CAMPUS PROFILE GLOSSARY
November 2020

Consumer Price Indices

A Consumer Price Index is the ratio of the cost of a basket of goods in the current year divided by the cost of the same basket in a base year. If the CPI is 2.0, for example, it means that prices are double those in the base year. It is used most often to convert dollar amounts from different years to numbers which can be compared directly. The CPI used in the Campus Profile is the CPI (urban, all items) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics based on 1982-84 prices, averaged for the months July-June of each fiscal year.

Prior to November, 1997, the CPI used in the Campus Profile was based on 1967 prices. We decided to switch to the 1982-84 base because the Federal government switched a few years ago and it has been increasingly difficult to find the CPI stated relative to 1967.

Below is a table showing the CPI using both bases for the fiscal years FY70-FY04. CPI for current year is estimated.


Data extracted November 2020

Source: 
Bureau of Labor Statistics


Consumer's Price Index, All-Urban Consumers

Series ID:      CUUR0000SA0


Fiscal      CPI          CPI
Year    Base=1982-84  Base=1967
=====   ============  =========
1970      .37775        1.131
1971      .39725        1.190
1972      .41150        1.233
1973      .42808        1.283
1974      .46625        1.397
1975      .51792        1.552
1976      .55458        1.662
1977      .58692        1.758
1978      .62633        1.877
1979      .68500        2.053
1980      .77633        2.327
1981      .86625        2.596
1982      .94108        2.820
1983      .98150        2.942
1984     1.01783        3.049
1985     1.05767        3.167
1986     1.08817        3.260
1987     1.11233        3.338
1988     1.15842        3.473
1989     1.21192        3.630
1990     1.26975        3.803
1991     1.33917        3.939
1992     1.38208        4.140
1993     1.42525        4.269
1994     1.46217        4.301
1995     1.50408        4.395
1996     1.54500        4.545
1997     1.58908        4.760
1998     1.61700        4.845
1999     1.64500        4.929
2000     1.69300        5.071
2001     1.75100        5.245
2002     1.78200        5.337
2003     1.82100        5.455
2004     1.86100        5.575
2005     1.91700        5.742 
2006     1.99000        5.960 
2007     2.04100        6.115
2008     2.11700        6.342  
2009     2.14700        6.427 
2010     2.16700        6.492   
2011     2.18700        6.557   
2012     2.27600        6.817
2013     2.31400        6.930
2014     2.35000        7.039 
2015     2.36700        7.090
2016     2.38300        7.138
2017     2.42700        7.269
2018     2.48100        7.433
2019     2.53300        7.587
2020     2.57200        7.705   
2021     2.61100        7.823 (estimate)