Consumer Price Indexs

Item	1977	1997
All Items	60.6	160.5
Food	65.5	157.3
Food at Home	66.8	158.1
Food Away From Home	62.6	157.0
Housing	57.4	156.8
Shelter	54.9	176.3
Rent, Residential	64.8	169.1
Homeowners' Costs	0.0	181.5
Household Maintenance and Repairs	62.0	143.7
Household Maintenance and Repair Service	59.3	151.1
Household Maintenance and Repair Commodites	69.1	133.4
Materials , Supplies, & Equipment for Home Repair**	0.0	126.4
Other Household Mainenance & Repair Commodities	0.0	128.2
Fuel and Other Utilities	54.7	130.8
Household Furnishings and Operation	70.4	125.4
Housefurnishings	75.0	110.6
Appliances, Including Electronic Equipment	83.9	121.7
Video and Audio Products	0.0	75.3
Major Household Appliances **	0.0	88.9
Other Housefurnishings **	0.0	50.1
Housekeeping Supplies	65.4	143.1
Housekeeping Services	65.1	151.9
Gardening and Other Household Services **	0.0	139.2
Apparel and Upkeep	78.6	132.9
Apparel Commodities	82.3	129.1
Apparel Services	58.3	163.1
Transportation	59.0	144.3
Private Transportation	59.7	141.0
New Vehicles	70.5	144.3
New Cars	70.4	141.7
Used Cars	54.7	151.1
Automobile Maintenance and Repair	61.9	162.7
Other Private Transportation	67.2	177.5
Other Private Transportation Commodities	72.8	104.8
Automobile Parts and Equipment	0.0	101.9
Other Private Transportation Services	66.0	194.7
Public Transportation	50.0	186.7
Airline Fares	43.5	199.2
Medical Care	57.0	234.6
Medical Care Commodities	60.2	215.3
Perscription Drugs	57.2	249.3
Nonprescription Drugs and Medical Supplies **	0.0	145.4
Internal & Respitory Over-the-Counter Drugs	59.1	173.1
Nonprescription Medical Equipment and Supplies	0.0	171.5
Medical Care Services	56.4	239.1
Professional Medical Services	60.0	215.4
Physicians' Services	58.5	222.9
Dental Services	60.8	226.6
Eye Care **	0.0	141.5
Services by Other Medical Professionals **	0.0	151.8
Hospital and Related Services	0.0	278.4
Hospital Rooms	48.6	0.0
Other Inpatient Hospital Services	0.0	0.0
Outpatient Services **	0.0	224.9
Entertainment	68.3	162.5
Entertainment Commodities	68.5	144.2
Entertainment Services	67.8	183.8
Other Goods and Services	60.4	224.8
Personal Care	65.7	152.7
Toilet Goods and Personal Care Applications	64.7	144.2
Personal Care Services	66.4	162.4
Personal and Educational Expenses	55.2	259.7
School Books and Supplies	56.9	238.4
Personal and Educational Services	55.1	261.6
Tuition and Other School Fees	0.0	280.4
Personal Expenses	0.0	226.1
Legal Service Fees **	0.0	163.8
Personal Financial Services **	0.0	191.7
Special Index: Housekeeping & Home Maintenance Services	62.5	152.0

In January 1988 the Bureau of Labor Statistics changed the base year used to calculate the consumer price index. Prior to 1988 the consumer price index was calculated based upon a base year of 1967, in 1988 the consumer price index base year became 1982. The base year is a period chosen to begin the index at a beginning value, as such with a base year of 1982 the consumer price index in 1982 became equal to 100. When examining any index across time it is necessary to verify that the values being compared are calculated from the same base year.