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SHENANDOAH, PA: USW Local Union 480
SHENANDOAH, VA: UFCW Local Union 94
SHEPHERD, MI: AFSCME Local Union 1855
SHEPHERD, MT: IAM Local Union 622
SHEPHERD, TX: USW Local Union 8923
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV: TCU Local Union 403
SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY: BLET Local Union 365
SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY: BLET Local Union 78
SHEPPARD A.F.B, TX: AFGE Local Union 1731
SHEPPARD AFB, TX: AFGE Local Union 779
SHEPPTON, PA: UFCW Local Union 737
SHERIDAN, AR: TCU Local Union 6007
SHERIDAN, AR: UTU Local Union 656
SHERIDAN, OR: AFGE Local Union 3979
SHERIDAN, WY: AFGE Local Union 1219
SHERIDAN, WY: APWU Local Union 2340
SHERIDAN, WY: BLET Local Union 624
SHERIDAN, WY: NALC Local Union 1006
SHERIDAN, WY: UMWA Local Union 1972
SHERIDAN, WY: UMWA Local Union 2055
SHERIDAN, WY: UTU Local Union 951
SHERMAN OAKS, CA: IATSE Local Union 768
SHERMAN OAKS, CA: IATSE Local Union 790
SHERMAN OAKS, CA: IATSE Local Union 847
SHERMAN OAKS, CA: IATSE Local Union 857
SHERMAN OAKS, CA: IATSE Local Union 892
SHERMAN OAKS, CA: OPCMIA Local Union 755
SHERMAN, TX: APWU Local Union 742
SHERMAN, TX: BLET Local Union 177
SHERRODSVILLE, OH: UMWA Local Union 4994
SHERWOD, AR: IAM Local Union 325
SHERWOOD, AR: BLET Local Union 585
SHERWOOD, WI: IAM Local Union 1855
SHICKSHINNY, PA: UWUA Local Union 262
SHINNSTON, WV: PACE Local Union 295
SHINNSTON, WV: UBC Local Union 476
SHINNSTON, WV: UMWA Local Union 3196
SHINNSTON, WV: UMWA Local Union 9909
SHIPPENVILLE, PA: USW Local Union 100
SHIREMANSTOWN, PA: BCTGM Local Union 357
 

How is the Consumer Price Index (CPI) used?

The Consumer Price Index affects nearly all Americans because of the many ways it is used. Three major uses are:

As an economic indicator: The CPI is the most widely used measure of inflation and is sometimes viewed as an indicator of the effectiveness of government economic policy. It provides information about price changes in the Nation's economy to government, business, labor, and other private citizens, and is used by them as a guide to making economic decisions. In addition, the President, Congress, and the Federal Reserve Board use trends in the CPI to aid in formulating fiscal and monetary policies.

As a deflator of other economic series: The CPI and its components are used to adjust other economic series for price changes and to translate these series into inflation-free dollars. Examples of series adjusted by the CPI include retail sales, hourly and weekly earnings, and components of the national income and product accounts. An interesting example of this is the use of the CPI as a deflator of the value of the consumer's dollar to find its purchasing power. The purchasing power of the consumer's dollar measures the change in the value to the consumer of goods and services that a dollar will buy at different dates. In other words, as prices increase, the purchasing power of the consumer's dollar declines.

As a means of adjusting dollar values: The CPI is often used to adjust consumers' income payments, for example, Social Security; to adjust income eligibility levels for government assistance; and to automatically provide cost-of-living wage adjustments to millions of American workers. The CPI affects the income of about 80 million persons as a result of statutory action: 48.4 million Social Security beneficiaries, about 19.8 million food stamp recipients, and about 4.2 million military and Federal Civil Service retirees and survivors. Changes in the CPI also affect the cost of lunches for 26.5 million children who eat lunch at school, while collective bargaining agreements that tie wages to the CPI cover over 2 million workers. Another example of how dollar values may be adjusted is the use of the CPI to adjust the Federal income tax structure. These adjustments prevent inflation-induced increases in tax rates, an effect called "bracket creep".

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