July 19, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Prices for apparel fall in most
years in 1990s in research series
A striking feature of the new CPI
research series is that there are no increases in apparel prices in the last seven years.
In fact, the price index for apparel dropped in the research series every year from 1992
to 1998 except 1997, when it was unchanged.
![Annual change in the CPI for apparel and in the CPI research series for apparel, 1990-98](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120925102434im_/http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/images/1999/Jul/wk3/art01.gif)
[Chart data—TXT]
Prices for apparel also fell in the official CPI series in
some years in the 1990s, but not as frequently. In the official series, apparel prices
dropped in three years in the 1990s, half as often as in the research series.
In each year in the entire study period, 1978-98, the annual change in apparel prices
was lower in the research series than in the official Consumer Price Index. While the
growth rate was always lower than in the official series, apparel prices declined in the
research series in only one year prior to 1992—in 1989 prices descended by 0.1
percent.
The BLS Consumer Price Index program produces CPI data. BLS
has made numerous improvements to the CPI over the years, which have increased the
accuracy of the index; however, the official historical price indexes are not adjusted to
reflect the improvements. Find more information on the CPI research series in "CPI research series using current methods,
1978-98," by Kenneth J. Stewart and Stephen B. Reed, Monthly Labor Review,
June 1999. It is important to note that the CPI research series has certain limitations
and that it is subject to revision. Annual percent changes are December-to-December
changes.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
.
Read more »