Inflacion Usa
Inflacion Usa
Inflacion Usa
The index for used cars and trucks rose 10.0 percent in April. This was the largest 1-month increase
since the series began in 1953, and it accounted for over a third of the seasonally adjusted all items
increase. The food index increased in April, rising 0.4 percent as the indexes for food at home and food
away from home both increased. The energy index decreased slightly, as a decline in the index for
gasoline in April more than offset increases in the indexes for electricity and natural gas.
The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.9 percent in April, its largest monthly increase since
April 1982. Nearly all major component indexes increased in April. Along with the index for used cars
and trucks, the indexes for shelter, airline fares, recreation, motor vehicle insurance, and household
furnishings and operations were among the indexes with a large impact on the overall increase.
The all items index rose 4.2 percent for the 12 months ending April, a larger increase than the 2.6-
percent increase for the period ending March. Similarly, the index for all items less food and energy rose
3.0 percent over the last 12 months, a larger increase than the 1.6-percent rise over the 12 month period
ending in March. The energy index rose 25.1 percent over the last 12-months, and the food index
increased 2.4 percent.
Table A. Percent changes in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average
1
Not seasonally adjusted.
-2-
Food
The food index increased 0.4 percent in April. The index for food at home also rose 0.4 percent over the
month as all six major grocery store food group indexes increased. The index for fruits and vegetables
rose 0.8 percent in April as the index for fresh fruits increased 1.5 percent. The index for dairy and
related products rose 0.6 percent, and the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 0.5 percent over
the month. The index for cereals and bakery products increased 0.4 percent and the index for
nonalcoholic beverages rose 0.3 percent in April. The index for other food at home rose 0.1 percent over
the month.
The food away from home index continued to rise, increasing 0.3 percent in April. The index for limited
service meals rose 0.5 percent, while the index for full service meals increased 0.2 percent in April; both
increases were the same as in March.
The food at home index increased 1.2 percent over the past 12 months. All six major grocery store food
group indexes increased over the period. The largest increase was the fruits and vegetables index, which
rose 3.3 percent. Several groups posted increases of less than 1 percent, including dairy and related
products (0.6 percent), other food at home (0.4 percent), nonalcoholic beverages (0.2 percent), and
cereals and bakery products (0.1 percent).
The index for food away from home rose 3.8 percent over the last year. The index for limited service
meals rose 6.2 percent, and the index for full service meals rose 3.7 percent over the last 12 months. The
index for food at employee sites and schools fell sharply over the last 12 months, declining 35.2 percent.
Energy
The energy index declined slightly in April falling 0.1 percent after rising in each of the last 10 months.
The gasoline index declined 1.4 percent in April, also ending a string of ten consecutive increases.
(Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices rose 2.0 percent in April.) Other major energy component
indexes increased in April. The index for electricity increased 1.2 percent and the index for natural gas
rose 2.4 percent over the month, its third consecutive increase.
The energy index rose 25.1 percent over the past 12 months. The gasoline index rose 49.6 percent over
the last 12 months, its largest 12-month increase since the period ending January 2010. The index for
natural gas increased 12.1 percent, and the index for electricity rose 3.6 percent over the same period.
The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.9 percent in April. A 10.0-percent increase in the
index for used cars and trucks was the largest contributor, but many indexes increased substantially. The
shelter index rose 0.4 percent in April. The indexes for owners’ equivalent rent and for rent both
increased 0.2 percent, while the index for lodging away from home rose sharply, increasing 7.6 percent.
The index for airline fares also rose sharply in April, increasing 10.2 percent.
The indexes for recreation and for household furnishings and operations each increased 0.9 percent in
April after rising 0.4 percent in March. The motor vehicle insurance index continued to rise, increasing
2.5 percent in April. The index for car and truck rentals increased sharply in April, rising 16.2 percent.
The index for new vehicles rose 0.5 percent in April after being unchanged in each of the last 2 months.
-3-
The index for communication rose 0.4 percent in April after being unchanged in March. The apparel
index rose 0.3 percent in April after declining in each of the 2 prior months. The indexes for education,
alcoholic beverages, personal care, and tobacco also increased in April.
The medical care index rose 0.1 percent in April, the same increase as in March. The index for
prescription drugs rose 0.5 percent and the index for hospital services increased 0.2 percent. The index
for physicians’ services, however, declined 0.3 percent in April after rising in each of the last 3 months.
The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.0 percent over the past 12 months; this was its largest
12-month increase since January 1996. Indexes with large 12-month increases include used cars and
trucks (21.0 percent) and airline fares (9.6 percent). The shelter index increased 2.1 percent over the last
12 months, and the medical care index rose 1.5 percent.
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 4.2 percent over the last 12
months to an index level of 267.054 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.8 percent prior
to seasonal adjustment.
The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 4.7
percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 261.237 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index
rose 0.9 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.
The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 4.1 percent over the
last 12 months. For the month, the index increased 0.8 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 May 2021 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, June 10, 2021
at 8:30 a.m. (ET).
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on April 2021 Consumer Price Index Data
Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended
since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected
either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in April was affected by the temporary
closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an
increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed.
While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on
smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally
published were not published this month. Additional information is available at
www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.
-4-
Technical Note
Brief Explanation of the CPI
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the change in prices paid by consumers for goods and
services. The CPI reflects spending patterns for each of two population groups: all urban consumers and
urban wage earners and clerical workers. The all urban consumer group represents about 93 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 people, as well
as urban wage earners and clerical workers. Not included in the CPI are the spending patterns of people
living in rural nonmetropolitan areas, farming families, people in the Armed Forces, and those in
institutions, such as prisons and mental hospitals. Consumer inflation for all urban consumers is
measured by two indexes, namely, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the
Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U).
The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is based on the
expenditures of households included in the CPI-U definition that meet two requirements: more than one-
half of the household's income must come from clerical or wage occupations, and at least one of the
household's earners must have been employed for at least 37 weeks during the previous 12 months. The
CPI-W population represents about 29 percent of the total U.S. population and is a subset of the CPI-U
population.
The CPIs are based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, fuels, transportation, doctors’ and dentists’
services, drugs, and other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. Prices are collected
each month in 75 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately
22,000 retail establishments (department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other types
of stores and service establishments). All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are
included in the index. Prices of fuels and a few other items are obtained every month in all 75 locations.
Prices of most other commodities and services are collected every month in the three largest geographic
areas and every other month in other areas. Prices of most goods and services are obtained by personal
visits or telephone calls by the Bureau’s trained representatives.
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.
-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 https://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:
Item A Item B Item C
Year I 112.500 225.000 110.000
Year II 121.500 243.000 128.000
Change in index
9.000 18.000 18.000
points
Percent change 9.0/112.500 x 100 = 8.0 18.0/225.000 x 100 = 8.0 18.0/110.000 x 100 = 16.4
-6-
Intervention Analysis
The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses intervention analysis seasonal adjustment for some CPI series.
Sometimes extreme values or sharp movements can distort the underlying seasonal pattern of price
change. Intervention analysis seasonal adjustment is a process by which the distortions caused by such
unusual events are estimated and removed from the data prior to calculation of seasonal factors. The
resulting seasonal factors, which more accurately represent the seasonal pattern, are then applied to the
unadjusted data.
For example, this procedure was used for the motor fuel series to offset the effects of the 2009 return to
normal pricing after the worldwide economic downturn in 2008. Retaining this outlier data during
seasonal factor calculation would distort the computation of the seasonal portion of the time series data
for motor fuel, so it was estimated and removed from the data prior to seasonal adjustment. Following
that, seasonal factors were calculated based on this “prior adjusted” data. These seasonal factors
represent a clearer picture of the seasonal pattern in the data. The last step is for motor fuel seasonal
factors to be applied to the unadjusted data.
For the seasonal factors introduced for January 2021, BLS adjusted 72 series using intervention analysis
seasonal adjustment, including selected food and beverage items, motor fuels, electricity, and vehicles.
Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Indexes
Seasonally adjusted data, including the U.S. city average all items index levels, are subject to revision
for up to 5 years after their original release. Every year, economists in the CPI calculate new seasonal
factors for seasonally adjusted series and apply them to the last 5 years of data. Seasonally adjusted
indexes beyond the last 5 years of data are considered to be final and not subject to revision. For January
2021, revised seasonal factors and seasonally adjusted indexes for 2016 to 2020 were calculated and
published. For series which are directly adjusted using the Census X-13ARIMA-SEATS seasonal
adjustment software, the seasonal factors for 2020 will be applied to data for 2021 to produce the
seasonally adjusted 2021 indexes. Series which are indirectly seasonally adjusted by summing
seasonally adjusted component series have seasonal factors which are derived and are therefore not
available in advance.
Determining Seasonal Status
Each year the seasonal status of every series is reevaluated based upon certain statistical criteria. Using
these criteria, BLS economists determine whether a series should change its status from "not seasonally
adjusted" to "seasonally adjusted", or vice versa. If any of the 81 components of the U.S. city average all
items index change their seasonal adjustment status from seasonally adjusted to not seasonally adjusted,
not seasonally adjusted data will be used in the aggregation of the dependent series for the last 5 years,
but the seasonally adjusted indexes before that period will not be changed. Thirty-four of the 81
components of the U.S. city average all items index are not seasonally adjusted for 2021.
Contact Information
For additional information about the CPI visit www.bls.gov/cpi or contact the CPI Information and
Analysis Section at 202-691-7000 or cpi_info@bls.gov.
For additional information on seasonal adjustment in the CPI visit www.bls.gov/cpi/seasonal-
adjustment/home.htm or contact the CPI seasonal adjustment section at 202-691-6968 or
cpiseas@bls.gov.
Information from this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.
Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.
-7-
Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure category,
April 2021
[1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted]
Unadjusted percent Seasonally adjusted percent
Relative Unadjusted indexes
change change
impor-
Expenditure category tance Apr. Mar. Jan. Feb. Mar.
Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr. 2020- 2021- 2021- 2021- 2021-
2021 2020 2021 2021 Apr. Apr. Feb. Mar. Apr.
2021 2021 2021 2021 2021
All items............................................ . 100.000 256.389 264.877 267.054 4.2 0.8 0.4 0.6 0.8
Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.976 266.757 271.812 273.090 2.4 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.4
Food at home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.702 251.717 253.231 254.760 1.2 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.4
Cereals and bakery products. . . . . . . . . . . . 0.988 285.160 284.746 285.377 0.1 0.2 0.5 -0.1 0.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs. . . . . . . . . . . . 1.733 266.263 268.457 271.459 2.0 1.1 0.3 0.1 0.5
Dairy and related products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.770 228.755 229.249 230.170 0.6 0.4 -0.2 -0.5 0.6
Fruits and vegetables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.339 304.809 311.168 314.973 3.3 1.2 0.7 1.0 0.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage
materials................................. . 0.928 179.235 180.018 179.570 0.2 -0.2 -0.1 -0.2 0.3
Other food at home....................... . 1.945 219.233 219.263 220.143 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.1
Food away from home1..................... . 6.274 290.639 300.897 301.819 3.8 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.3
Energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.899 183.081 225.861 229.116 25.1 1.4 3.9 5.0 -0.1
Energy commodities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.774 174.001 252.840 257.289 47.9 1.8 6.6 8.9 -1.4
Fuel oil1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.099 194.716 276.100 267.262 37.3 -3.2 9.9 3.2 -3.2
Motor fuel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.606 170.378 248.681 253.648 48.9 2.0 6.4 9.1 -1.3
Gasoline (all types). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.529 168.891 247.652 252.603 49.6 2.0 6.4 9.1 -1.4
Energy services.............................. . 3.125 200.899 209.623 211.838 5.4 1.1 0.9 0.6 1.5
Electricity................................... . 2.409 211.040 216.528 218.627 3.6 1.0 0.7 0.0 1.2
Utility (piped) gas service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.717 167.751 185.624 188.129 12.1 1.3 1.6 2.5 2.4
All items less food and energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.125 266.089 271.713 273.968 3.0 0.8 0.1 0.3 0.9
Commodities less food and energy
commodities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.116 143.613 147.160 149.915 4.4 1.9 -0.2 0.1 2.0
Apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.763 118.394 120.746 120.656 1.9 -0.1 -0.7 -0.3 0.3
New vehicles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.700 147.007 149.321 149.892 2.0 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.5
Used cars and trucks..................... . 2.757 139.411 153.873 168.647 21.0 9.6 -0.9 0.5 10.0
Medical care commodities1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.543 383.911 375.111 377.284 -1.7 0.6 -0.7 0.1 0.6
Alcoholic beverages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.025 256.423 260.652 261.265 1.9 0.2 -0.1 0.3 0.2
Tobacco and smoking products1. . . . . . . . 0.616 1,159.847 1,236.352 1,238.348 6.8 0.2 0.6 0.6 0.2
Services less energy services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.009 342.776 349.607 351.265 2.5 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.5
Shelter...................................... . 33.004 324.522 330.122 331.354 2.1 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.4
Rent of primary residence. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.760 340.135 345.717 346.267 1.8 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Owners’ equivalent rent of
residences2........................... . 23.991 333.358 339.565 340.162 2.0 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2
Medical care services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.280 559.994 573.009 572.108 2.2 -0.2 0.5 0.1 0.0
Physicians’ services1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.857 386.862 407.048 405.869 4.9 -0.3 2.0 0.3 -0.3
Hospital services3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.223 352.676 361.468 361.585 2.5 0.0 -0.1 0.6 0.2
Transportation services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.111 307.250 316.345 324.519 5.6 2.6 -0.1 1.8 2.9
Motor vehicle maintenance and
repair1. . . . . . . .......................... . 1.097 304.376 314.660 315.177 3.5 0.2 0.3 1.0 0.2
Motor vehicle insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.628 534.842 565.166 567.509 6.1 0.4 0.7 3.3 2.5
Airline fares. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.595 203.342 197.134 222.953 9.6 13.1 -5.1 0.4 10.2
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, April 2021
[1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted]
Unadjusted percent
Seasonally adjusted percent change
Relative change
importance Apr. Mar. Jan. Feb. Mar.
Expenditure category
Mar. 2020- 2021- 2021- 2021- 2021-
2021 Apr. Apr. Feb. Mar. Apr.
2021 2021 2021 2021 2021
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 1982=100 base.
13
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,
April 2021
[1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted]
Unadjusted percent Seasonally adjusted percent
Relative Unadjusted indexes
change change
impor-
Special aggregate indexes tance Apr. Mar. Jan. Feb. Mar.
Mar. Apr. Mar. Apr. 2020- 2021- 2021- 2021- 2021-
2021 2020 2021 2021 Apr. Apr. Feb. Mar. Apr.
2021 2021 2021 2021 2021
All items less food.................................. . 86.024 254.746 263.775 266.093 4.5 0.9 0.4 0.7 0.8
All items less shelter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66.996 232.860 242.430 244.958 5.2 1.0 0.4 0.8 1.0
All items less food and shelter.................... . 53.020 224.331 234.896 237.700 6.0 1.2 0.5 1.0 1.1
All items less food, shelter, and energy. . . . . . . . . . 46.121 233.740 239.333 242.101 3.6 1.2 0.1 0.4 1.3
All items less food, shelter, energy, and used
cars and trucks................................... . 43.364 239.563 244.174 245.687 2.6 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.7
All items less medical care........................ . 91.178 243.907 252.421 254.703 4.4 0.9 0.4 0.7 0.8
All items less energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.101 265.465 270.989 273.092 2.9 0.8 0.1 0.3 0.8
Commodities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.866 182.141 191.877 194.456 6.8 1.3 0.5 0.9 1.1
Commodities less food, energy, and used
cars and trucks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.358 144.685 146.590 147.536 2.0 0.6 -0.1 0.0 0.7
Commodities less food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.889 146.008 156.922 159.832 9.5 1.9 0.8 1.4 1.5
Commodities less food and beverages. . . . . . . . 22.864 142.355 153.389 156.346 9.8 1.9 0.8 1.5 1.5
Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.134 329.866 336.822 338.518 2.6 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.6
Services less rent of shelter1................... . 29.488 345.544 354.212 356.494 3.2 0.6 0.3 0.6 1.0
Services less medical care services. . . . . . . . . . . 54.855 312.451 318.951 320.837 2.7 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.8
Durables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.850 104.336 108.597 111.983 7.3 3.1 0.0 0.5 3.5
Nondurables......................................... . 27.015 221.622 234.611 236.092 6.5 0.6 1.1 1.3 -0.3
Nondurables less food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.039 184.081 203.354 204.988 11.4 0.8 1.9 3.0 -0.6
Nondurables less food and beverages. . . . . . . . 12.014 179.517 199.791 201.493 12.2 0.9 2.1 3.2 -0.6
Nondurables less food, beverages, and
apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.250 221.427 253.342 256.202 15.7 1.1 3.0 4.5 -1.3
Nondurables less food and apparel. . . . . . . . . . . . 10.276 223.707 252.783 255.411 14.2 1.0 2.7 4.1 -1.1
Housing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....................... . 42.037 270.184 276.028 277.258 2.6 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.5
Education and communication2................... . 6.684 139.378 141.289 141.742 1.7 0.3 0.1 -0.1 0.3
Education2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.973 269.614 271.559 271.829 0.8 0.1 0.2 -0.2 0.2
Communication2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.711 73.854 75.255 75.630 2.4 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.4
Information and information processing2. . . . 3.599 69.756 71.054 71.420 2.4 0.5 0.1 -0.1 0.4
Information technology, hardware and
services3..................................... . 1.267 7.364 7.242 7.361 0.0 1.6 -0.1 0.2 1.4
Recreation2.......................................... . 5.741 121.935 123.567 124.546 2.1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.9
Video and audio2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.529 106.510 109.417 109.612 2.9 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.5
Pets, pet products and services2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.185 179.555 183.075 183.781 2.4 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.4
Photography2..................................... . 0.072 75.445 76.729 76.591 1.5 -0.2 1.7 -1.0 -0.3
Food and beverages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.001 266.137 271.135 272.367 2.3 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.4
Domestically produced farm food.............. . 6.427 259.558 261.273 263.207 1.4 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.7
Other services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.620 365.780 372.434 373.376 2.1 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3
Apparel less footwear.............................. . 2.111 110.865 112.717 112.301 1.3 -0.4 -0.9 -0.4 0.3
Fuels and utilities................................... . 4.394 239.897 251.797 253.460 5.7 0.7 1.1 0.6 1.0
Household energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.294 195.534 206.271 207.988 6.4 0.8 1.4 0.7 1.3
Medical care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.822 517.053 524.734 524.585 1.5 0.0 0.3 0.1 0.1
Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.802 193.732 215.761 222.547 14.9 3.1 1.1 2.7 2.5
Private transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.728 191.079 214.743 220.742 15.5 2.8 1.4 2.8 2.3
New and used motor vehicles2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.448 98.987 103.909 108.477 9.6 4.4 -0.3 0.5 4.6
Utilities and public transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.819 214.801 222.081 225.076 4.8 1.3 0.3 0.4 1.4
Household furnishings and operations. . . . . . . . . . . 4.640 124.961 128.350 129.321 3.5 0.8 0.0 0.4 0.9
Other goods and services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.148 461.294 472.607 473.649 2.7 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.2
Personal care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.532 238.181 241.735 242.303 1.7 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.2
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, April 2021
[1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted]
Percent change to Apr. 2021 from: Percent change to Mar. 2021 from:
Pricing
Area Apr. Feb. Mar. Mar. Jan. Feb.
Schedule1
2020 2021 2021 2020 2021 2021
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, April 2021
[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,
April 2021, 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,
Mar. percent effect on All change since:3
median
2021 change Items
price Percent
Mar. 2021- Mar. 2021- Date
change2 change
Apr. 2021 Apr. 20211
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 1982=100 base.
16
Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
17
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,
April 2021, 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
Mar. change Items median
2021 Apr. 2020- Apr. 2020- price Percent
Date
Apr. 2021 Apr. 20211 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 1982=100 base.
15
Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
16
Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.