The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the average prices of goods and services purchased by consumers. In the United States, the CPI-U calculates the CPI for all urban consumers.

For analyzing general price trends in the economy, seasonally adjusted prices are usually preferred over unadjusted prices because adjusting eliminates the effect of changes that normally occur at the same time and in about the same magnitude every year—such as price movements resulting from climatic conditions, production cycles, model changeovers, and holidays.

Percent Changes in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US City Average