Highlights of CPI Item Structure Changes by Major Group and
Main Housing Subgroups
Exhibit 1.
Highlights of CPI item structure changes by major group
and main Housing subgroups
|
FOOD AND BEVERAGES |
There were no significant
changes to the content of this major group; the
components were restructured. Within the food-at-home
component, many small item strata were collapsed. Some
strata were redefined to include consumption companions
rather than their industry associates. For example,
"butter" moved from dairy products
to be with margarine in
fats and oils.
Food away from home was restructured into five new
stratafull-service restaurants,
limited service restaurants, food at
employee sites and schools, food from vending
machines and snack bars, and other food away
from home. These replaced the current strata for
lunch, for dinner, and for
other meals and snacks. |
HOUSING-SHELTER |
The maintenance and
repair components currently included in
HOUSING-SHELTER moved to HOUSING-HOUSEHOLD FURNISHINGS
AND OPERATIONS. This was not a significant change in the
composition of SHELTER because the maintenance and
repair expenditure weight was very small compared
with the expenditure weight for SHELTER. There were also
structural changes in SHELTER. Rent of primary
residence and lodging away from home
are now separate expenditure classes. A new item strata,
tenants and household insurance
was created by collapsing two strata. |
HOUSING-FUELS AND UTILITIES |
The HOUSING-FUELS AND
UTILITIES subgroup composition changed; some current
components moved to other major groups. The
telephone strata moved to the new EDUCATION
AND COMMUNICATION major group, where these strata were
restructured. Cable TV moved to the RECREATION major
group (formerly, ENTERTAINMENT). |
HOUSING-HOUSEHOLD
FURNISHINGS AND OPERATIONS |
Several components of the
current HOUSING-HOUSEHOLD FURNISHINGS AND OPERATIONS
subgroup moved to other major groups. Televisions
and sound equipment, moved to RECREATION (formerly,
ENTERTAINMENT). Sewing machines joined other
sewing items and also went to RECREATION. As explained
under APPAREL, we combined household laundry and
dry cleaning with apparel laundry and dry
cleaning and put the combination into OTHER GOODS
AND SERVICES, and combined household sewing
with clothing sewing and put that in
RECREATION. Maintenance and repair moved into
this HOUSING subgroup. Components that remained in the
HOUSING-HOUSEHOLD FURNISHINGS AND OPERATIONS subgroup
were restructured. |
APPAREL |
The composition of the
current APPAREL AND UPKEEP major group changed; the new
major group, APPAREL, excludes the components of apparel
upkeep. Apparel laundry and dry cleaning
combined with household laundry and dry
cleaning from the HOUSING HOUSEHOLD FURNISHINGS AND
OPERATIONS subgroup and moved to OTHER GOODS AND
SERVICES. Sewing items moved to the
RECREATION major group (formerly called ENTERTAINMENT.)
and luggage moved to OTHER GOODS AND
SERVICES. The small amount of restructuring within the
remaining APPAREL strata was confined to the
womens apparel expenditure class. |
TRANSPORTATION |
The composition of
TRANSPORTATION did not change; the components were
restructured. Cars and trucks were combined into a
single, very large item stratum. BLS will produce
substratum indexes for new cars and for
new trucks. Automobile finance
charges were dropped entirely from the scope of the
CPI. |
MEDICAL CARE |
The composition of MEDICAL
CARE did not change. Within medical care, the emphasis
for the 1998 CPI revision was to improve the pricing
methods. To accommodate this, the current three hospital
strata were collapsed into one combined item stratum,
hospital services. |
RECREATION (formerly
ENTERTAINMENT) |
ENTERTAINMENT changed to
RECREATION to make it clearer that it includes the costs
associated with active leisure activities. RECREATION now
includes video and audio equipment and services,
including cable TV, and sewing previously in HOUSING.
RECREATION now includes other sewing items that were
previously included in the old APPAREL AND UPKEEP major
group. RECREATION received recreational reading
materials from OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES. There was
a major restructuring of the expenditure classes and item
strata within RECREATION. |
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION |
This is a new major group.
The education components were drawn from the
old OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES major group; and the
COMMUNICATION components, consisting of telephones,
computers, and postage, were previously in HOUSING. |
OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES |
The size of this major group
was reduced. OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES continues to
include tobacco, personal care, and miscellaneous
services and miscellaneous goods although these
expenditure classes were restructured. School books
and supplies, as well as daycare, tuition,
and other school fees, now form the
education subgroup of the new major group,
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION. |
Last Modified Date: October 16, 2001
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