RAND California reports average consumer prices for household fuel, motor
fuel, and food items as collected for the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
According to the Bureau of the Census, average prices are best used to
measure the price level in a particular month, not to measure price change
over time. It is more appropriate to use the CA RAND Inflation form to
measure price changes. Please note that not all time series are
consistently maintained for each item for each geographical area.
Prices, except for electricity, are collected monthly by Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) representatives in the 85 urban areas priced for the CPI.
Electricity prices are collected for the BLS for the same 85 areas on a
monthly basis by the Department of Energy using mail questionnaires. All
fuel prices include applicable Federal, State, and local taxes; prices for
natural gas and electricity also include fuel and purchased gas
adjustments. The source for these data is the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
