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The CPI-U and the CPI-U-RS

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the Consumer Price Index Research Series Using Current Methods (CPI-U-RS) are indexes that are used to adjust dollar amounts for inflation.

• The CPI-U is used to adjust the official poverty thresholds for inflation, as instructed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in Statistical Policy Directive 14.
 
• The CPI-U-RS is a revised inflation index that uses current methods for computing inflation.

Both the CPI-U and CPI-U RS are computed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

For more information about the CPI-U-RS methodology, see the BLS's CPI-U-RS web page.
For more information about the CPI-U, and price indexes in general, see the BLS's CPI homepage.

For information about the price indexes used in Census Bureau income data, see Comparison of Trends in Income Using the CPI-U-RS and CPI-U-X1.

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Page Last Modified: August 26, 2008