Back to Economic Information RECENT U.S. INFLATION RATES
based on the U.S. ALL-URBAN CPI (CPI-U)
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers:
U.S. City Average, all items.
| 1999 Average Rate | 2.1% |
| From September 1999 to September 2000 | 3.5% |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA, all items.
| From August 1999 to August 2000 | 3.9% |
To obtain the most recent updates on the U.S. CPI-U, contact any of the following sources:
CPI Hot Line, U.S. Department of Labor.
24-hour recorded message (206) 553-0645. This message provides both the U.S. All Urban CPI and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton CPI. The index value and the most recent year-to-year percent changes are given.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Regional Office.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Regional Office
Attn: Information and Correspondence
71 Stevenson Street
P.O. Box 193766
San Francisco, CA 94119-3766 Phone: (415) 975-4350 Fax: (415) 975-4560
STAT-USA Internet Site, U.S. Department of Commerce. http://www.stat-usa.gov/
Frequently Requested Statistical Releases: Price and Productivity Releases
Note: The data is available only to STAT-USA subscribers.
Frequently Asked Question:
Why Not Use a Regional CPI? We often get questions about using the Seattle-Tacoma CPI or other regional CPI's for escalator clauses. The Seattle-Tacoma CPI for example is also a product of the BLS. Here is an important note from the U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding the use of regional measures.
Local area CPI indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index (example Seattle-Tacoma) 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 (CPI-U) for use in their escalator clauses (emphasis added).
This information is provided by:
Center for Economic and Business Research
College of Business and Economics MS-9074
Western Washington University Phone: (360) 650-3909
This page was last updated on 11/14/00