The energy index decreased 2.0 percent for the 12 months ending December, while the food index increased 2.7 percent over the last year.

Read the entire press release at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.