Consumer prices.

• Author: Davidson, Paul
• Position: ALASKA TRENDS

The State of Alaska's Department of Labor and Workforce Development publishes data comparing the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Anchorage municipality to the total United States. The CPI is compiled by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for Anchorage and twenty-five other US cities monthly, bimonthly, or semiannually depending on the city. The basket of consumer goods used in the CPI represents items purchased by all urban consumers, which make up 87 percent of the US population, and urban wage earners and clerical workers. The BLS survey from 2007-2008 updated the basket of items used with data from quarterly consumption surveys with seven thousand families and from comprehensive consumption journals written by another seven thousand families. CPI prices are updated by BLS "economic assistants" who visit or call thousands of goods providers in the two hundred CPI goods categories for current prices.

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The chart shows the data's base years of 1982-1984 at 100. Each locations index is independent and based solely on the prices of its base year. Relative to the United States, Anchorage has a 14.16 percent smaller spread in its CPI. Smaller changes in the Anchorage CPI could reflect decreasing prices relative to the past if monetary inflation was controlled for; however, further investigation is required to know.

Alaska Trends, an outline of significant statewide statistics, is provided by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development.

SOURCES: State or Alaska Department or Labor and Workforce Development, US Bureau of Labor Statistics

ALASKA TRENDS Latest Report : Indicator Units Period Period GENERAL Personal Income- US$ 4th Q12 34,863 Alaska Personal Income- US$ 4th Q12 13,659,468 United States Consumer Prices- 1982-1984=100 2nd H12 206.62 Anchorage Consumer Prices- 1982-1984=100 2nd H12 230.34 United States Bankruptcies Alaska Total Number Filed April 78 Anchorage Total Number Filed April 47 Fairbanks Total Number Filed April 19 EMPLOYMENT Alaska Thousands April 337.02 Anchorage &Mat-Su Thousands April 187.92 Fairbanks Thousands April 43.61 Southeast Thousands April 35.73 Gulf Coast Thousands April 36.08 Sectorial Distribution-Alaska Total Nonfarm Thousands April 326 Goods Producing Thousands April 43.7 Services Providing Thousands April 282.7 Mining and Logging Thousands April 17.5 Mining Thousands April 17.1 Oil & Gas Thousands April 14.1 Construction Thousands April 15.6 Manufacturing Thousands April...