The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services. Indexes are available for the U.S. and various geographic areas. Average price data for select utility, automotive fuel, and food items are also available. Prices for the goods and services used to calculate the CPI are collected in 75 urban areas throughout the country and from about 23,000 retail and service establishments. Data on rents are collected from about 43,000 landlords or tenants.

More information and details about the data provided can be found at http://www.bls.gov/cpi

Consumer Price Index CPI in the United States increased to 323.98 points in August from 323.05 points in July of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a statistical measure that tracks the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for a basket of goods and services. It serves as a key indicator of inflation, reflecting the cost of living and the purchasing power of a currency. Calculated periodically, the CPI is used by governments, economists, and policymakers to make informed decisions on monetary policy, wage negotiations, and economic forecasting. By comparing the CPI across different periods, one can gauge the health of an economy, understand inflationary pressures, and assess the impact of economic policies on everyday consumer expenses.

Context:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as “a statistical measure of change, over time, of the prices of goods and services in major expenditure groups--such as food, housing, apparel, transportation, and medical care--typically purchased by urban consumers. Essentially, it compares the cost of a sample of goods and services in a specific month relative to the cost of the same "market basket" in an earlier reference period.

Make sure to read the cu.txt for more descriptive summaries on each data file and how to use the unique identifiers.

Content:

This dataset was collected June 27th, 2017 and may not be up-to-date.

The revised CPI introduced by the BLS in 1998 includes indexes for two populations; urban wage earners and clerical workers (CW), and all urban consumers (CU). This dataset covers all urban consumers (CU).

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a statistical measure of change, over time, of the prices of goods and services in major expenditure groups--such as food, housing, apparel, transportation, and medical care--typically purchased by urban consumers. Essentially, it compares the cost of a sample "market basket" of goods and services in a specific month relative to the cost of the same "market basket" in an earlier reference period. This reference period is designated as the base period.

As a result of the 1998 revision, both the CW and the CU utilize updated expenditure weights based upon data tabulated from three years (1982, 1983, and 1984) of the Consumer Expenditure Survey and incorporate a number of technical improvements, including an updated and revised item structure.

To construct the two indexes, prices for about 100,000 items and data on about 8,300 housing units are collected in a sample of 91 urban places. Comparison of indexes for individual CMSA's or cities show only the relative change over time in prices between locations. These indexes cannot be used to measure interarea differences in price levels or living costs.

Summary Data Available: U.S. average indexes for both populations are available for about 305 consumer items and groups of items. In addition, over 100 of the indexes have been adjusted for seasonality. The indexes are monthly with some beginning in 1913. Semi-annual indexes have been calculated for about 100 items for comparison with semi-annual areas mentioned below. Semi-annual indexes are available from 1984 forward.

Area indexes for both populations are available for 26 urban places. For each area, indexes are published for about 42 items and groups. The indexes are published monthly for three areas, bimonthly for eleven areas, and semi-annually for 12 urban areas.

Regional indexes for both populations are available for four regions with about 55 items and groups per region. Beginning with January 1987, indexes are monthly, with some beginning as early as 1966. Semi-annual indexes have been calculated for about 42 items for comparison with semi-annual areas mentioned above. Semi-annual indexes have been calculated for about 42 items in the 27 urban places for comparison with semi-annual areas.

City-size indexes for both populations are available for three size classes with about 55 items and groups per class. Beginning with January 1987, indexes are monthly and most begin in 1977. Semi-annual indexes have been calculated for about 42 items for comparison with semi-annual areas mentioned below.

Region/city-size indexes for both populations are available cross classified by region and city-size class. For each of 13 cross calculations, about 42 items and groups are available. Beginning with January 1987, indexes are monthly and most begin in 1977. Semi-annual indexes have been calculated for about 42 items in the 26 urban places for comparison with semi-annual areas.

Frequency of Observations: U.S. city average indexes, some area indexes, and regional indexes, city-size indexes, and region/city-size indexes for both populations are monthly. Other area indexes for both populations are bimonthly or semi-annual.

Annual Averages: Annual averages are available for all unadjusted series in the CW and CU.

Base Periods: Most indexes have a base period of 1982-1984 = 100. Other indexes, mainly those which have been added to the CPI program with the 1998 revision, are based more recently. The base period value is 100.0, except for the "Purchasing Power" values (AAOR and SAOR) where the base period value is 1.000.

Data Characteristics: Indexes are stored to one decimal place, except for the "Purchasing Power" values which are stored to three decimal places.

References: BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, "Consumer Price Index", BLS Bulletin 2285, April 1988.

Acknowledgements:

This dataset was taken directly from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics web...

This data is a portion of a larger dataset, composed by over 120 million data points, collected by Starsift LLC for the Grocerybear Project (www.grocerybear.com) every day between January 2017 and May 2018 for over 50,000 unique items in about 750 commercial categories for eleven US cities: Boise, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC. This dataset is composed by 5 csv files, one for each CPI-U Entry Level Item disclosed: Apples, Bread, Butter, Cigarettes, and Coffee. Each file presents the following columns: Year, Month, Product name, Product code, City, Store Chain, Average price in the month. Store chains have been anonymized. This project also includes an R file to calculate sub-national consumer price indexes using the Time-interaction-Region Product Dummy (TiRPD) model.

Measures of monthly UK inflation data including CPIH, CPI and RPI. These tables complement the consumer price inflation time series dataset.

Consumer Price Index CPI in India increased to 197.20 points in September from 197 points in August of 2025. This dataset provides - India Consumer Price Index (CPI) - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This table contains 13 series, with data from 1949 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). Data are presented for the current month and previous four months. Users can select other time periods that are of interest to them.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures over time the prices of goods and services in major expenditure categories typically purchased by urban consumers. The expenditure categories include food, housing, apparel, transportation, and medical care. Essentially, the Index measures consumer purchasing power by comparing the cost of a fixed set of goods and services (called a market basket) in a specific month relative to the cost of the same market basket in an earlier reference period, designated as the base period. The CPI is calculated for two population groups: urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) and all urban consumers (CPI-U). The CPI-W population includes those urban families with clerical workers, sales workers, craft workers, operatives, service workers, or laborers in the family unit and is representative of the prices paid by about 40 percent of the United States population. The CPI-U population consists of all urban households (including professional and salaried workers, part-time workers, the self-employed, the unemployed, and retired persons) and is representative of the prices paid by about 80 percent of the United States population. Both populations specifically exclude persons in the military, in institutions, and all persons living outside of urban areas (such as farm families). National indexes for both populations are available for about 350 consumer items and groups of items. In addition, over 100 of the indexes have been adjusted for seasonality. The indexes are monthly with some beginning in 1913. Area indexes are available for 27 urban places. For each area, indexes are presented for about 65 items and groups. The area indexes are produced monthly for 5 areas, bimonthly for 10 areas, and semiannually for 12 urban areas. Regional indexes are available for four regions with about 95 items and groups per region. Beginning with January 1987, regional indexes are monthly, with some beginning as early as 1966. City-size indexes are available for four size classes with about 95 items and groups per class. Beginning with January 1987, these indexes are monthly and most begin in 1977. Regional and city-size indexes are available cross-classified by region and city-size class. For each of the 13 cross-classifications, about 60 items and groups are available. Beginning with January 1987, these indexes are monthly and most begin in 1977. Each index record includes a series identification code that specifies the sample (either all urban consumers or urban wage earners and clerical workers), seasonality (either seasonally adjusted or unadjusted), periodicity (either semiannual or regular), geographic area, index base period, and item number of the index. (Source: downloaded from ICPSR 7/13/10)

Please Note: This dataset is part of the historical CISER Data Archive Collection and is also available at ICPSR at https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR08166.v3. We highly recommend using the ICPSR version as they may make this dataset available in multiple data formats in the future and includes additional years of data.

Israel IL: Consumer Price Index (CPI): Local Source Base Year: Clothing and Footwear data was reported at 90.467 2020=100 in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 95.092 2020=100 for 2021. Israel IL: Consumer Price Index (CPI): Local Source Base Year: Clothing and Footwear data is updated yearly, averaging 119.871 2020=100 from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2022, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 167.358 2020=100 in 1997 and a record low of 53.850 2020=100 in 1985. Israel IL: Consumer Price Index (CPI): Local Source Base Year: Clothing and Footwear data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Israel – Table IL.OECD.MEI: Consumer Price Index: COICOP 1999: OECD Member: Annual. The CPI measures the change in prices which consumer pay for fixed market basket of consumption goods and services. Price coverage: Prices include applicable taxes (VAT) and fees on the products at the time of sale. Cash payments are the basis for the price survey. Monthly installment payment and credit card interest are excluded. Price collection procedure: The data collection methods are adapted according to the specific characteristics of the CPI classes. The main price surveys are: Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI), conducted by the CBS staff at the central office; Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) by field collectors with handheld personal computers (HPC) and Direct Data Entry (DDE) into the database. Also for some special items Internet is used either in parallel with CAPI or as a part of DDE collection. The CPI includes a measure of rented housing Owner Occupied Housing (OOH) is included in the CPI and is calculated using rental equivalent method. The method for imputation of OOH is based on stratified average prices of contracts that are subject to renewal. In order to reduce variance in the monthly series, two month moving averages are compared each month. However, the method for OOH still leaves room for quality differences to play role in month-to-month average price changes. The method relies on successful stratification of apartments to groups whose relative price changes are as similar as possible. While the stratification is based on apartment location and number of rooms, some quality characteristics may experience month-to-month variation. Treatment of own account production is not included Goods and services sold illegally, second hand goods, goods and services partially or totally subsidized by the government and financial transactions are not included. Insurance: Insurance of personal transport and Health insurance (private and provided by the Government) are included. Treatment of missing items: Price changes for missing observations are imputed based on the price movements of other observations of the same item. Selection of replacement items: Products that become permantely unavailable are replaced in the sample and enumerators select a replacement possessing as many of the same quality characteristics as possible. Prices from previous period are sought for the replacement item for linking purpose. Treatment of quality change: There are two types of replacement approach: comparable and non-comparable. If a new product possesses the previously defined important characteristics of the old product, the new product is defined as comparable and a minor quality change is regarded as price change. Otherwise, if a significant quality change is introduced, the new product is defined as not comparable. The breakage in price series is treated by the linking method. Explicit quality adjustments are usually not performed. Hedonic methods are being considered but not yet implemented. In some cases, where the product cycle is short and new versions with improved quality characteristics are frequently introduced, the overlap method may give biased estimates. Introduction of new products: New items are introduced when the market basket is updated. New products are introduced into the sample as they gain significant market share. Business and professional periodicles are closely followed to gain information on new products that are gaining consumer demand. Seasonal items: Missing prices for seasonal products are imputed. Certain procedures are in place to avoid too early reintroduction of seasonal products back to the index. For price changes a bridge method is used when the items are reintroduced to the collection. Index series are also calculated and released in seasonally adjusted form.; Index series starts in November 1985

Explore the latest data on Saudi Arabia's Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Inflation Rate. Access comprehensive information and analysis on economic trends in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia CPI, Saudi Arabia Inflation Rate

Saudi ArabiaFollow data.kapsarc.org for timely data to advance energy economics research..Note:- Data found here from January 2018 till January 2020 was 2013 base year CPI calculation- Data found here from October 2009 till December 2017 was 2007 base year CPI calculation.You can find Saudi Arabia Inflation Rate with the latest 2018 base year on KAPSARC Dataportal.

Inflation Rate in the United States increased to 2.90 percent in August from 2.70 percent in July of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Inflation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The dataset contains Year and State wise State-wise Average Inflation (CPI) - General, Food and Beverages, Fuel and Light and Housing (Urban)

Note: General: 1. Data for Arunachal Pradesh is not available. 2. For calculating State-wise Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation in 2020-21 the average CPI Index for ten months has been taken due to unavailability of CPI data for the months of April and May 2020. 3. Figures for Jammu & Kashmir from October 2019 pertain to combined Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir)

Food and Beverages: 1. Data for Arunachal Pradesh is not available. 2. For 2019-20, annual inflation for all states is calculated using data from April-2019 to February-2020, and for All-India, it is calculated using April-2019 to March-2020 data. 3. For calculating State-wise CPI inflation in 2020-21 the average CPI for eight months has been taken due to unavailability of CPI data for the period April-July 2020. 4. Figures for Jammu & Kashmir from October 2019 pertain to combined Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh(erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir)

Fuel and Light: 1. Data for Arunachal Pradesh is not available. 2. For 2019-20, annual inflation for all states is calculated using data from April-2019 to February-2020, and for All-India, it is calculated using April-2019 to March-2020 data. 3. For calculating State-wise CPI inflation in 2020-21 the average CPI for eight months has been taken due to unavailability of CPI data for the period April-July 2020. 4. Figures for Jammu & Kashmir from October 2019 pertain to combined Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir)

Housing (Urban): 1. Data for Arunachal Pradesh is not available. 2. For 2019-20, annual inflation for all states is calculated using data from April-2019 to February-2020, and for All-India, it is calculated using April-2019 to March-2020 data. 3. For calculating State-wise CPI inflation in 2020-21 the average CPI for eight months has been taken due to unavailability of CPI data for the period April-July 2020. 4. Figures for Jammu & Kashmir from October 2019 pertain to combined Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir)

Monthly indexes and percentage changes for all components and special aggregates of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), not seasonally adjusted, for Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit. Data are presented for the corresponding month of the previous year, the previous month and the current month. The base year for the index is 2002=100.

Israel IL: Consumer Price Index (CPI): Local Source Base Year: Transport data was reported at 114.000 2020=100 in Dec 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 114.600 2020=100 for Sep 2022. Israel IL: Consumer Price Index (CPI): Local Source Base Year: Transport data is updated quarterly, averaging 93.883 2020=100 from Mar 1985 (Median) to Dec 2022, with 152 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 114.600 2020=100 in Sep 2022 and a record low of 6.700 2020=100 in Mar 1985. Israel IL: Consumer Price Index (CPI): Local Source Base Year: Transport data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Israel – Table IL.OECD.MEI: Consumer Price Index: COICOP 1999: OECD Member: Quarterly. The CPI measures the change in prices which consumer pay for fixed market basket of consumption goods and services. Price coverage: Prices include applicable taxes (VAT) and fees on the products at the time of sale. Cash payments are the basis for the price survey. Monthly installment payment and credit card interest are excluded. Price collection procedure: The data collection methods are adapted according to the specific characteristics of the CPI classes. The main price surveys are: Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI), conducted by the CBS staff at the central office; Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) by field collectors with handheld personal computers (HPC) and Direct Data Entry (DDE) into the database. Also for some special items Internet is used either in parallel with CAPI or as a part of DDE collection. The CPI includes a measure of rented housing Owner Occupied Housing (OOH) is included in the CPI and is calculated using rental equivalent method. The method for imputation of OOH is based on stratified average prices of contracts that are subject to renewal. In order to reduce variance in the monthly series, two month moving averages are compared each month. However, the method for OOH still leaves room for quality differences to play role in month-to-month average price changes. The method relies on successful stratification of apartments to groups whose relative price changes are as similar as possible. While the stratification is based on apartment location and number of rooms, some quality characteristics may experience month-to-month variation. Treatment of own account production is not included Goods and services sold illegally, second hand goods, goods and services partially or totally subsidized by the government and financial transactions are not included. Insurance: Insurance of personal transport and Health insurance (private and provided by the Government) are included. Treatment of missing items: Price changes for missing observations are imputed based on the price movements of other observations of the same item. Selection of replacement items: Products that become permantely unavailable are replaced in the sample and enumerators select a replacement possessing as many of the same quality characteristics as possible. Prices from previous period are sought for the replacement item for linking purpose. Treatment of quality change: There are two types of replacement approach: comparable and non-comparable. If a new product possesses the previously defined important characteristics of the old product, the new product is defined as comparable and a minor quality change is regarded as price change. Otherwise, if a significant quality change is introduced, the new product is defined as not comparable. The breakage in price series is treated by the linking method. Explicit quality adjustments are usually not performed. Hedonic methods are being considered but not yet implemented. In some cases, where the product cycle is short and new versions with improved quality characteristics are frequently introduced, the overlap method may give biased estimates. Introduction of new products: New items are introduced when the market basket is updated. New products are introduced into the sample as they gain significant market share. Business and professional periodicles are closely followed to gain information on new products that are gaining consumer demand. Seasonal items: Missing prices for seasonal products are imputed. Certain procedures are in place to avoid too early reintroduction of seasonal products back to the index. For price changes a bridge method is used when the items are reintroduced to the collection. Index series are also calculated and released in seasonally adjusted form.; Index series starts in November 1985

This table contains the annual rates of change of the CPI from the moment they were first published. The annual rate of change reflects changes in prices of consumer goods and services in a certain month compared with the same month in the previous year; it is the year on-year change of the consumer price index.

This table also contains the derived series for the annual rate of change. This is based on the normal series but without the effect of changes in the rates of product-related taxes (for instance VAT and excise duty on alcohol and tobacco) and subsidies. The derived series answers the question: how would prices have changed if the tax rates remained the same?

CPI figures are published every month. In addition, an annual figure is published at the end of the year. The CPI of a calendar year is calculated as the average of the indices of the twelve months of that year.

Data available from: January 1963

Status of the figures: When first published, the figures are provisional. Their status becomes final simultaneously with the second publication about the same month. Differences between the provisional and final figures are caused by source material that has become available after the provisional publication.

Changes compared with previous version: Data on the most recent period have been added and/or adjustments have been implemented.

When will new figures be published? New figures will usually be published between the first and second Thursday of the month following on the reporting month. The figures of the previous reporting month then become final.

All CPI publications are announced on the publication calendar.

Consumer Price Index CPI in Pakistan increased to 275.60 points in September from 270.18 points in August of 2025. This dataset provides - Pakistan Consumer Price Index (CPI) - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Inflation, consumer prices for the United States (FPCPITOTLZGUSA) from 1960 to 2024 about consumer, CPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) gives comparable measures of inflation for the countries and country groups for which it is produced. It is an economic indicator that measures the change over time of the prices of consumer goods and services acquired by households. In other words, it is a set of consumer price indices (CPI) calculated according to a harmonised approach and a set of definitions as laid down in Regulations and Recommendations.

In addition, the HICP provides the official measure of consumer price inflation in the https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Glossary:Euro_area">euro area for the purposes of monetary policy and the assessment of inflation convergence as required under the Maastricht criteria for accession to the euro.

The HICP is available for all EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. In addition to the individual country series there are three country groups: the euro area (EA), the European Union (EU), and the European Economic Area (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Glossary:European_Economic_Area_(EEA)" target="_blank">EEA), the latter covering Iceland and Norway, in addition to the EU. Liechtenstein does not produce HICP and is therefore not included in the EEA HICP aggregate.

The official indices for the country-groups reflect the changing country composition of the EA, the EU and the EEA. The HICP for new Member States is chained into the aggregate indices at the time of accession. For analytical purposes Eurostat also computes country-group indices with stable country composition over time.

HICP for Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye (candidate countries), as well as Kosovo (^*) are also published. Their data is flagged with 'd' ('definition differs'), given that its conformity with the methodological HICP requirements has not been evaluated by Eurostat.

A proxy-HICP for the all-items index and main headings is also available for the United States.

National HICPs are produced by National Statistical Institutes (NSIs), while country-group indices (EU, EA and EEA) are produced by https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Glossary:Eurostat" target="_blank">Eurostat.

The data are released monthly in Eurostat's database and include price indices and rates of change (monthly, annual and 12-month moving average changes). In addition to the headline 'all-items HICP', a number of sub-indices for different goods and services and special aggregates are available.

Every year, with the release of the January data, the relative weights for the indices and the special aggregates (item weights) as well as the individual countries' weight within the country groups (country weights) are published.

Eurostat publishes early estimates, called 'flash estimate', of the euro area overall inflation rate and selected components. These are published monthly, usually on the last working day of the reference month.

(*) Under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244/99.

Israel IL: Consumer Price Index (CPI): Local Source Base Year: All Items data was reported at 108.000 2020=100 in Dec 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 107.700 2020=100 for Nov 2022. Israel IL: Consumer Price Index (CPI): Local Source Base Year: All Items data is updated monthly, averaging 62.000 2020=100 from Jan 1970 (Median) to Dec 2022, with 636 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 108.000 2020=100 in Dec 2022 and a record low of 0.001 2020=100 in Jan 1970. Israel IL: Consumer Price Index (CPI): Local Source Base Year: All Items data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Israel – Table IL.OECD.MEI: Consumer Price Index: COICOP 1999: OECD Member. The CPI measures the change in prices which consumer pay for fixed market basket of consumption goods and services. Price coverage: Prices include applicable taxes (VAT) and fees on the products at the time of sale. Cash payments are the basis for the price survey. Monthly installment payment and credit card interest are excluded. Price collection procedure: The data collection methods are adapted according to the specific characteristics of the CPI classes. The main price surveys are: Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI), conducted by the CBS staff at the central office; Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) by field collectors with handheld personal computers (HPC) and Direct Data Entry (DDE) into the database. Also for some special items Internet is used either in parallel with CAPI or as a part of DDE collection. The CPI includes a measure of rented housing Owner Occupied Housing (OOH) is included in the CPI and is calculated using rental equivalent method. The method for imputation of OOH is based on stratified average prices of contracts that are subject to renewal. In order to reduce variance in the monthly series, two month moving averages are compared each month. However, the method for OOH still leaves room for quality differences to play role in month-to-month average price changes. The method relies on successful stratification of apartments to groups whose relative price changes are as similar as possible. While the stratification is based on apartment location and number of rooms, some quality characteristics may experience month-to-month variation. Treatment of own account production is not included Goods and services sold illegally, second hand goods, goods and services partially or totally subsidized by the government and financial transactions are not included. Insurance: Insurance of personal transport and Health insurance (private and provided by the Government) are included. Treatment of missing items: Price changes for missing observations are imputed based on the price movements of other observations of the same item. Selection of replacement items: Products that become permantely unavailable are replaced in the sample and enumerators select a replacement possessing as many of the same quality characteristics as possible. Prices from previous period are sought for the replacement item for linking purpose. Treatment of quality change: There are two types of replacement approach: comparable and non-comparable. If a new product possesses the previously defined important characteristics of the old product, the new product is defined as comparable and a minor quality change is regarded as price change. Otherwise, if a significant quality change is introduced, the new product is defined as not comparable. The breakage in price series is treated by the linking method. Explicit quality adjustments are usually not performed. Hedonic methods are being considered but not yet implemented. In some cases, where the product cycle is short and new versions with improved quality characteristics are frequently introduced, the overlap method may give biased estimates. Introduction of new products: New items are introduced when the market basket is updated. New products are introduced into the sample as they gain significant market share. Business and professional periodicles are closely followed to gain information on new products that are gaining consumer demand. Seasonal items: Missing prices for seasonal products are imputed. Certain procedures are in place to avoid too early reintroduction of seasonal products back to the index. For price changes a bridge method is used when the items are reintroduced to the collection. Index series are also calculated and released in seasonally adjusted form.; Index series starts in January 1970