Item Structure and Publication Changes to the Consumer Price Indexes for January 2010
Effective with the release of CPI data for January 2010 scheduled for Friday, February 19,
the BLS will introduce several item structure and other publication changes into the CPI.
Shelter The expenditure weight for second homes will be moved from Lodging away from home to a new, unpriced stratum under the Owners’ equivalent rent expenditure class. As such, the expenditure
class index for Owners’ equivalent rent will now include both primary and secondary homes, and the title of that
expenditure class index will change from Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residences to Owners’ equivalent rent
of residences. Both the expenditure class (Owners’ equivalent rent of residences), and the Owners’ equivalent rent
of primary residence stratum within it, will be published.
Current Structure:
- Lodging away from home
- Housing at school, excluding board
- Other lodging away from home including hotels and motels
- Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence
- Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence*
New Structure:
- Lodging away from home
- Housing at school, excluding board
- Other lodging away from home, including hotels and motels
- Owners’ equivalent rent of residences
- Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence
- Unsampled owners’ equivalent rent of secondary residences*
Medical care commodities The item structure for Medical care commodities will change:
Current Structure
- Medical care commodities
- Prescription drugs
- Prescription drugs
- Unsampled rent or repair of medical equipment*
- Nonprescription drugs and medical supplies
- Internal and respiratory OTC drugs
- Nonprescription medical equipment and supplies
New Structure
- Medical Care Commodities
- Medicinal drugs
- Prescription drugs
- Nonprescription drugs
- Medical equipment and supplies
- Medical equipment and supplies
- Unsampled rent or repair of medical equipment*
Telephone services The item structure for telephone services will also change:
Current structure
- Telephone services
- Land-line telephone services, local charges
- Land-line telephone services, long distance
- Wireless telephone services
New structure
- Telephone services
- Wireless telephone services
- Land-line telephone services
Indexes that are deemed continuous will have the same reference base previously used. New index series will
have a December 2009 = 100 reference base. Unpublished series are indicated with a *.
Other publication changes
The index for State and local registration and license will be retitled State motor vehicle registration and license fees.
A new index for Intracity mass transit will be published. Indexes for Land-line interstate toll calls and Land-line intrastate toll calls will be
discontinued.
Changes to Series Available in the BLS CPI Databases: CU & CW
New Series
There will be 7 new series.
New Item Code |
Old Item Code (if continuous) |
Series Title |
Populations |
Geographic Areas |
Base Date |
SEED04 |
|
Land-line telephone services |
CU, CW |
U.S. city average |
December 2009=100 |
SEHC01 |
SEHC
| Owner’s equivalent rent of primary residence |
CU, CW |
All |
December 1982=100 |
SEMF |
|
Medicinal drugs |
CU, CW |
U.S. city average |
December 2009=100 |
SEMF01 |
SEMA |
Prescription drugs |
CU, CW |
U.S. city average |
1982-84=100 |
SEMF02 |
|
Nonprescription drugs |
CU, CW |
U.S. city average |
December 2009=100 |
SEMG |
|
Medical equipment and supplies |
CU, CW |
U.S. city average |
December 2009=100 |
SS53031 |
|
Intracity mass transit |
CU |
U.S. city average |
December 2009=100 |
Discontinued Series
The following 8 series will no longer be available. The historical data through December 2009 will be moved to the MU (for CU) and MW (for CW)
databases, and may be accessed through the series report data retrieval tool.
Item Code |
Title |
SEED01 |
Land-line telephone services, local charges (CU, CW) |
SEED02 |
Land-line telephone services, long distance charges (CU, CW) |
SEMA |
Prescription drugs (CU, CW) |
SEMB |
Nonprescription drugs and medical supplies (CU, CW) |
SEMB01 |
Internal and respiratory over-the-counter drugs (CU, CW) |
SEMB02 |
Nonprescription medical equipment and supplies (CU, CW) |
SS27051 |
Land-line interstate toll calls (CU) |
SS27061 |
Land-line intrastate toll calls (CU) |
Item title changes
The titles for the following 2 series will be changed:
Item Code |
Old Title |
New Title |
SEHC |
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence |
Owner's equivalent rent of residences |
SETF01 |
State and local registration and license |
State motor vehicle registration and license fees |
Last Modified Date: February 1, 2010
|