C P I - F 2024: Transmission of Material in This Release Is Embargoed Until 8:30 A.M. (ET) Tuesday, March 12, 2024
C P I - F 2024: Transmission of Material in This Release Is Embargoed Until 8:30 A.M. (ET) Tuesday, March 12, 2024
C P I - F 2024: Transmission of Material in This Release Is Embargoed Until 8:30 A.M. (ET) Tuesday, March 12, 2024
The index for shelter rose in February, as did the index for gasoline. Combined, these two indexes
contributed over sixty percent of the monthly increase in the index for all items. The energy index rose
2.3 percent over the month, as all of its component indexes increased. The food index was unchanged in
February, as was the food at home index. The food away from home index rose 0.1 percent over the
month.
The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent in February, as it did in January. Indexes
which increased in February include shelter, airline fares, motor vehicle insurance, apparel, and
recreation. The index for personal care and the index for household furnishings and operations were
among those that decreased over the month.
The all items index rose 3.2 percent for the 12 months ending February, a larger increase than the 3.1-
percent increase for the 12 months ending January. The all items less food and energy index rose 3.8
percent over the last 12 months. The energy index decreased 1.9 percent for the 12 months ending
February, while the food index increased 2.2 percent over the last year.
Chart 1. One-month percent change in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), seasonally adjusted, Feb. 2023 - Feb. 2024
Percent change
0.5
0.5
0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
0.2
0.1 0.1 0.1
0.1
0.0
Feb'23 Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb'24
Chart 2. 12-month percent change in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), not seasonally adjusted, Feb. 2023 - Feb. 2024
Percent change
Feb'23 Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb'24
Table A. Percent changes in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average
1 N o t s e a s o n a l l y adjusted.
-2-
Food
The food index was unchanged in February, as was the food at home index. Both of these indexes had
risen 0.4 percent in January. Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes decreased over the
month. The index for dairy and related products decreased 0.6 percent in February, led by a 1.1-percent
decline in the index for cheese and related products. The fruits and vegetables index decreased 0.2
percent over the month, as did the nonalcoholic beverages index.
The index for cereals and bakery products rose 0.5 percent in February, following a 0.2-percent decrease
in January. The meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index also increased over the month, rising 0.1 percent.
The index for other food at home was unchanged over the month.
The food away from home index rose 0.1 percent in February, after rising 0.5 percent in January. The
index for full service meals rose 0.1 percent, as did the index for limited service meals.
The food at home index rose 1.0 percent over the last 12 months. The index for other food at home rose
2.3 percent over the 12 months ending in February, as did the index for nonalcoholic beverages. The
cereals and bakery products index increased 1.7 percent over that period. The index for fruits and
vegetables rose 0.8 percent over the 12 months ending in February. In comparison, the dairy and related
products index fell 1.8 percent over the year, and the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index decreased 0.5
percent.
The index for food away from home rose 4.5 percent over the last year. The index for limited service
meals rose 5.2 percent over the last 12 months, and the index for full service meals rose 3.8 percent over
the same period.
Energy
The energy index rose 2.3 percent in February, after declining 0.9 percent in January. The gasoline index
increased 3.8 percent in February. (Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices rose 4.3 percent in
February.) The index for natural gas rose 2.3 percent over the month, and the index for electricity rose
0.3 percent. The fuel oil index increased 1.1 percent in February.
Despite the monthly increase, the energy index fell 1.9 percent over the past 12 months. The gasoline
index decreased 3.9 percent, the natural gas index declined 8.8 percent, and the fuel oil index fell 5.4
percent over this 12-month span. In comparison, the index for electricity rose 3.6 percent over the last
year.
The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent in February, as it did the previous month.
The shelter index increased 0.4 percent in February and was the largest factor in the monthly increase in
the index for all items less food and energy. The index for rent rose 0.5 percent over the month, while
the index for owners’ equivalent rent increased 0.4 percent. The lodging away from home index
increased 0.1 percent in February, after rising 1.8 percent in January.
The airline fares index rose 3.6 percent in February, following a 1.4-percent increase in January. The
index for motor vehicle insurance increased 0.9 percent over the month. Among other indexes that rose
in February were apparel, recreation, and used cars and trucks.
-3-
The medical care index was unchanged in February after rising 0.5 percent in January. The index for
hospital services decreased 0.6 percent over the month and the index for physicians’ services decreased
0.2 percent. The prescription drugs index fell 0.1 percent in February. The index for dental services was
among those that rose in February, increasing 0.4 percent.
The index for personal care fell 0.5 percent in February, following a 0.6-percent increase in January. The
household furnishings and operations index fell 0.1 percent over the month, as did the new vehicles
index.
The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.8 percent over the past 12 months. The shelter index
increased 5.7 percent over the last year, accounting for roughly two thirds of the total 12-month increase
in the all items less food and energy index. Other indexes with notable increases over the last year
include motor vehicle insurance (+20.6 percent), medical care (+1.4 percent), recreation (+2.1 percent),
and personal care (+4.2 percent).
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 3.2 percent over the last 12
months to an index level of 310.326 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.6 percent prior
to seasonal adjustment.
The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 3.1
percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 304.284 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index
increased 0.7 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.
The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 2.9 percent over the
last 12 months. For the month, the index increased 0.6 percent on a not seasonally adjusted basis. Please
note that the indexes for the past 10 to 12 months are subject to revision.
_______________
The Consumer Price Index for March 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 10,
2024, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).
-4-
Technical Note
In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each location are aggregated using
weights, which represent their importance in the spending of the appropriate population group. Local
data are then combined to obtain a U.S. city average. For the CPI-U and CPI-W, separate indexes are
also published by size of city, by region of the country, for cross-classifications of regions and
population-size classes, and for 23 selected local areas. Area indexes do not measure differences in the
level of prices among cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base
period. For the C-CPI-U, data are issued only at the national level. The CPI-U and CPI-W are
considered final when released, but the C-CPI-U is issued in preliminary form and subject to three
subsequent quarterly revisions.
The index measures price change from a designed reference date. For most of the CPI-U and the CPI-W,
the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. The reference base for the C-CPI-U is December 1999 equals
100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000. Alternatively,
that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services
rising from $100 to $107.
Sampling Error in the CPI
The CPI is a statistical estimate that is subject to sampling error because it is based upon a sample of
retail prices and not the complete universe of all prices. BLS calculates and publishes estimates of the 1-
-5-
month, 2-month, 6-month, and 12-month percent change standard errors annually for the CPI-U. These
standard error estimates can be used to construct confidence intervals for hypothesis testing. For
example, the estimated standard error of the 1-month percent change is 0.03 percent for the U.S. all
items CPI. This means that if we repeatedly sample from the universe of all retail prices using the same
methodology, and estimate a percentage change for each sample, then 95 percent of these estimates will
be within 0.06 percent of the 1-month percentage change based on all retail prices. For example, for a 1-
month change of 0.2 percent in the all items CPI-U, we are 95 percent confident that the actual percent
change based on all retail prices would fall between 0.14 and 0.26 percent. For the latest data, including
information on how to use the estimates of standard error, see www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/variance-
estimates/home.htm.
Calculating Index Changes
Movements of the indexes from 1 month to another are usually expressed as percent changes rather than
changes in index points, because index point changes are affected by the level of the index in relation to
its base period, while percent changes are not. The following table shows an example of using index
values to calculate percent changes:
All items............................................ . 100.000 300.840 308.417 310.326 3.2 0.6 0.2 0.3 0.4
Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.561 320.569 327.327 327.731 2.2 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.0
Food at home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.177 302.483 305.037 305.469 1.0 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.0
Cereals and bakery products. . . . . . . . . . . . 1.062 350.772 354.532 356.633 1.7 0.6 -0.1 -0.2 0.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs. . . . . . . . . . . . 1.711 321.803 319.752 320.096 -0.5 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.1
Dairy and related products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.747 272.271 268.941 267.334 -1.8 -0.6 0.1 0.2 -0.6
Fruits and vegetables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.421 351.249 354.798 353.965 0.8 -0.2 0.0 0.4 -0.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage
materials................................. . 1.044 215.925 220.573 220.956 2.3 0.2 0.2 1.2 -0.2
Other food at home....................... . 2.193 266.612 271.600 272.768 2.3 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.0
Food away from home1..................... . 5.384 347.869 363.249 363.596 4.5 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.1
Energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.644 281.673 270.420 276.331 -1.9 2.2 -0.2 -0.9 2.3
Energy commodities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.467 309.280 284.627 296.368 -4.2 4.1 -0.7 -3.2 3.6
Fuel oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.083 419.629 390.877 396.859 -5.4 1.5 -3.3 -4.5 1.1
Motor fuel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.300 302.153 277.709 289.546 -4.2 4.3 -0.6 -3.3 3.7
Gasoline (all types). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.194 299.774 276.003 287.943 -3.9 4.3 -0.6 -3.3 3.8
Energy services.............................. . 3.177 266.353 267.475 267.662 0.5 0.1 0.3 1.4 0.8
Electricity................................... . 2.483 266.887 276.698 276.384 3.6 -0.1 0.6 1.2 0.3
Utility (piped) gas service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.695 258.976 234.515 236.218 -8.8 0.7 -0.6 2.0 2.3
All items less food and energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.794 304.011 313.623 315.419 3.8 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.4
Commodities less food and energy
commodities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.820 166.246 164.866 165.752 -0.3 0.5 -0.1 -0.3 0.1
Apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.541 132.039 127.946 131.985 0.0 3.2 0.0 -0.7 0.6
New vehicles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.671 177.817 178.595 178.592 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.0 -0.1
Used cars and trucks..................... . 1.926 183.241 179.410 180.006 -1.8 0.3 0.6 -3.4 0.5
Medical care commodities1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.472 396.560 407.879 408.246 2.9 0.1 -0.1 -0.6 0.1
Alcoholic beverages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.852 282.377 288.758 289.220 2.4 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.0
Tobacco and smoking products1. . . . . . . . 0.540 1,402.834 1,491.538 1,502.976 7.1 0.8 -0.1 0.3 0.8
Services less energy services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.974 390.070 408.051 410.432 5.2 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.5
Shelter...................................... . 36.222 372.510 391.896 393.906 5.7 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.4
Rent of primary residence. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.655 391.141 412.019 413.695 5.8 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5
Owners’ equivalent rent of
residences2........................... . 26.766 381.844 402.965 404.656 6.0 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.4
Medical care services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.543 598.778 605.257 605.162 1.1 0.0 0.5 0.7 -0.1
Physicians’ services1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.829 413.034 415.427 414.702 0.4 -0.2 0.2 0.6 -0.2
Hospital services1, 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.007 384.996 410.695 408.345 6.1 -0.6 0.5 1.6 -0.6
Transportation services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.304 382.801 412.643 420.850 9.9 2.0 0.1 1.0 1.4
Motor vehicle maintenance and
repair1. . . . . . . .......................... . 1.237 372.572 396.004 397.541 6.7 0.4 -0.3 0.8 0.4
Motor vehicle insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.828 668.806 794.142 806.444 20.6 1.5 1.7 1.4 0.9
Airline fares. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.760 281.216 247.606 263.952 -6.1 6.6 0.9 1.4 3.6
1
Not seasonally adjusted.
2
Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
3
Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
Table 2. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by detailed expenditure
category, February 2024
[1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted]
Unadjusted percent
Seasonally adjusted percent change
Relative change
importance Feb. Jan. Nov. Dec. Jan.
Expenditure category
Jan. 2023- 2024- 2023- 2023- 2024-
2024 Feb. Feb. Dec. Jan. Feb.
2024 2024 2023 2024 2024
1
Not seasonally adjusted.
2
Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
3
Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
4
Indexes on a December 2007=100 base.
5
Indexes on a December 2005=100 base.
6
Indexes on a December 1986=100 base.
7
Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
8
Indexes on a December 2009=100 base.
9
Indexes on a December 1990=100 base.
10
Indexes on a December 1983=100 base.
11
Indexes on a December 2001=100 base.
12
Indexes on a December 2019=100 base.
13
Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
14
Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
Table 3. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, special aggregate indexes,
February 2024
[1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted]
Unadjusted percent Seasonally adjusted percent
Relative Unadjusted indexes
change change
impor-
Special aggregate indexes tance Feb. Jan. Nov. Dec. Jan.
Jan. Feb. Jan. Feb. 2023- 2024- 2023- 2023- 2024-
2024 2023 2024 2024 Feb. Feb. Dec. Jan. Feb.
2024 2024 2023 2024 2024
All items less food.................................. . 86.439 297.808 305.500 307.628 3.3 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.5
All items less shelter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.778 276.174 279.224 281.119 1.8 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.5
All items less food and shelter.................... . 50.216 265.242 267.478 269.695 1.7 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.6
All items less food, shelter, and energy. . . . . . . . . . 43.572 266.085 270.329 272.011 2.2 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.3
All items less food, shelter, energy, and used
cars and trucks................................... . 41.646 270.667 275.444 277.195 2.4 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.3
All items less medical care........................ . 91.985 288.849 296.402 298.395 3.3 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.5
All items less energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.356 305.570 314.764 316.361 3.5 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.3
Commodities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.849 221.731 220.683 222.289 0.3 0.7 0.0 -0.3 0.4
Commodities less food, energy, and used
cars and trucks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.894 164.512 163.295 164.210 -0.2 0.6 -0.2 0.1 0.1
Commodities less food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.287 179.508 176.114 178.043 -0.8 1.1 -0.2 -0.7 0.7
Commodities less food and beverages. . . . . . . . 21.436 175.907 172.324 174.276 -0.9 1.1 -0.2 -0.7 0.7
Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64.151 378.481 395.020 397.225 5.0 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.5
Services less rent of shelter1................... . 28.342 395.480 408.614 411.089 3.9 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.6
Services less medical care services. . . . . . . . . . . 57.609 361.699 378.914 381.276 5.4 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.5
Durables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.219 125.825 123.752 123.847 -1.6 0.1 -0.4 -0.5 -0.1
Nondurables......................................... . 25.629 271.873 272.044 274.730 1.1 1.0 0.4 -0.4 0.5
Nondurables less food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.068 231.189 226.194 230.623 -0.2 2.0 0.5 -1.4 1.0
Nondurables less food and beverages. . . . . . . . 11.216 228.028 222.371 227.029 -0.4 2.1 0.5 -1.5 1.1
Nondurables less food, beverages, and
apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.675 292.689 285.921 291.019 -0.6 1.8 0.5 -1.6 1.1
Nondurables less food and apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . 9.527 290.240 284.663 289.326 -0.3 1.6 0.5 -1.5 1.0
Housing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....................... . 45.176 315.431 328.222 329.704 4.5 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.4
Education and communication2................... . 5.897 145.407 145.370 145.966 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.4 0.4
Education2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.480 287.651 294.574 295.488 2.7 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4
Communication2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.417 75.786 74.607 74.967 -1.1 0.5 0.0 0.5 0.5
Information and information processing2. . . . 3.351 71.370 70.241 70.539 -1.2 0.4 0.0 0.5 0.4
Information technology, hardware and
services3..................................... . 1.782 7.125 7.043 7.100 -0.4 0.8 -0.1 1.0 0.8
Recreation2.......................................... . 5.316 135.519 137.800 138.322 2.1 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.2
Video and audio2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.195 115.056 116.615 118.019 2.6 1.2 0.2 0.6 0.6
Pets, pet products and services2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.054 213.861 220.617 221.316 3.5 0.3 0.7 0.4 0.3
Photography2..................................... . 0.077 84.664 88.366 87.048 2.8 -1.5 -0.1 1.1 -1.8
Food and beverages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.413 318.050 324.782 325.190 2.2 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.0
Domestically produced farm food.............. . 6.797 312.657 315.361 315.828 1.0 0.1 -0.1 0.5 0.1
Other services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.825 400.518 411.301 412.674 3.0 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.3
Apparel less footwear.............................. . 2.014 123.971 119.886 123.686 -0.2 3.2 0.1 -0.6 0.3
Fuels and utilities................................... . 4.440 309.960 313.469 314.229 1.4 0.2 0.2 1.2 0.7
Household energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.345 263.358 263.599 263.961 0.2 0.1 0.2 1.2 0.8
Medical care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.015 549.487 557.215 557.236 1.4 0.0 0.4 0.5 0.0
Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.736 259.712 262.110 266.638 2.7 1.7 0.1 -0.6 1.4
Private transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.662 258.339 261.899 265.965 3.0 1.6 0.1 -0.8 1.3
New and used motor vehicles2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.285 125.178 124.005 124.762 -0.3 0.6 -0.3 -1.4 0.6
Utilities and public transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.696 257.578 257.042 259.117 0.6 0.8 0.3 1.0 0.7
Household furnishings and operations. . . . . . . . . . . 4.514 148.826 147.673 147.915 -0.6 0.2 -0.3 0.0 -0.1
Other goods and services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.906 526.196 551.140 551.150 4.7 0.0 0.0 0.5 -0.3
Personal care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.365 267.871 279.606 279.122 4.2 -0.2 0.0 0.6 -0.5
1
Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
2
Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
3
Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.
Table 4. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Selected areas, all items index, February
2024
[1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted]
Percent change to Feb. 2024 from: Percent change to Jan. 2024 from:
Pricing
Area Feb. Dec. Jan. Jan. Nov. Dec.
Schedule1
2023 2023 2024 2023 2023 2023
1
Foods, fuels, and several other items are priced every month in all areas. Most other goods and services are priced as indicated: M - Every month.
1 - January, March, May, July, September, and November. 2 - February, April, June, August, October, and December.
2
Regions defined as the four Census regions.
3
Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
4
Indexes on a December 2017=100 base.
5
Indexes on a December 1986=100 base.
6
1998 - 2017 indexes based on substantially smaller sample.
7
Indexes on a December 2001=100 base.
8
Indexes on a 1987=100 base.
NOTE: Local area indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a smaller sample size than the national index and is,
therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national
index, although their long-term trends are similar. Therefore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics strongly urges users to consider adopting the national
average CPI for use in their escalator clauses.
Table 5. Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) and the Consumer Price Index for
All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, all items index, February 2024
[Percent changes]
Unadjusted 1-month percent change Unadjusted 12-month percent change
Month Year
C-CPI-U1 CPI-U C-CPI-U1 CPI-U
1
The C-CPI-U is designed to be a closer approximation to a cost-of-living index in that it, in its final form, accounts for any substitution that
consumers make across item categories in response to changes in relative prices. Since the expenditure data required for the calculation of the
C-CPI-U are available only with a time lag, the C-CPI-U is issued first in preliminary form using the latest available expenditure data at that time and
is subject to four revisions.
Indexes are issued as initial estimates. Indexes are revised each quarter with the publication of January, April, July, and October data as updated
expenditure estimates become available. The C-CPI-U indexes are updated quarterly until they become final. January-March indexes are final in
January of the following year; April-June indexes are final in April of the following year; July-September indexes are final in July of the following year;
October-December indexes are final in October of the following year.
Table 6. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure category,
February 2024, 1-month analysis table
[1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted]
One Month
Relative Seasonally Seasonally Largest (L) or Smallest (S)
Standard
importance adjusted adjusted seasonally adjusted
Expenditure category error,
Jan. percent effect on All change since:3
median
2024 change Items
price Percent
Jan. 2024- Jan. 2024- Date
change2 change
Feb. 2024 Feb. 20241
1
The ’effect’ of an item category is a measure of that item’s contribution to the All items price change. For example, if the Food index had an effect of
0.40, and the All items index rose 1.2 percent, then the increase in food prices contributed 0.40 / 1.2, or 33.3 percent, to that All items increase.
Said another way, had food prices been unchanged for that month the change in the All items index would have been 1.2 percent minus 0.40, or 0.8
percent. Effects can be negative as well. For example, if the effect of food was a negative 0.1, and the All items index rose 0.5 percent, the All items
index actually would have been 0.1 percent higher (or 0.6 percent) had food prices been unchanged. Since food prices fell while prices overall were
rising, the contribution of food to the All items price change was negative (in this case, -0.1 / 0.5, or minus 20 percent).
2
A statistic’s margin of error is often expressed as its point estimate plus or minus two standard errors. For example, if a CPI category rose 0.6
percent, and its standard error was 0.15 percent, the margin of error on this item’s 1-month percent change would be 0.6 percent, plus or minus 0.3
percent.
3
If the current seasonally adjusted 1-month percent change is greater than the previous published 1-month percent change, then this column
identifies the closest prior month with a 1-month percent change as (L)arge as or (L)arger than the current 1-month change. If the current 1-month
percent change is smaller than the previous published 1-month percent change, the most recent month with a change as (S)mall or (S)maller than
the current month change is identified. If the current and previous published 1-month percent changes are equal, a dash will appear. Standard
numerical comparisons are used. For example, 0.8% is greater than 0.6%, -0.4% is less than -0.2%, and -0.2% is less than 0.0%. Note that a
(L)arger change can be a smaller decline, for example, a -0.2% change is larger than a -0.4% change, but still represents a decline in the price
index. Likewise, (S)maller changes can be increases, for example, a 0.6% change is smaller than 0.8%, but still represents an increase in the price
index. In this context, a -0.2% change is considered to be smaller than a 0.0% change.
4
Not seasonally adjusted.
5
Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
6
Special indexes based on a substantially smaller sample. These series do not contribute to the all items index aggregation and therefore do not
have a relative importance or effect.
7
Indexes on a December 2007=100 base.
8
Indexes on a December 2005=100 base.
9
Indexes on a December 1986=100 base.
10
Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
11
Indexes on a December 2009=100 base.
12
Indexes on a December 1990=100 base.
13
Indexes on a December 1983=100 base.
14
Indexes on a December 2001=100 base.
15
Indexes on a December 2019=100 base.
16
Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
17
Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
18
Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.
Table 7. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure category,
February 2024, 12-month analysis table
[1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted]
Twelve Month
Relative Unadjusted Unadjusted Standard Largest (L) or Smallest (S)
importance percent effect on All error, unadjusted change since:3
Expenditure category
Jan. change Items median
2024 Feb. 2023- Feb. 2023- price Percent
Date
Feb. 2024 Feb. 20241 change2 change
1
The ’effect’ of an item category is a measure of that item’s contribution to the All items price change. For example, if the Food index had an effect of
0.40, and the All items index rose 1.2 percent, then the increase in food prices contributed 0.40 / 1.2, or 33.3 percent, to that All items increase.
Said another way, had food prices been unchanged for that year the change in the All items index would have been 1.2 percent minus 0.40, or 0.8
percent. Effects can be negative as well. For example, if the effect of food was a negative 0.1, and the All items index rose 0.5 percent, the All items
index actually would have been 0.1 percent higher (or 0.6 percent) had food prices been unchanged. Since food prices fell while prices overall were
rising, the contribution of food to the All items price change was negative (in this case, -0.1 / 0.5, or minus 20 percent).
2
A statistic’s margin of error is often expressed as its point estimate plus or minus two standard errors. For example, if a CPI category rose 2.6
percent, and its standard error was 0.25 percent, the margin of error on this item’s 12-month percent change would be 2.6 percent, plus or minus
0.5 percent.
3
If the current 12-month percent change is greater than the previous published 12-month percent change, then this column identifies the closest prior
month with a 12-month percent change as (L)arge as or (L)arger than the current 12-month change. If the current 12-month percent change is
smaller than the previous published 12-month percent change, the most recent month with a change as (S)mall or (S)maller than the current month
change is identified. If the current and previous published 12-month percent changes are equal, a dash will appear. Standard numerical comparison
is used. For example, 2.0% is greater than 0.6%, -4.4% is less than -2.0%, and -2.0% is less than 0.0%. Note that a (L)arger change can be a
smaller decline, for example, a -0.2% change is larger than a -0.4% change, but still represents a decline in the price index. Likewise, (S)maller
changes can be increases, for example, a 0.6% change is smaller than 0.8%, but still represents an increase in the price index. In this context, a
-0.2% change is considered to be smaller than a 0.0% change.
4
Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
5
Special indexes based on a substantially smaller sample. These series do not contribute to the all items index aggregation and therefore do not
have a relative importance or effect.
6
Indexes on a December 2007=100 base.
7
Indexes on a December 2005=100 base.
8
Indexes on a December 1986=100 base.
9
Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
10
Indexes on a December 2009=100 base.
11
Indexes on a December 1990=100 base.
12
Indexes on a December 1983=100 base.
13
Indexes on a December 2001=100 base.
14
Indexes on a December 2019=100 base.
15
Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
16
Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
17
Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.