Full text of CPI Detailed Report : August 1956
The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
Released September 21, 1956 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington 25 > D. C. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR AUGUST 1956 The level of consumer prices in United States cities declined 0*2 percent between July and August 1956, according to the U.S. Department of labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sharp seasonal decreases in prices of fresh fruits and vegetables from record high levels of July offset higher prices for other foods and major groups of goods and services. The Consumer Price Index for August was 116.8 percent of the 1947-49 average, 2.0 percent above a year ago. FOOD Food prices dropped 1.5 percent on the average as a result of the sharp reductions in prices of fresh produce# Prices of all other classes of foods advanced over the month. The August food index, at 113.1, was 1.7 percent higher than a year earlier but 3*0 percent below the August 1952 peak. Fruit and vegetable prices were lower in all of the 46 cities surveyed. Average decreases ranged from 3*2 to 16.8 percent. Prices of fresh vegetables decreased 21.9 percent on the average as supplies became more plentiful. Potato prices dropped 33 percent from their record high levels of July and by mid-August were selling at an average of 78 cents for 10 pounds. Prices of tomatoes declined 28 percent, green beans 20 percent, and onions 14 percent. Fresh fruit prices averaged 9*2 percent lower than in July as substantial seasonal reductions were reported for apples, grapes, watermelons, peaches, and other fruits. Increases in prices of beef, veal, and some pork cuts advanced the meat index 1.5 percent. Round steak, at an average of 92 cents a pound, was up 4*3 percent; chuck roast rose 6.5 percent, to an average of 49 cents a pound; and bacon prices increased 1.6 percent, but pork chop prices declined 0.7 percent. Prices of poultry were down 3#9 percent, reflecting increased supplies of young chickens. Small seasonal advances were recorded for all dairy products. Eggs rose 3*7 percent to an average of 60 cents a dozen, and coffee advanced to #1.06 for a pound can. Higher bread prices reported in many cities advanced the cereals and bakery products index by 0.4 percent. HOUSING The housing index advanced 0.3 percent from July to August. Prices of anthracite and bituminous coal were up 1.6 and 0.9 percent, respectively, and gas bills rose somewhat less than 1 percent. Housefumishings prices declined on the average as textile items were reduced for the usual August white sales, and lower prices of household appliances were reported* The index of residential rents remained at its July level. 2 OTHER COMMODITIES AND SERVICES A greater than usual seasonal increase in prices of used cars was the principal factor in the rise of 0*6 percent for transportation* New car prices also advanced, and higher prices of gasoline and motor oil were reported* Apparel prices9 up 0*2 percent over the month, were still 3*5 percent below their September 1951 peak* Host of the increase in the apparel group during August was due primarily to continued advances in prices of footwear* Medical care and other consumer services continued their long-term upward trend* Labor B.C. BLS57-8UU 3 TABLE 1: Consumer Price Index — United States city are rage, all items and commodity groups Indexes and percent changes for selected dates Indexes (1947-49.100) August 1956 Group This month All items July 1956 June 1956 August 1955 June 1950 Tear 1939 Last month 2 months ago Last year Pre-Korea Pre-World War II 116.8 117.0 116.2 114.5 101.8 59.V 113.1 111.8 126.3 99.9 109.2 120.7 113.9 1H.8 113.8 125.8 99.3 108.7 135.2 112.8 113.* 112.1 125.2 98.0 107.7 131.4 111.1 111.2 110.0 124.1 102.9 105.7 111.3 112.6 100.5 100.5 102.7 106.1 92.3 102.5 94.1 47.1 47.1 57.2 41.6 49.8 46.3 48.4 Household operation 122.2 133.2 112.1 129.5 102.6 123.4 121.8 133.2 111.7 128.7 102.8 123.0 121.4 132.5 111.7 128.4 102.8 122.6 120.0 130.5 110.8 123.8 103.2 119.5 104.9 108.7 102.7 107.6 97.4 99.6 76.1 86.6 104.9 56.4 53.4 68.4 Men's and boys' — — — — — Women's and girls* Footwear — — — — — — — — Other apparel — — — — — — — 105.5 107.7 98.1 124.8 91.5 105.3 107.7 98.0 124.2 91.4 104.8 107.5 97.5 123.1 91.1 103.4 105.5 97.4 117.6 90.5 96.5 98.1 93.3 102.1 88.4 52.5 W ) (J/) Public — Private 128.5 172.9 118.6 127.7 172.7 117.6 126.8 172.6 116.7 125.4 166.9 115.9 109.9 117.9 106.6 70.2 81.3 65.5 133.3 120.3 107.9 122.1 132.7 120.1 107.7 122.2 132*0 119.9 107.6 121.8 128.0 115.8 106.3 120.4 105.4 99.2 102.5 103.7 72.6 59.6 6^.0 70.6 Food 1/ Food at home Cereals and bakery products — Meats, poultry, and fish — Dairy products Fruits and vegetables Rent Solid fuels and fuel oil Personal care Reading and recreation - — — - - — Other goods and services jJ Percent change to August 1956 July 1956 June 1956 <*/) (*/) from: August 1955 June 1950 Tear 1939 - 0.2 2.0 14.7 96.6 - 1.5 - 1.8 .4 .6 .5 -10.7 1.0 - .1 - .3 .9 1.9 1.4 - 8.1 2.5 1.7 1.6 1.8 - 2.9 3.3 8.4 1.2 12.5 11.2 23*0 - 5.8 18.3 17.8 21.0 140.1 137.4 120.8 140.1 119.3 160.7 135.3 .3 0 .4 .6 .2 .3 .7 .5 .4 .9 .2 .7 1.8 2.1 1.2 4.6 - .6 3.3 16.5 22.5 9.2 20.4 5.3 23.9 60.6 53.8 6.9 129.6 92.1 80.4 .7 .2 .6 1.4 .4 2.0 2.1 .7 6.1 1.1 9.3 9.8 5.1 22.2 3.5 101.0 .6 .1 .9 1.3 .2 1.6 2.5 3.6 2.3 16.9 46.6 11.3 83.0 112.7 81.1 .5 .2 .2 - .1 Food 1/ Food at home — — — — — — — — — — — — Cereals and bakery products Meats, poultry, and fish Dairy products Fruits and vegetables Other foods at home 0.5 .2 0 .1 .5 .1 All items 1.0 .3 .3 .2 4.1 3.9 1.5 1.4 26.5 21.3 5.3 17.7 83.6 101.8 71.3 72.9 Gas and electricity Solid fuels and fuel oil - Public Private — - l/ Includes restaurant meals not shown separately. 2/ Includes home purchase and other home-owner costs not shown separately. Includes tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and "miscellaneous servicesH (such as legal services, banking fees, burial services, etc,). 4/ Hot available* (*/) (A/) (V) W) 4 TABLE 2: Consumer Price Index — All items indexes for selected dates U.S. city average and 20 large cities (1947-49=100) August 1956 City July 1956 June 1950 August 1955 Year 1939 1/ 116.8 117.0 114.5 101.8 59.4 120.0 119.6 117.4 114.4 117.9 United States city average 120.5 120.2 118.1 114.6 117.9 118.5 116.5 115.5 111.9 115.8 102.8 102.8 101.3 100.9 101.6 58.6 59.0 60.4 60.1 59.2 May 1956 August 1955 May 1950 Year 1939 Cities priced monthly: Chicago- Detroit Los Angeles New York Philadelphia - -• -• August 1956 Cities priced in February, May, August, November 2/ Cleveland——— Houston—— Scranton Seattle Washington, D. C. 119.1 118.2 113.5 118.8 115.7 • •— ..—•• Cities priced in March, June, September, December 2J Atlanta Baltimore Cincinnati St. Louis San Francisco— — — — 59.2 59.5 58.5 59.2 60.4 April 1956 July 1955 April 1950 Year 1939 117.8 117.6 117.7 117.3 118.6 115.2 116.4 115.6 115.2 116.4 113.8 115.9 117.5 114.0 114.7 101.2 101.4 102.1 99.9 101.5 61.0 61.7 60.7 58.1 58.3 March 1956 June 1955 June 1950 Year 1939 118.0 116.6 116.3 117.0 117.9 — 100.4 103.5 100.2 102.0 101.6 June 1956 Cities priced in January, April, July, October 2J Boston Kansas C i t y — — — Minneapolis Pittsburgh-- • • —. -• Portland, Oregon— 116.0 115.5 111.5 116.6 113.8 July 1956 —— 117.3 116.8 112.1 117.1 114.4 116.8 115.2 114.3 115.7 116.8 116.0 115.0 113.7 115.9 115.3 101.3 101.6 101.2 101.1 100.9 58.3 57.9 58.4 59.3 58.6 y U 1/ This index on the base of 1935-39=100 is 195.3. Foods, fuels, rents, and a few other items priced monthly; other commodities and services priced quarterly. 2/ June 1950; formerly priced March, June, September, December. {J May 1950; formerly priced February, May, August, November. TABLE 3: Consumer Price Index — Percent changes from July 1956 to August 1956 U.S. city average and five cities priced monthly All items and commodity groups City United States city average— Chicago Detroit Los Angeles New YorkPhiladelphia All items Food - 0.2 - 1.5 - - .4 .5 .6 .2 0 1.7 2.9 1.2 1.2 1.4 Housing Apparel Transportation Medical care 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.5 0 .4 .2 .2 .9 .6 .9 - .8 - .1 .2 .2 .3 - 1.5 1.1 1.3 0 Reading and Personal recreation care .1 .9 .1 0.2 - .1 .3 .3 0 0 Other goods & services 0.2 - 0.1 .2 .6 - .1 .8 .3 0 - .1 .2 - .1 0 - TABD5 I? Consumer Price Index — All items and commodity groups f August 1956 indexes and percent changes, May 1956 to August 1956 U.S. city average and 10 cities priced in August 1956 m U.S. City CleveLos Average Chicago land Detroit Houston Angeles Group 5 Hew York PhilaWashingdelphia Scranton Seattle ton, D.C. Indexes (19VM9.IOO) 116.8 120.0 119.1 119.6 118.2 117.4 114.4 117.9 113.5 118.8 115.7 113.1 111.8 126.3 99.9 109.2 120.7 113.9 110.9 109.1 120.7 93.2 110.2 118.5 120.0 111.6 109.9 122.2 97.2 104.3 116.9 118.5 115,6 J1U3i_ 120.0 98.1 110.7 132.8 117.3 110.2 108.9 117.6 94.5 109.1 121.5 112.2 113.4 109.9 131.1 99.9 103.5 113.3 111.8 112.6 110.9 130.3 101.8 106.8 113.7 114.2 115.9 114.4 129.9 103.2 111.4 123.5 114.0 110.5 110.0 124.4 99.7 105.2 118.0 111.0 114.9 114.4 136.8 100.4 113.0 122.9 114.1 113.7 112.0 122.5 97.1 ,115.3 120.5 114.3 — 122.2 133.2 * * 112.1 — 129.5 — — 102.6 123.4 131.2 125.9 118.3 113.5 123.9 107.0 116.6 126.3 139.0 106.8 127.7 113.8 134.2 100.8 128.1 125.1 152.0 114.9 126.7 101.2 116.1 116.2 — — 102.1 129.6 102.6 127.0 110.3 136.2 102.6 123.2 117.2 118.4 103.4 124.9 107.0 119.9 117.9 125.6 120.1 130.6 99.3 111.0 123.2 139.2 88.8 133.9 100.0 124.1 117.9 124.7 123.1 138.3 99.1 125.6 105.5 107.7 98.1 124.8 — — — — — — 91.5 109.2 114.1 99.3 129.3 95.6 106.8 111.2 97.9 124.8 94.0 103.7 110.5 93.3 120.9 87.4 108.1 107.6 100.4 135.7 90.9 105.4 109.1 96.8 127.4 83.5 104.1 107.4 95.9 123.4 94.4 104.1 104.4 99.0 120.3 92.0 106.7 108.6 99.4 129.8 91.0 107.2 110.3 99.5 128.5 86.7 1Q3.8 107.1 96.8 121.9 91.4 128.5 — 172.9 118.6 133.9 166.5 119.0 125.7 169.6 116.5 126.8 144.3 123.2 126.2 164.2 120.6 126.2 152.9 121.8 133.6 187.9 113.9 137.2 186.7 116.5 128.3 190.0 114.2 128.9 178.0 117.3 130.3 154.9 123.4 133.3 120.3 107.9 122.1 136.6 123.8 115.3 117.4 146.2 123.3 117.7 124.1 143.3 127.9 108.5 124.6 127.9 130.0 112.3 123.1 127.3 119.3 97.5 113.4 127.9 111.6 106.4 121.4 138.0 127.8 115.2 125.2 122.9 123.7 119.4 117.2 137.2 123.8 110.1 128.3 127.8 117.4 107.1 131.1 1.1 All items Pood Food at hose — — — — — — — Cereals and bakery products -Meats, poultry, and fish — — Dairy products — — — — — — — Fruits and vegetables Other foods at hone — Housing — — — — Rent — — — — — Gas and electricity Solid fuels and fuel oil Housefurnishlngs —• Household operation Men's and boys' Woiaen's and girls' — Other apparel Public Private — Reading and recreation Other goods and services — — — Percent change from — — May 1956 to August 1956 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.2 0.4 1.2 1.5 1.2 1.5 Food — 1.9 2.1 Food at hone 1.3 Cereals and bakery products — 4.6 Heats, poultry, and fish 1.6 Dairy products — — — — — — — Fruits and vegetables - .7 Other foods at hone 2.7 1.9 1.9 .6 4.6 - .1 .6 1.9 2.2 2.4 2.2 4.3 .1 .2 3.7 1.5 1.7 .2 4.9 1.7 - 4.4 4.0 2.5 3.3 0 4.1 .4 9.1 2.2 .4 .3 2.2 3.8 .5 - 7.0 1.5 1.8 1.7 .9 2.7 4.1 - 2.5 2.8 2.7 2.9 4.3 5.0 3.6 - 1.4 2.7 2.0 2.5 .3 6.7 0 .7 2.1 2.8 3.0 4.3 4.7 .1 - .6 5.1 1.1 .8 .3 1.3 0 .8 1.0 1.2 IA372 5.3 2.4 .5 1.0 2.2 0 2.2 - .6 .9 , -4 1T.7 .3 1.1 .9 0 2.2 .3 .8 1.4 .5 0 7.6 .5 1.1 .7 lT.7 0 .3 - .8 2.7 1.1 .4 0 1.5 - 1.3 .3 — .7 .7 .2 1.6 .4 .9 .4 .8 2.1 .7 1.0 2.6 - .5 2.0 .6 Transportation — — — — — — — — Public ft-ivate 1.1 .2 1.3 1.7 0 2.2 Medical care — — — — — — — — 1.1 .6 - .3 i .5 .1 .8 - .3 - .2 All items Rent Gas and electricity — — — — — — Solid fuels and fuel oil lousefurnishings — — — — — Household operation — — — Appartl Men's tad boys' WOMB'S and girls' Other apparel — Reading and recreation Other goods and services — 1/ Change from February 1956 to August 1956. — - .6 0 .1 .6 .6 — 0 1.1 — V 1.5 1.9 .5 4.4 2.9 - 1.5 2.0 1 — — 1.6 0 1.0 1.9 .2 1.8 .3 1.5 1.2 .7 1.5 1.9 .7 1.8 1.8 1.8 2.2 .7 - .7 - .3 - 1.4 .4 - .4 .6 1.1 .1 1.1 .5 .5 .4 0 2.3 .1 .4 .2 - .2 3.0 .6 .6 .8 0 1.7 .3 .2 1.2 - .6 .9 0 2.4 2.4 2.3 1.3 0 1.5 1.4 0 1.7 .5 0 .5 1.4 0 1.9 2.2 0 2.8 .9 0 1.2 2.9 0 3.3 1.0 0 1.2 .5 - .3 2.4 .8 .6 .4 - .9 .1 1.1 .9 - .8 .5 .4 i- .3 .9 1.8 .9 .2 1.1 .2 .4 .2 .3 .2 1.3 0 - 1.9 .3 1.4 3.5 - .8 .2 3.6 .1 1.0 .2 TABUS 5: Consumer Price Index — Pood and Its subgroups August 1956 indexes and percent changes, July 1956 to August 1956 U.S. city average and 20 large cities Total food at home Tota] food City Index Percent change Index - 1.5 111.8 - Percent change Cereals and bakery products Index Percent change - 1.3 126.3 0.4 - Atlanta — Baltimore Boston — — — — — — Chicago — — — Cincinnati — - — — Cleveland Detroit Houston — — — — — Kansas City — — — Los Angeles - - - - - 113.1 112.1 114.1 112.3 110.9 114.7 111.6 115.6 110.2 109.9 113.4 1.2 .9 1.2 1.7 2.1 1.3 2.9 .2 1.0 1.2 111.2 111.9 110.9 109.1 113.7 109.9 114.3 108.9 108.3 109.9 1.2 1.1 1.6 2.1 2.4 1.3 3.4 .1 - 1.2 - 1.5 117.6 121.8 123.6 120.7 124.6 122.2 120.0 117.6 121.1 131.1 Minneapolis — — — Hew Tork Philadelphia — Pittsburgh Portland, Oreg. St. Louis San Francisco ----Scranton Seattle Washington, D.C. — 113.0 - 2.0 112.6 - 1.2 115.9 - 1.4 114.5 - 1.1 115.6 - .9 113.3 - 1.8 114.7 - .5 110.5 - 2.3 114.9 - .1 113.7 - 1.9 112.5 110.9 114.4 113.1 114.7 111.4 113.4 110.0 1-14.4 112.0 - 0 126.3 130.3 .4 4.2 129.9 125.1 - .4 130.1 0 .2 120.3 4.3 137.4 .1 124.4 136.3 0 122.5 - .4 U.S. city average — 2.4 1.8 1.5 1.4 1.1 2.2 .7 2.6 .5 2.4 Cereals and bakery products; Flour* wheat — — — — — — — — 5 ib. Biscuit mix — — — — — 20 oz. Corn meal — — — — — — — ib. — — — — — — - 99.9 Percent change Index 0.6 109.2 100.4 97.1 .5 .9 .6 1.0 1.3 .4 - .1 .4 1.4 .1 Percent c hange Percent change 0.5 120.7 -10.7 113.9 1.0 112.7 .4 109.2 0 111.4 1.3 110.2 .6 113.7 .1 .2 104.3 110.7 1.3 109.1 111.2 .4 103.5 - .1 125.5 121.4 113.7 118.5 119.7 116.9 132.3 121.5 115.5 113.3 - S.9 - 6.3 -11.5 -11.4 -13.1 -11.1 -16.8 - 3.2 - 9.4 - 9.4 106.0 113.6 10S.1 120.0 120.3 118.5 117.3 1.0 .3 .6 .3 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.2 .7 .3 111.4 106.3 111.4 107.6 113.7 104.8 106.1 105.2 113.0 115.3 - 125.1 113.7 123.5 123.6 117.0 124.4 119.6 -13.2 -11.5 -11.8 - 3.4 -11.3 -11.6 - 8.0 -14.1 - 7.3 -11.3 .5 .3 0 .1 .1 .3 .2 118.0 *0 122.9 .2 120.5 * Priced only in season. 1/ Includes only homogenized, vitamin D milk. 2/ Formerly vegetable soup. Percent change 112.2 108.0 111.3 121.2 114.2 114.0 122.3 119.3 .4 .5 .7 .3 3.0 .1 1.5 .5 2.3 .5 121.9 111.9 111.0 114.1 114.3 July 1956 Cents 14.4 17.9 21.2 3.9 77.6 15.2 13.5 13.8 14.7 13.5 7.4 21.6 17.2 29.4 4.8 115.8 15.4 15.7 13.8 13.9 14.5 8.0 30.0 21.4 38.6 34.9 33.7 26.2 18.2 21.4 15.2 10.0 38.0 35.2 33.8 26.2 18.1 21.6 15.1 9.9 36.2 16.2 36.1 16.2 12.4 14.6 27.0 23.2 105.9 23.2 32.9 98.3 29.2 19.9 35.7 53.6 52.9 23.8 26.6 4.5 60.4 8.5 12.4 14.6 26.9 23.1 105.0 23.2 32.9 98.6 29.1 19.7 35.7 53.7 52.9 23.6 26.6 4.5 58.2 8.5 each Peaches * —----- ib. Strawberries * pt. Grapes, seedless * — — ib. Watermelons * — — — — — ib. Potatoes — — — — — 10 ib. Sweetpotatoes- - - — — — — — ib. Onions — — — * — — ib. Carrots — — — — — . . . . . ib. Lettuce — — — — — — head Celery — — — — — — — Cabbage — — — — — — — August 1956 Index Cents Grapefruit * 18.5 16.3 65.7 19.0 Other foods at home Index 103.0 .5 101.0 .9 100.5 1.2 93.2 .2 101.3 - .2 97.2 .9 93.1 - 1.0 94.5 1.3 1.8 95.9 .9 99.9 95.3 101.3 103.2 99.2 102.5 97.1 104.3 99.7 Fruits and vegetables Fresh— Continued ib. Rolled oats — — — — — — 20 oz. Corn flakes — — — — — 12 oz. Bread, white — — — — — — — ib. Soda crackers — — — — — ib. Vanilla cookies — — — — — 7 oz. Meats, poultry, and fish: 92.1 Round steak — — — ib. Chuck roast — — — — — — ib. 49.4 71.2 Rib roast — — — — — — — ib. 38.8 Hamburger — — — — — ib. Veal cutlets — — — — — ib. 111.1 85.2 Pork chops, center cut — — — ib. 59.5 Bacon, sliced — — — — — — ib. 62.1 Ham, whole — — — — — — ib. 70.3 Lamb, leg — — — — — — — • — ib. 51.7 Frankfurters — — — — ib. Luncheon neat, canned — 12 oz. 40.4 48.5 Frying chickens, ready-to*cook — ib. 41.8 Ocean perch, fillet, frozen ib. 45.1 Haddock, fillet, frozen — — ib. 60.7 Salmon, pink, canned — — - 10 oz. Tuna fish, canned — — — — 6 t &h oz. 31.9 o Dairy products: Milk, fresh, (grocery) j / — qt. 22.7 24.3 Milk, fresh, (delivered)!/qt. 28.9 Ice cream — — — — — — — — pt. 72.0 Butter — — — — — — — — ib. 57.4 Cheese, American process — ib. 14.2 Milk, evaporated — — i4fc-oz. can Fruits and vegetables: Frozen: Strawberries — — — — 10 oz. 29.5 Orange Juice concentrate — — 6 oz. 20.1 Peas, green — — — — — 10 oz. 21.4 Beans, green — — 10 oz. 23.0 Fresh: 16.1 Apples ib. 16.6 Bananas — — — — — — — ib. 64.2 Oranges, size 200 — — — doz. 18.7 Lemons — — — — — — — i . b - .1 .1 .6 .3 .2 0 .1 .1 .1 0 Index Dairy products TABUS 6: Consumer Price Index — Average retail prices of selected foods U.S. city average July August Food and unit 1956 1956 Food and unit Rice — - Meats, poultry, and fish — ib. ib. Tomatoes --------------------- ib. Beans, green — — — — — — ib. Canned: Orange juice — — — — — 46-oz. can Peaches — — — §2h can Pineapple — — — — — #2 can Fruit cocktail — — — — — #303 can Corn, cream style — — — #303 can Pea8, green — — — — — #303 can Tomatoes — — — — — — #303 can Baby foods — — — — — Ah to 5 oz. Dried; Prunes — — — — — — — — ib. Beans — — — — — — — ib. Other foods at home: Tonato SOUp 2/ — — — — lOfc-ll-oz. can Beans with pork —————————— 16-oz. can Pickles, sweet — — — — — 7^ 0z. Catsup, tomato — — — — — 14 0z. Coffee ib. oan Tea bags — — — — — — — — Pkg. of ll f Cola drink, carton — — — — — 36 oz. Shortening, hydrogenated — — 3 ib. Margarine, colored ib. Lard — — — — — — — — — — ib. Salad dressing — — — — — — pt. Peanut butter — — — — — ib. Sugar — — — — — — — 5 ib. Com syrup ------------------- 24 oz. Grape Jelly — — — — — 12 oz. Chocolate bar — — — — — — 1 0z. Eggs, Grade A, large - — — — doz. Gelatin, flavored — — 3 to 4 oz. 7 Prlftf Mflmtrlgn of the gf? The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the average changes in prices of goods and services typically bought by city families of wage earners and clerical workers. It is based on prices of about 300 items which were selected so that their price changes would represent the movement of prices of all goods and services purchased by wage and clerical families; they include all of the important items in family spending* Prices for these items are obtained in 46 cities which were chosen to represent all urban places in the United Statef; they are collected from grocery and department stores, hospitals, filling stations, and other types of stores and service establishments which wage-earner and clerical-worker families patronize* Prices of foods, fuels, and a few other items are obtained every month in all 46 cities* Prices of most other commodities and services are collected every month in the 5 largest cities and every 3 months in other cities* Almost all prices are obtained by personal visits of the Bureau's trained representatives * In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each city are averaged together with weights which represent their importance in family spending* City data are then combined in the total index with weights based on the 1950 populations of cities they represent* Index numbers are computed on the base 1947-49 = 100* The national index (the United States city average) includes prices from the 20 large cities for which separate indexes are published in this report, as well as from the following 26 medium-sized and small cities: Anna, Illinois Camden, Arkansas Canton, Ohio Charleston, W. Virginia Evansville, Indiana Garrett, Indiana Glendale, Arizona Grand Forks, N* Dakota Grand Island, Nebraska Huntington, W* Virginia Laconia, New Hampshire Lodi, California I^chbjurg, Virginia M&dill, Oklahoma Madison,' Wisconsin Middlesboro, Kentucky Middletown, Connecticut Newark, Ohio Pulaski, Virginia Ravenna, Ohio Rawlins, Wyoming San Jose, California Sandpoint, Idaho Shawnee, Oklahoma Shenandoah, Iowa Youngstown, Ohio Comparisons of city indexes show only that prices in one city changed more or less than in another* The city indexes cannot be used to measure differences in price levels or in living costs between cities* A description of the index is contained in BLS Bulletin 1140, "The Consumer Price Indexi A layman's Guide," which may be purchased for 20 cents at any Bureau of Labor Statistics regional office (addresses below) or from the Superintendent of Documents, U* S* Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D* C* A more technical description of the index appears in BLS Bulletin 1168, "Techniques of Preparing Major BLS Statistical Series*M Reprints of chapter 9» pertaining to the CPI, are available on request to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington or at any of its regional offices* Historical series of index numbers for the United States city average and for 20 large cities are available upon request* These series include index numbers for All Items, Food, Apparel, and Rent for periods from 1913 to date; and for other groups of goods and services from 1947 to date* BLS Regional Offices Atlanta 50 Seventh St*, NE Zone 23 New York 341 Ninth Ave* Zone 1 Chicago 105 West Adams St* Zone 3 San Francisco 630 Sansome St* Zone 11 LABOR - D. C. Boston 18 diver St. Zone 10 OCCUPATIONAL WAGE SURVEYS (BLS Bulletins 1188-1 through 18) The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the wage surveys for major labor markets. The studies cover 18 the winter 1955-56. The individual bulletins provide earnings lected from several categories: ' O f f i c e clerical, professional powerplant, and custodial and material movement. last of this year's occupational areas and were conducted during information on about 60 j o b s s e and technical, maintenance and In addition to areawide averages and distributions of workers by earnings c l a s s e s for each job, information is provided wherever possible by major industry division, including manufacturing, public utilities, finance, trade, and services. A l s o presented are data for paid holidays; paid vacations; scheduled weekly hours; health, insurance, and pension plans; minimum entrance rates; and shift differential practices. The areas covered, survey date, bulletin number, and price are as f o l l o w s : Atlanta Chicago Dallas Denver Detroit Lawrence L o s Angeles-Long Beach Memphis Milwaukee Minneapolis-St. Paul New Orleans New York City. Newark-Jersey City, Philadelphia Portland, Oreg Providence St. L o u i s San Francisco-Oakland . April 1956 April 1956 October 1955 December 1955 October 1955 February 1956. March 1956 February 1956 .November 1955 December 1955 November 1955 April 1956 December 1955 November 1955 April 1956 March 1956 February 1956 January 1956 1188-18 1188-15 1188-1 1188-6 1188-2 1188-11 1188-13 1188-12 1188-3 1188-8 1188-5 1188-17 1188-10 1188-4 1188-16 1188-14 1188-9 1188-7 Cents 25 25 30 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 20 25 25 25 25 25 Send orders (accompanied by check or money order) to the Superintendent of Documents, Washington 25, D. C . , or to any of the following U. S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics regional o f f i c e s : Boston 18 Oliver Street New York 341 Ninth Avenue UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Atlanta 50 Seventh Street, N. E . Chicago 105 West Adams Street San Francisco 630 Sansome Street