Report on Summer 1994 Surveys Used To Determine Cost-of-Living Allowances in Selected Nonforeign Areas
Federal RegisterNov 29, 1995
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SUMMARY: This notice publishes the ``Report to OPM on Living Costs in
Hawaii, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
Puerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands, and in the Washington, DC,
Area, August 25, 1995,'' prepared by Jack Faucett Associates under
Government contract OPM-94-BP-3816.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 29, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Allan G. Hearne, Salary Systems
Division, Office of Compensation Policy, Human Resources Systems
Service, Office of Personnel Management, Room 6H31, 1900 E Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20415, or FAX to (202) 606-4264.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Allan G. Hearne, (202) 606-2838.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Sections 591.205(d) and 591.206(c) of title
5, Code of Federal Regulations, require that nonforeign area cost-of-
living allowance (COLA) survey summaries and calculations be published
in the Federal Register. Accordingly, OPM is publishing the complete
``Report to OPM on Living Costs in Hawaii, Guam and the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, United States Virgin
Islands, and in the Washington, DC, Area, August 25, 1995,'' produced
by Jack Faucett Associates under contract with OPM. This report
explains in detail the methodologies, calculations, and findings of the
summer 1994 living-cost surveys.
Survey Results. Jack Faucett Associates computed index values of
relative living costs in the allowance areas using an index scale where
the living costs in the Washington, DC, area equal 100. (See the
Executive Summary of the report.) OPM notes that the summer survey
indices showed that the COLA rates for all of the allowance areas are
above levels warranted by the indices. However, the Treasury, Postal
Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 1992 (Pub. L. 102-
141), as amended, prohibits reductions in COLA rates through December
31, 1996. Therefore, OPM is not proposing any adjustments in the COLA
rates in these allowance areas at this time.
Office of Personnel Management.
James B. King,
Director.
Report to OPM on Living Costs in Hawaii, Guam and the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, United States Virgin
Islands, and in the Washington, DC, Area
August 1995.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
1. Introduction
1.1 Report Objectives
1.2 Changes in This Year's Survey
1.2.1 Three-Year CES Moving Average
1.2.2 New Living Communities
1.2.3 Historical Housing Data
1.3 Pricing Period
2. The COLA Model
2.1 Measurement of Living-Cost Differences
2.2 Step 1: Identifying the Target Population
2.2.1 Federal Salaries
2.2.2 Federal Employment Weights
2.3 Step 2: Estimating How People Spend Their Money
2.3.1 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES)
2.3.2 Expenditure Categories and Components
2.4 Step 3: Selecting Items and Outlets
2.4.1 Item Selections--The Marketbasket
2.4.2 Geographic Coverage and Outlet Selection
2.4.2.1 Geographic Areas
2.4.2.2 Similarity of Outlets
2.4.2.3 Catalog Pricing
2.5 Step 4: Surveying Prices
2.5.1 In-House Research Staff
2.5.2 Field Researchers ``Research Associates''
2.5.3 Data Collection Materials
2.5.4 Inclusion of Sales and Excise Taxes
2.5.5 JFA's Onsite Visits
2.5.6 Special Considerations in Selected Areas
2.5.6.1 Pricing Surveys in Hawaii County, Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands
2.5.6.2 Surveying the Washington, D.C., Area
2.6 Step 5: Analyzing Data and Computing Indexes
2.6.1 General Formulae
2.6.1.1 Indexes
2.6.1.2 Item Weights
2.6.1.3 Category and Component Weights
2.6.2 Computing the Overall Index
3. Consumption Goods and Services
3.1 Categories and Category Weights
3.2 Goods and Services Data Collection--Special Considerations
3.2.1 Exchange and Commissary Expenditure Research
3.2.2 Restaurant Pricing
3.3 Goods and Services Survey Results
4. Housing
4.1 Component Overview
4.2 Housing Model
4.2.1 Expenditure Research
4.2.2 Housing Profiles
4.2.3 Living Community Selection
4.2.4 Housing-Related Expenses
4.2.4.1 Utilities
4.2.4.2 Real Estate Taxes
4.2.4.3 Owners/Renters Insurance
4.2.4.4 Home Maintenance
4.2.4.5 Telephone
4.3 Housing Data Collection Procedures
4.3.1 Homeowner Data Collection
4.3.2 Renter Data Collection
4.4 Housing Analysis
4.4.1 Homeowner Data Analysis
4.4.2 Rental Data Analysis
4.5 Housing Survey Results
5. Transportation
5.1 Component Overview
5.2 Private Transportation Methodology
5.2.1 Vehicle Selection and Pricing
5.2.2 Vehicle Trade Cycle
5.2.3 Fuel Performance and Type
5.2.3.1 Impact of Temperature Upon Fuel Performance
5.2.3.2 Impact of Road Surface Upon Fuel Performance
5.2.3.3 Impact of Gradient Upon Fuel Performance
5.2.3.4 Overall Impact Upon Fuel Performance
5.2.4 Vehicle Maintenance
5.2.5 Tires
5.2.6 License and Registration Fees, and Miscellaneous Tax
5.2.7 Depreciation
5.2.8 Finance Expense
5.2.9 Vehicle Insurance
5.2.10 Overall Annual Costs
5.3 Other Transportation Costs--Air Fares
5.4 Transportation Component Analyses
6. Miscellaneous Expenses
6.1 Component Overview
6.2 Component Weights
6.3 Component Categories
6.3.1 Medical Expense Category
6.3.2 Contributions Category
6.3.3 Personal Insurance and Retirement Category
6.4 Miscellaneous Expense Analyses
7. Final Results
7.1 Total Comparative Cost Indexes
List of Appendices
Appendix 1: Publication in the Federal Register of Results of
Nonforeign Area Living-Cost Surveys: 1990-1994
Appendix 2: Federal Employment Weights
Appendix 3: Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CES) Item Weights
Appendix 4: CES Category and Component Weights
Appendix 5: Item Descriptions
Appendix 6: Pricing Changes
Appendix 7: OMB-Approved Survey Materials
Appendix 8: Consumption Goods and Services Analysis
Appendix 9: OPM Living Community List
Appendix 10: Historical Home Market Values and Interest Rates
Appendix 11: Historical Housing Data
Appendix 12: Rental Data Analyses
Appendix 13: Housing Cost Analysis
Appendix 14: Housing Analysis
Appendix 15: Private Transportation Cost Analysis
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Appendix 16: Auto Insurance Calculation Worksheet
Appendix 17: Air Fares and Other Transportation Expenses Cost
Analysis
Appendix 18: Transportation Analysis
Appendix 19: Miscellaneous Expense Analysis
Appendix 20: Final Indexes
Executive Summary
This report provides the results of the summer 1994 living-cost
surveys and compares living costs in certain Pacific and Caribbean
nonforeign cost-of-living allowance (COLA) areas relative to the
Washington, DC, area.
The surveys and analyses were conducted by Jack Faucett Associates
(JFA), an economics consulting firm located in Bethesda, Maryland, and
its subcontractor, Runzheimer International, a Wisconsin-based firm
specializing in the collection and analysis of cost-of-living
information. The study was conducted for the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) under contract OPM-94-BP-3816. The contract requires
JFA to:
(1) Survey living costs in seven allowance areas and in the
Washington, DC, area, and
(2) Compare living costs between the allowance areas and the DC
area.
For this study, JFA and Runzheimer researched more than 3,000
outlets and gathered more than 12,000 prices on more than 200 items
representing typical consumer purchases. These prices were then
combined using consumer expenditure information developed by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics. The final results of the study are a series of
living-cost indexes, shown in the table below, which show the living-
costs in each of the allowance areas relative to the Washington, D.C.,
area. The index for the DC area (not shown) is 100.00 because it is, by
definition, the reference area.
Table E-1.--Final Cost Comparison Indexes
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Allowance area Index
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City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii.......................... 119.56
Hawaii County, Hawaii........................................ 112.56
Kauai County, Hawaii......................................... 116.35
Maui County, Hawaii.......................................... 118.84
Guam/CNMI, Local Retail...................................... 119.39
Guam/CNMI, Commissary/Exchange............................... 113.40
Puerto Rico.................................................. 99.63
U.S. Virgin Islands.......................................... 112.08
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CNMI = Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
OPM implemented a number of improvements for the summer 1994
survey. These included:
--Using a moving average to introduce new weights based on the results
of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Surveys;
--Using new representative income levels based on the 1994 distribution
of salaries of Federal employees in the allowance areas;
--Selecting new living communities based on the results of the 1992
Federal Employee Housing and Living Patterns Survey;
--Incorporating historical housing data to reflect both newly purchased
and previously purchased homes;
--Using the median home value in place of trimming and trend analyses
used in previous surveys; and
--Using the Goods and Services index to reflect relative expenditures
for cash contributions.
These changes as well as the data collection and analysis
procedures already employed in the survey are discussed in the various
sections of this report.
1. Introduction
1.1 Report Objectives
This comprehensive report culminates data collection and research
work undertaken in summer 1994 as required by Tasks 1 and 2 of contract
OPM-94-BP-3816 between the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and
Jack Faucett Associates (JFA). This report only provides the results of
the summer 1994 surveys. A listing of earlier reports that provided the
results of previous surveys is shown in Appendix 1.
The analyses show the comparative living-cost differences between
the Washington, DC, area and the following allowance areas:
1. City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii
2. Hawaii County, Hawaii
3. Kauai County, Hawaii
4. Maui County, Hawaii
5. Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
6. Puerto Rico
7. U.S. Virgin Islands
By law, Washington, DC, is the base or ``reference'' area for the
nonforeign area cost-of-living allowance (COLA) program.
The contract also required JFA to analyze living-costs of Federal
civilian employees in Guam who have access to military commissaries and
exchanges. Under OPM regulations, employees who have unlimited access
to commissaries and exchanges because of their Federal civilian
employment are paid a COLA rate that takes into consideration such
purchasing privileges. These regulations do not apply to Federal
employees who have limited access to commissaries and exchanges or who
have access for other reasons, e.g., military dependents or retired
military personnel.
1.2 Changes in This Year's Survey
One of the obvious changes this year was OPM's selection of a new
contractor for living-cost surveys and analyses: JFA. JFA subcontracted
a substantial portion of the work to Runzheimer International, OPM's
previous contractor for the COLA program.
OPM directed JFA to make several changes to the survey and
analyses. Some of the key changes this year included:
--Using a moving average to introduce new weights based on the results
of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CES);
--Using new representative incomes based on the 1994 distribution of
salaries of Federal employees in the allowance areas;
--Selecting new living communities based on the results of the 1992
Federal Employee Housing and Living Patterns Survey;
--Incorporating historical housing data to reflect both newly purchased
and previously purchased units;
--Using the median home value in place of trimming and trend analyses
used in previous surveys; and
--Using the Goods and Services index to reflect relative expenditures
for cash contributions.
Three of these changes are discussed further below. The other
changes are discussed where applicable in the report.
1.2.1 Three-Year CES Moving Average
One change was the introduction of a three-year moving average of
CES data in calculating the weights used to combine price indexes. In
prior years, expenditure weights were based on the 1988 CES, and OPM
wanted to use more current CES information.
Rather than simply replacing the 1988 CES data with the most recent
(1992) CES data, OPM implemented a system that would allow the gradual
introduction of new CES data over time, thereby reducing the impact
that short-term changes in CES might have on the living-cost indexes.
In future surveys, OPM plans to include current CES information and
drop the oldest CES data to maintain a three-year moving average.
Appendices 3 and 4 show the CES data used in this study.
1.2.2 New Living Communities
Another change was the selection of new living communities based on
the results of the 1992 Federal Employee Housing and Living Patterns
Survey. In
[[Page 61334]]
that survey, employees were asked to provide their residential zip
codes. OPM used this information to refine community selection.
Two types of changes were made. In areas with relatively large
concentrations of Federal employees and sufficient housing data, OPM
selected communities to reflect the areas where Federal employees
typically lived. On Oahu, for example, these changes generally resulted
in the selection of communities within or close to Honolulu proper. In
other areas where concentrations of Federal employees were not as
evident or where obtaining a sufficient quantity of housing data had
been difficult in previous surveys, OPM expanded the survey community
to cover a larger area. For example, the entire island was surveyed for
housing in Guam, Kauai, Maui, St. Croix, and St. Thomas.
The updated list of communities is provided in Appendix 9. These
are the communities in which house sales and rental rates were
collected. The communities were also used to determine the normal
shopping radius and the outlets at which prices were collected.
1.2.3 Historical Housing Data
A third change was the incorporation of historical housing data to
reflect not only the prices paid for recent home purchases but also for
homes purchased in prior years. Appendix 10 shows the home market
values, interest rates, and annual principal and interest payments for
each area by year and income level. Appendix 11 shows how the principal
and interest payments were combined using weights based on the percent
of Federal employees presumed to have purchased their homes in each
given year. The weights were derived from the results of the 1992
Federal Employee Housing and Living Patterns Survey.
1.3 Pricing Period
The prices were collected in the allowance areas and in the
Washington, D.C., area in August 1994. As with the previous surveys,
the prices of some items--those dependent upon the pricing of other
items--were collected slightly later (i.e., in September and October
1994) In addition, individual item prices not meeting OPM's quality
control procedures were resurveyed in October and used to verify or
replace the original prices.
As was done in previous surveys, JFA included some catalog sales in
its survey. Only catalogs that sell merchandise in both the allowance
areas and the Washington, D.C. area were used. To ensure consistent
seasonal catalog pricing, JFA used spring/summer catalogs for the
catalog items surveyed.
2. The COLA Model
2.1 Measurement of Living-Cost Differences
A common and widely accepted way to measure living-cost differences
between and among locations is to select representative items that
people purchase in these locations and to calculate the respective cost
differences, combining them according to their importance to one
another (as measured by relative percentage of expenditures). The COLA
model applies this methodology to compare the living costs in each of
the allowance areas with the living costs in the Washington, DC, area.
Moving from this basic concept to computing comparative living
costs between each allowance area and the Washington, DC, area involves
five main steps:
Step 1: Identify the segment of the population for which the
analysis is targeted (i.e., the target population).
Step 2: Estimate how these people spend their money.
Step 3: Select items to represent the types of expenditures people
usually make and outlets at which people typically make purchases.
Step 4: Conduct pricing surveys of the selected items in each area.
Step 5: Analyze cost ratios for the selected items and aggregate
them according to the relative importance of each item.
2.2 Step 1: Identifying the Target Population
The study estimates living-cost differences for nonmilitary Federal
employees who have annual base salaries between approximately $12,000
and $87,000, the range of the General Schedule. Because living costs
may vary depending on an employee's income level, living costs are
analyzed at three income levels.
2.2.1 Federal Salaries
To determine the appropriate income levels, OPM analyzed the 1994
distribution of salaries for all General Schedule employees in all of
the allowance areas combined. OPM divided this distribution into three
groups of equal size and identified the median salary in each of the
groups. These values were then rounded to the nearest $100 to produce
the three representative income levels of $20,800, $31,500, and
$48,300.
The study analyzes living costs at each of these three income
levels. The results are three sets of estimated expenditures for each
allowance area and for the Washington, D.C., area. To combine these
estimated expenditures into a single overall index for the area, JFA
used employment weights provided by OPM.
2.2.2 Federal Employment Weights
As with the income levels, the OPM employment weights were derived
from the distribution of General Schedule employees by salary level.
Using the salary parameters identified in the income analysis described
above, OPM determined the number of General Schedule employees in each
salary group in each allowance area. Using a moving average similar to
that used with the CES data (see section 1.2.1), OPM combined these
data with the same type of information for the previous two years and
calculated the percent of the General Schedule workforce in each income
group in each area. These percentages were the weights that JFA used.
In addition, OPM provided General Schedule employment weights to
combine data in the three allowance areas in which two separate
locations are surveyed. Those allowance areas are: Hawaii County,
Hawaii; Puerto Rico; and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These areas are
described in greater detail in section 2.5.6.1.
For these areas, OPM identified the number of General Schedule
employees associated with each survey location and then combined this
information with similar information from the previous two years again
using a moving average. The employment counts were converted to
percentages representing the proportion of the General Schedule
population represented by each of the survey locations. JFA used the
percentages as weights to combine the survey data from each survey
area.
Appendix 2 shows the General Schedule employment distributions and
how the percentage weights were derived.
2.3 Step 2: Estimating How People Spend Their Money
2.3.1 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES)
Expenditure patterns for employees for all areas, including the
Washington, D.C., area, are based on national data from the CES. OPM
obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics ``prepublished'' CES
results for 1988, 1991, and 1992. As discussed in section 1.2.1, these
three years of CES data were combined using a moving average.
CES data are used in two ways: to identify appropriate items for
survey
[[Page 61335]]
and to derive item, category, and component weights. The item weights
are not income sensitive. However, aggregated CES data are analyzed by
income level to derive category and component weights. These weights
are income sensitive. The CES data used in this study are shown in
Appendix 3 and 4.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has advised OPM that
``prepublished'' CES data may not be statistically significant. To
OPM's knowledge, however, it is the only source of comprehensive
consumer expenditure information by income level. Therefore, it is used
in the model.
2.3.2 Expenditure Categories and Components
The CES groups expenses into small, logical families of items. For
example, the report divided money spent by families on beef into four
groups: ground beef, roast, steak and other beef. The steak and roast
groupings were further separated into smaller clusters of items (e.g.,
sirloin and round steak, chuck and round roast).
Using the CES data, the items were sorted into the four main cost
components specified in OPM regulations: Consumption Goods and
Services, Transportation, Housing, and Miscellaneous Expenses. To
develop weighting patterns for the three income levels, JFA performed
linear regression analyses on the CES data shown in Appendix 3.\1\
These analyses produced estimated expenditures at the three income
levels identified in section 2.2.1 above. JFA converted these
expenditures to percentages of total expenditures for the four
components to produce the values shown in the table below. The values
were the weights JFA used to combine the expenditures for each of the
components into an overall value for each income level in each
allowance area and the Washington, D.C., area.
Table 2-1.--Component Expenses Expressed as a Percentage of Total Expenses
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income Goods and Trans-
Income level 1994 level 1991 services Housing portation Misc. Total
adjusted (percent) (percent) (percent) (percent) (percent)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$20,800........................... $19,250 40.10 25.01 18.93 15.96 100.00
31,500............................ 29,150 39.47 23.98 18.66 17.88 100.00
48,300............................ 44,700 38.87 23.01 18.41 19.71 100.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Values may not total because of rounding.)
Goods and services items were further sorted into ten categories
and linear regression techniques were used to estimate expenditures on
these ten categories by income level. The weights for these categories
are shown in section 3.1. The same technique was also used to compute
category weights for the Transportation and Miscellaneous Components
and to produce ratios of renters to homeowners at each income level.
2.4 Step 3: Selecting Items and Outlets
2.4.1 Item Selections--The Marketbasket
As noted above, CES items were grouped into ``clusters'' of
expenses to determine which items to survey. These clusters were chosen
so that no marketbasket item would have overwhelmingly large or
insignificantly small item weight.
For each of these clusters, a set of items to price was identified.
Collectively, these items are called a ``marketbasket.'' Because it
would have been impractical to survey all of the thousands of items
consumers might buy, the marketbasket contains representative items,
such as cheddar cheese, that represent itself and the many other
related items that consumers purchase (e.g., Edam, Gouda, Jack, Swiss,
et cetera). JFA's marketbasket had more than 200 items ranging from
table salt to new cars to home purchases.
The items selected were representative of other similar items,
commonly purchased, and readily available in all areas. For example, a
10.5-ounce can of Campbell's vegetable soup was selected for survey
because it is representative of canned and packaged soups, is a
commonly-purchased brand, and is found in all areas. Whenever
practical, the item description included the exact brand, model, type,
and size, so that exactly the same items could be priced in all areas
if possible. Appendix 5 provides a list of the items surveyed and their
descriptions.
Changes to the item list and descriptions are an important aspect
of the COLA survey. These changes are necessary to improve the survey
and keep the items and descriptions current. For this survey, JFA
changed several of the items or descriptions. The changes and the
reasons for each are listed in Appendix 6.
2.4.2 Geographic Coverage and Outlet Selection
Just as it was important to select commonly-purchased items and
survey the same items in all areas, it was important to select outlets
frequented by consumers and find equivalent outlets in all areas. This
involved deciding which geographic areas to survey and which outlets to
survey within these geographic areas.
2.4.2.1 Geographic Areas
For some areas, the choice of which area(s) to survey was obvious.
On St. Thomas, for example, the whole island is surveyed because St.
Thomas is a relatively small island and Federal employees live
throughout the island.
\1\The midpoint of the moving average of CES data was 1991.
Therefore, for the purposes of these regressions, OPM provided
adjusted Federal salaries to reflect 1991 pay rates. OPM used the
pay increases for 1992 (4.2%), 1993 (3.7%), and 1994 (0.0%) to
deflate the 1994 salaries. This produced adjusted Federal salaries
of $19,250, $29,150, and $44,700 for use in the regression
equations.
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For other areas, those with multiple communities from which to
choose, specific communities had to be identified. To do this, OPM used
the results of the 1992 Federal Employee Housing and Living Patterns
Survey. Among other things, that survey obtained information on where
Federal employees lived. OPM used this information to select the
communities in which housing costs would be priced. JFA then identified
outlets within a normal shopping radius of these housing communities.
2.4.2.2 Similarity of Outlets
Whenever possible, JFA selected popular outlets that were
comparable to outlets in all areas. For example, JFA surveyed the price
of grocery items at supermarkets in all areas because most people
purchase their groceries at such stores and because supermarkets are
[[Page 61336]]
found in all areas.\2\ The selection of comparable outlets was
particularly important because comparing the prices of items purchased
at dissimilar outlets would be inappropriate (e.g., comparing the price
of a box of cereal at a supermarket with one sold at a convenience
store).
\2\In the Washington, DC, area, JFA surveyed groceries at two
kinds of supermarkets (i.e., full-service supermarkets and
``warehouse-type'' supermarkets) because both types of grocery
stores are common in this area. JFA did not survey ``warehouse-
type'' grocery stores in any other area because they are relatively
uncommon and not frequented by most Federal employees.
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Although major supermarkets, department stores, and discount stores
represented a sizable portion of the survey, JFA also selected outlets
to represent the diversity of consumer shopping. For example, JFA could
have used department stores for pricing all clothing items surveyed.
This would not, however, have reflected the range of consumer choices.
Therefore, JFA also priced some clothing items in men's and women's
clothing stores, other clothing items in department stores, others in
shoe stores, and still others in discount stores. For each item, the
same type of outlet (e.g., clothing store, discount store, department
store) was selected in each area whenever possible.
2.4.2.3 Catalog Pricing
A limited amount of catalog pricing was included in the survey to
reflect this common purchasing option. Eight item prices were surveyed
by catalog. OPM selected these items based on comments it received from
Federal employees. Catalog pricing also allowed the comparison of
comparable items that would have been difficult to price otherwise. Of
course, all catalog prices included any charges for shipping and
handling and all applicable taxes.
2.5 Step 4: Surveying Prices
As noted earlier, JFA obtained approximately 12,000 prices on more
than 200 items from 3,000 outlets. In each survey area, JFA attempted
to get at least three price quotes for each item, with certain
exceptions. For example, essentially all of the available home sales
and rental data meeting the specifications were obtained. For other
items, such as utilities and real estate tax rates, only one quote was
obtained in each area because these items have uniform rates within an
area. Because the Washington, D.C., area has six survey communities,
JFA attempted to get at least 18 price quotes for most items in this
area.
To accomplish this, JFA used various information-gathering
approaches. These are described below.
2.5.1 In-House Research Staff
JFA's research personnel, and those of Runzheimer, its
subcontractor, played a major role in all data-collection activities.
These professionals:
--Contacted manufacturers, trade associations, governmental agencies,
and retail establishments to ensure that suitable items were selected
and priced at common types of outlets;
--Contacted real estate professionals in each survey area to obtain
general information as well as specific rental rates and home market
values;
--Conducted pricing surveys onsite and by telephone;
--Served as a liaison for field researchers who collected price
information onsite;
--Performed hundreds of quality control checks, often verifying survey
data through telephone calls and comparing current data-gathering
results with those from earlier surveys; and
--Analyzed and computed the item, category, component, and total
comparative cost indexes.
2.5.2 Field Researchers--``Research Associates''
Most of the price data were collected onsite by Research Associates
(RA's). The RA's were independent contractors, hired by JFA to visit
retail outlets in each area and collect prices. All of these RA's were
residents of the area. To avoid any real or perceived conflicts of
interest, JFA refrained from hiring research associates who were either
employees of the Federal government or who had immediate family who
were employees of the Federal government.
2.5.3 Data Collection Materials
The living-cost surveys conform with the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act and are approved by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB). The OMB-approved survey collection materials are
found in Appendix 7. All JFA-developed worksheets or other survey
materials conformed with those approved by OMB.
2.5.4 Inclusion of Sales and Excise Taxes
For all items subject to sales and/or excise tax, the appropriate
amount of tax was added prior to analysis. JFA gathered applicable
information on taxes by contacting appropriate sources of information
in the allowance areas and the Washington, DC, area. JFA also used
appropriate tax publications, such as the State of Maryland's Sales and
Use Tax Laws and Regulations and the ``General Excise Tax Law''
(Chapter 237) of the Hawaii Tax Reports.
2.5.5 JFA's Onsite Visits
Full-time JFA research professionals traveled to each allowance
area to supervise data collection activities and perform various
quality control checks as necessary. These visits all occurred during
the pricing period so that these professionals could answer any of the
RA's data collection questions or provide additional training and
instruction if necessary.
The researchers visited living communities within the allowance
areas to look at housing and to talk with local real estate
professionals. They also visited numerous retail outlets to verify that
comparable items were being priced at comparable outlets. In addition,
they obtained general information about the local economy.
2.5.6 Special Considerations in Selected Areas
2.5.6.1 Pricing Surveys in Hawaii County, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin
Islands
Three allowance areas have multiple survey areas: Hawaii County,
Hawaii; Puerto Rico; and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Hawaii County,
surveys were conducted in Hilo and in the Kailua Kona area. In Puerto
Rico, surveys were conducted in San Juan and in Mayaguez; and in the
Virgin Islands, surveys were conducted on St. Croix and St. Thomas.
The survey data for each of these separate survey areas had to be
combined to represent the allowance area overall. To do this, OPM
provided JFA with weights based on the distribution of General Schedule
employees in these areas. These weights are shown in Appendix 2 and are
computed using three years of data and the moving-average approach
described earlier.
2.5.6.2 Surveying the Washington, DC, Area
As noted earlier, JFA attempted to get more price quotes in the DC
area than in the allowance areas because of the size and diversity of
the Washington metropolitan area. For the purposes of the COLA surveys,
the DC area was divided into six survey areas: two in the District of
Columbia, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia. The specific areas
surveyed were within a normal shopping radius of the housing
communities identified in Appendix 9. Survey data from each of the six
DC
[[Page 61337]]
survey areas were combined using equal weights.
2.6 Step 5: Analyzing Data and Computing Indexes
2.6.1 General Formulae
2.6.1.1 Indexes
Nonforeign area COLAS are derived from the living-cost indexes.
These indexes are mathematical comparisons of living costs in the
allowance areas compared with living costs in the Washington, DC, area.
At the most fundamental level, an index is a way to state the
difference between two prices (or sets of prices). For example, if a
can of green beans costs $1.00 in the allowance area and 80 cents in
the DC area, green beans are 25 percent more expensive in the allowance
area than in DC. That difference can also be stated as a price index of
125.
2.6.1.2 Item Weights
JFA computed indexes for hundreds of items. To combine these
indexes, JFA used weights derived from the CES. These weights reflected
the relative amount consumers normally spend on different items. For
example, the price of a can of green beans has a lower weight than the
price of a pound of apples because, according to the CES, people
generally spend less on green beans than on apples.
The COLA model uses a fixed-weight indexing methodology. This means
that the same expenditure weights are used in the reference area (i.e.,
the DC area) and in the allowance areas. The weights used are based on
the expenditure patterns of consumers nationwide as reported by the
CES. This is the only source, of which OPM is aware, that provides
expenditure information by income level.
2.6.1.3 Category and Component Weights
As described in section 2.3.2, JFA also computed income sensitive
category and component weights. This allowed the combination of item
prices in a manner that reflected the different spending patterns of
people at different income levels. How this was accomplished differed
among the components.
For the Goods and Services and Miscellaneous Expense components,
JFA simply combined indexes within each category using the CES weights
to derive an overall index for the category. The category indexes were
then combined into an overall component index using the income-
sensitive category weights described above.
For the Transportation and Housing Components, JFA used the above
approach in combination with a cost-build-up approach. For example, for
each area the annual cost of owning and operating an automobile was
computed by taking individual prices (e.g., automobile financing,
insurance, gas and oil, and maintenance) and computing an overall
dollar cost for each area. These costs were compared with those in the
DC area to compute the Private Transportation Category index. This
index was then combined with the Other Transportation Category index
using income sensitive category weights to compute an overall
Transportation Component index for each area.
2.6.2 Computing the Overall Index
The item, category, and component indexes were combined using the
process prescribed in Section 591.205(c), title 5, Code of Federal
Regulations. That is a five-step process that involves converting the
indexes to dollar values and weighting these, combining them, and
comparing them to compute a final weighted average index. The process
is described below.
First, JFA used the CES data and the income ranges described in
section 2.2.1 to determine the amount of money consumers typically
spend on each component at each income level. These amounts appear in
the table below and in Appendix 20. They were derived by taking the
component weights shown in Table 2-1 times the representative income
levels described in section 2.2.1.
Table 2-2.--Typical Consumer Expenditures by Income Level and Component
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goods and
Income level services Own/rent Transportation Misc. Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lower....................................... $8,341 $5,202 $3,938 $3,320 $20,800
Middle...................................... 12,433 7,555 5,879 5,634 31,500
Upper....................................... 18,775 11,114 8,892 9,520 48,300
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Note: Values may not total because of rounding.)
Second, for each allowance area, JFA multiplied the dollar values
above by the component indexes for the allowance area. Because the
housing component consisted of two indexes (one for owners and another
for renters), two sets of total relative costs were produced--one for
owners and another for renters.
Third, for each allowance area and income level, JFA combined the
total relative costs for owners and renters using as weights the
proportion of owners and renters as identified in the CES. (See section
4.2.1.) This produced an overall expenditure dollar amount for each
income level in each allowance area.
Fourth, JFA computed a single overall average expenditure for each
allowance area by combining the income level expenditures and using the
allowance area General Schedule employment distribution as weights.
This produced a single overall dollar expenditure value for the
allowance area. Using the same General Schedule employment weights, JFA
also computed a single overall dollar expenditure value for the DC
area.
The final step was to divide the overall average dollar expenditure
for the allowance area by the overall average dollar expenditure for
the DC area to compute a final index. These indexes are shown in the
last section of this report and in Appendix 20.
3. Consumption Goods and Services
3.1 Categories and Category Weights
Based on the CES data, JFA identified ten categories of expenses
within the Goods and Services Component. Using linear regression
analyses and the CES data, JFA identified the portion of total Goods
and Services expenditures that the typical consumer spends in each
category at various income levels. The categories and the relative
expenditures are shown in the table below:
[[Page 61338]]
Table 3-1.--Category Weights Expressed as a Percentage of Goods and
Services Expenditures by Income Level
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income levels
Category ---------------------------------------
Lower Middle Upper
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Food at Home.................... 26.40 23.49 20.65
Food Away from Home............. 14.42 14.73 15.04
Tobacco......................... 3.15 2.59 2.05
Alcohol......................... 2.77 2.73 2.69
Furnishings and Hsld. Op........ 14.71 15.79 16.85
Clothing........................ 13.97 14.65 15.30
Domestic Service................ 1.76 1.90 2.04
Professional Services........... 6.48 6.65 6.82
Personal Care................... 3.62 3.52 3.43
Recreation...................... 12.72 13.94 15.14
---------------------------------------
Totals.................... 100.00 100.00 100.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Note: Values may not total because of rounding.)
3.2 Goods and Services Data Collection--Special Considerations
3.2.1 Exchange and Commissary Expenditure Research
Executive Order 10000, as amended, requires OPM to adjust COLA
rates when employees have special purchasing privileges, such as
unlimited access to commissaries and exchanges. In Guam, employees have
such access, so OPM directed JFA to price the same marketbasket of
Goods and Services items at the commissaries and exchanges in Guam as
it used for the local retail pricing. One price quote was obtained for
each marketbasket item found in these facilities.
It was not assumed that people with access to military facilities
made all purchases in these facilities. Instead, the results of an OPM
survey of Federal employees was used to determine the percentage of
purchases that families typically make in military facilities versus
local outlets. For example, as the following table shows, it is
estimated that employees with commissary/exchange access in Guam,
purchase approximately 70% of their Food at Home items at a commissary
and purchase the remaining 30% of such items in local retail outlets.
Table 3-2.--Percentages of Purchases Made at the Commissaries and
Exchanges in Guam
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Category Percentage
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Food at Home................................................ 70.0
Food Away................................................... 0.0
Tobacco..................................................... 64.0
Alcohol..................................................... 76.0
Furnishings. and Hsld. Op................................... 64.5
Clothing.................................................... 43.7
Domestic Service............................................ 0.0
Professional Services....................................... 0.0
Personal Care............................................... 49.3
Recreation.................................................. 49.7
------------------------------------------------------------------------
These percentages were used to aggregate the local retail and
commissary/exchange prices into one set of appropriate, blended prices,
hereinafter referred to as the Commissary/PX prices. The blended prices
were compared to the local retail prices in the Washington, DC, area to
compute Commissary/PX Goods and Services Category indexes, which were
then combined using CES weights to derive an overall Commissary/PX
Goods and Services Component index. Just as with the Guam Local Retail
Goods and Services Component index, the Guam Commissary/PX Goods and
Services Component index was combined with the indexes for the Housing,
Transportation and Miscellaneous Expense Components to derive a single,
overall Commissary/PX index for the Guam allowance area.
3.2.2 Restaurant Pricing
To ensure comparison of prices at comparable restaurants among
areas, OPM asked JFA to classify the restaurants it surveyed into two
groups: family dining and fine dining. JFA used such characteristics as
menu selections, atmosphere, table setting, seating, reservations, and
American Automobile Association rating to make these distinctions. In
addition, OPM also directed JFA to survey 100% of selected family
restaurants for breakfast, approximately 75% for lunch, and about 67%
for dinner. This allowed comparison of meal prices at a comparable mix
of restaurants in all areas.
3.3 Goods and Services Survey Results
Section 2.6 of this report provides a detailed explanation of the
economic model used to analyze the price data. As it applies to Goods
and Services, the approach involved comparing the average prices of
marketbasket items in each allowance area with those in the Washington,
DC, area. The resulting price ratios were aggregated into subcategory
and then category indexes using the moving-average expenditure weights
derived from the CES data.
Appendix 8 shows for each allowance area ten category indexes, the
weights used at each of the three income levels, and the overall Goods
and Services indexes. The Washington, DC, area is not shown because it
is, by definition, the reference area. Therefore, the DC indexes are
100.
4. Housing
4.1 Component Overview
The Housing component consists of expenses related to owning or
renting a dwelling. These are--
--mortgage or rent payments,
--utilities,
--real estate taxes,
--homeowner's or renter's insurance,
--home maintenance, and
--telephone.
At each of the three income levels, JFA measured separately the
annual housing costs for homeowners and renters. The results were then
combined using as weights the percentages of owners and renters
reported by the CES.
[[Page 61339]]
4.2 Housing Model
4.2.1 Expenditure Research
The CES was used to determine the national average ratio of
families who own, as opposed to rent, their residences. Using the
expense data by income range as input into a linear regression
analysis, JFA calculated the owner and rent weights shown below. JFA
excluded expenditure data for home owning families without a mortgage
because they were not typical of homeowners in the base area or in the
allowance areas.
Table 4-1.--Owner/Renter Weights
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income levels
--------------------------------------
Category Lower Middle Upper
(percent) (percent) (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homeowner with mortgage.......... 38.41 47.46 61.67
Renter........................... 61.59 52.54 38.33
--------------------------------------
Totals..................... 100.00 100.00 100.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The CES data were also used to identify which home-maintenance
items to price and to establish the relative importance of those items.
4.2.2 Housing Profiles
To compare housing costs in all locations, six typical housing
profiles are used and are assigned to the three income levels, as shown
in the table below. OPM requested that at least one criterion for the
owner profile be the square footage of the home and at least one
criterion for the renter profile be the number of bedrooms in the
rental unit.
Table 4-2.--Housing Profiles
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income level Renter profile Owner profile
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lower................................. 3 rooms, 1 BR, 1 bath, 600 sq. 4 rooms, 2 BR, 1 bath, 900 sq. ft. condo
ft. apartment. or detached house.
Middle................................ 4 rooms, 2 BR, 1 bath, 900 sq. 5 rooms, 3 BR, 1 bath, 1,300 sq. ft.
ft. apartment. detached house (rowhouse in NE DC).
Upper................................. 4 rooms, 2 BR, 2 baths, 1,100 7 rooms, 3 BR, 2 baths, 1,700 sq. ft.
sq. ft. townhouse or detached detached house.
house.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The home sizes stated above are the representative sizes used for
certain calculations in the model. They are not, however, the only size
surveyed for each profile. For rentals, JFA obtained rental rates on
any unit, regardless of its size, that otherwise meet the profile
characteristics. For home sales, JFA obtained the prices of homes
within size range and otherwise meeting the profile specifications. The
size ranges are shown below:
Table 4-3.--Home Sizes Surveyed
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income level Range
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lower............................ 600 to 1,200 sq. ft.
Middle........................... 1,000 to 1,600 sq. ft.
Upper............................ 1,400 to 2,300 sq. ft.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It should be noted that although the size ranges overlap, no home
sale observation could be used at more than one income level.
Application of the other criteria (i.e., number and types of rooms)
ensured that each observation was assigned to the appropriate income
level even though its size was common to two income levels.
4.2.3 Living Community Selection
As discussed briefly in sections 1.2.2 and 2.4.2.1, OPM identified
the living communities to be surveyed based on the results of the 1992
Federal Employee Housing and Living Patterns Survey. This resulted in
many survey community changes in both the allowance areas and in the
Washington, DC, area. The communities surveyed are identified in
Appendix 9.
As with previous surveys, nine homeowner and nine renter
communities were identified for the Washington, DC, area--one for each
income level in each of the three areas (DC, Maryland, and Virginia).
In the allowance areas, up to three homeowner and three renter
communities were identified--one for each income level.
The three-community owner/renter goal was not achievable in many of
the smaller allowance areas due to the relatively few home sales and
rental opportunities in these areas. In such areas, OPM directed JFA to
collect prices for the entire survey area or allowance area rather than
in specific communities. This was done in Hilo, Kailua Kona, Kauai,
Maui, Guam, Mayaguez, St. Croix, and St. Thomas. In these areas, all
home sales and/or rental rates meeting the housing profile
characteristics for the particular income group were included in the
analysis.
4.2.4 Housing-Related Expenses
Based on the CES data, housing-related expense items are
categorized into one of five groups in the COLA model. These groups
are--
--utilities,
--real estate taxes,
--owners/renters insurance,
--maintenance, and
--telephone.
4.2.4.1 Utilities
Electricity, oil, gas, water, and sewer are the utilities used in
the model. Most utility companies are able to provide current charges
per unit of consumption and average consumption patterns for all
households. The companies were not, however, able to provide separate
consumption patterns by the size or type of housing.
Because many utility costs vary by size of house, a factor is
needed to derive the utility rates at each of the home profiles. The
table below shows the standard square foot sizes and utility factors
used for each home profile. The factors are calculated by assuming that
utility use increases or decreases at half
[[Page 61340]]
the rate that square footage increases or decreases.
Table 4-4.--Utility Factors
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Renter profile Owner profile
Income level -----------------------------------
Sq. ft. Factor Sq. ft. Factor
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lower............................... 600 .73 900 .85
Middle.............................. 900 .85 1,300 1.00
Upper............................... 1,100 .92 1,700 1.15
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In each area, JFA obtained the price of each of the types of
utilities noted above. JFA used average annual consumption per
household information gathered from utility companies serving each area
to compute average annual utility costs. The above factors were then
used to adjust the total annual utility costs for each of the various
housing profiles.
4.2.4.2 Real Estate Taxes
For this study, JFA contacted the city assessors in each allowance
area and in the Washington, DC, area to obtain real estate tax
information on the living communities surveyed. Real estate tax
formulas were obtained for most living communities. Actual or
representative tax amounts were obtained in other communities (e.g.,
Puerto Rico) where formulas were not available or directly applicable.
4.2.4.3 Owners/Renters Insurance
Homeowners' insurance rates are gathered for each of the survey
areas for both renter and owner profiles. For renters, the following
estimated content values were used: $20,000 at the lower and middle
income levels and $30,000 at the upper income level.
For homeowners, the cost of insurance was dependent on the average
home values calculated as part of this survey. In most areas, it was
assumed that the structure was equal to 80 percent of the total home
value. In Hawaii, where land prices tend to be higher, it was assumed
that the structure was equal to 50 percent of the total home value.
Previous research, conducted by Runzheimer International for OPM,
found that insurance coverage for disasters, such as floods and
earthquakes, were not widely purchased in the allowance areas.
Therefore, the COLA model does not include these additional riders.
(See Report to OPM on Living Costs in Selected NonForeign Areas and in
the Washington, DC Area, June 1992 at 57 FR 58556). Hurricane and
typhoon coverage, however, is common in Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands, and was included either in the insurance quote obtained
or priced as a separate rider and added to the total insurance costs
for these areas.
4.2.4.4 Home Maintenance
Estimated home maintenance expense was computed for each of the
homeowner profiles. Maintenance costs were not added in the three
renter profiles because most, if not all, maintenance expenses are
covered by the landlord.
As was done in previous surveys, JFA priced both home maintenance
services as well as home maintenance commodities, using the CES
information to identify items to price and the weights associated with
these items. The maintenance service items priced were interior
painting, plumbing repair, electrical repair, and pest control. The
maintenance commodities priced were bathroom caulking, kitchen faucet
set, an electrical outlet, latex interior paint, and a fire
extinguisher.
To compute home maintenance cost differences between each allowance
area and the Washington, DC, area for the homeowner profiles, an index
was computed for each maintenance item by comparing the allowance area
price to the DC area price. As with the Goods and Services Component
items, the CES data were used to weight these maintenance indexes into
an overall home maintenance index for each area.
To combine the maintenance indexes with the other homeowner costs,
which were expressed in dollar amounts, JFA converted the indexes to
dollars by multiplying the index for each area by the average
maintenance expense reported in the CES. This cost was assigned to the
middle-income homeowner profile.
Logically, maintenance costs for larger homes would generally be
greater than costs for middle-sized homes, while costs for smaller
homes would generally be less. Therefore, the same homeowner
multipliers used in the utilities model for the lower and upper income
profiles (.85 and 1.15 respectively) are applied to recognize
differences in maintenance costs due to house size.
4.2.4.5 Telephone
Telephone expense consisted of local service charges, additional
charges for local calls (if applicable), and charges for long distance
calls. To measure estimated expenses for local service and local calls,
JFA surveyed the cost of touch-tone service with unlimited calling in
each area.
To estimate long distance charges in all areas, JFA surveyed the
cost of three, ten-minute direct dial calls per month to large U.S.
mainland cities (i.e., Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City). JFA
measured the price of a call placed in the survey area at the time of
day necessary to be received in the respective city at 8:00 p.m. local
time. In many areas, this resulted in pricing a combination of daytime
and evening-rate calls.
4.3 Housing Data Collection Procedures
As was done in previous years, JFA collected housing information
mainly from real estate professionals, various listings services, and
advertisements. In addition, JFA personnel traveled to each of the
surveyed communities to assess the compatibility of the housing
community with the income level for which the data were used and to
ensure that homes in these communities were comparable to those in the
Washington, DC, area.
4.3.1 Homeowner Data Collection
JFA obtained selling prices of homes that matched the housing
profiles in each living community. JFA obtained as many of these
selling prices as possible for sales that occurred during the 6-month
period prior to the date of the survey.
The amount of data obtained depended on the number of home sales in
the community and the availability of square footage and other housing
profile information. This in turn depended on the size of the
community, economic conditions, quality and quantity of the realty data
available, and the willingness and ability of local realty
professionals and assessor offices to provide data.
If sales data obtained from the preliminary data sources did not
meet specified contract minimums, JFA contacted additional data sources
in the area to attempt to secure more sales data, if practical. In this
manner, either all or a sizeable portion of the home sales in each area
were surveyed.
4.3.2 Renter Data Collection
Rental data also were obtained from a variety of sources, e.g.,
brokers, rental management firms, property managers, newspaper
advertisements, and other listings. Analyses of these data revealed
what appeared to be two separate rental markets: a broker market and a
non-broker market. Rental rates and estimates provided by brokers
generally exceeded those obtained from other sources. The methodology
used to analyze these two data sets is discussed in section 4.4.2.
[[Page 61341]]
4.4 Housing Analysis
4.4.1 Homeowner Data Analysis
One of the most important factors relating to the price of a home
is the number of square feet of living space. In the past, OPM directed
the contractor to rank housing data high to low and trim equal numbers
of observations from both ends of the data. The average of the
remaining values was then used. This year, OPM changed the methodology
and used the median home value rather than trimming and averaging. The
median is the middle value in a rank-ordered set of observations. The
purpose of either approach is to reduce the volatility of the housing
data from one survey to the next because a relatively few extremely
high or low home prices could significantly influence average housing
costs.
For each income profile in each allowance area and the Washington,
DC, area, JFA computed the median price per square foot for the
comparables. This value was then multiplied by the reference square
footage for the profile to determine the average home value for the
profile.
Another change that OPM made this year was to ask JFA to use
historical housing data in addition to data collected this year. These
data are found in Appendix 10 of this report. The historical data are
from previous living-cost surveys that were published in the Federal
Register beginning with the 1990 report. (See Appendix 1 for a listing
of these publications). The data for the period prior to 1990 were
published with the results of the 1991-1992 living cost surveys at 57
FR 58618. All housing values are based on the community selections and
analytical methodologies used at the time of each respective survey.
The historical housing data used were the estimated annual
principal plus interest payments by income level in each area. To
combine these data, OPM supplied JFA with weights that were derived
from the 1992 Federal Employee Housing and Living Patterns Survey.
These weights reflect the proportion of Federal employee homeowners by
year of purchase or acquisition in all allowance areas and in the
Washington, DC, area. The historical housing weights and analyses are
shown in Appendix 11.
4.4.2 Rental Data Analysis
JFA assigned each rental quote data point to a single income level,
based on the following criteria:
--One bedroom apartments: Lower Income Level,
--Two bedroom apartments: Middle Income Level, and
--Townhouses and detached houses with a minimum of two bedrooms: Upper
Income Level.
As discussed earlier, there were essentially two sources of rental
information: broker and non-broker sources. In each area, the quantity
of data obtained from either source-type varied significantly.
Therefore, analyzing all of the rental data (both broker and non-
broker) together for an area and income level was undesirable.
Instead, OPM instructed JFA to analyze broker and non-broker data
separately by income level. As with the housing data analyses, OPM
changed from the use of trimming and averaging to the use of the
median. Therefore, for each income level, JFA ranked the rental rates
from low to high separately for broker and non-broker data. The median
values for broker and non-broker data for each group were determined
and then averaged to compute a single rental value for each income
level. Because OPM has no information on how the Federal employees who
rent generally secure their lodgings, OPM requested that JFA apply
equal weights to the broker and nonbroker data to compute an overall
average rental rate for the area and income level. The broker and non-
broker medians and final results are shown in Appendix 12.
4.5 Housing Survey Results
In the above sections, the processes used for determining the costs
for maintenance, insurance, utilities, real estate taxes, rents, and
homeowner mortgages were described. Appendix 13 shows the cost of each
of these items for renters and homeowners in each allowance area and in
the Washington, DC, area.
Appendix 14 compares the total cost of these items by income level
in each allowance area with the total cost of the same items by income
level in the Washington, DC, area. Again, there are separate
comparisons for renters and homeowners.
The final housing-cost comparisons take the form of indexes that
are used in Appendix 20 to derive the total, overall index for owners
and renters. (Refer to Section 2.6 for a discussion of the general
formulae and how the component indexes are combined.)
5. Transportation
5.1 Component Overview
The transportation component consists of two categories: Automobile
Expense and Other Transportation Costs. The Automobile Expense Category
reflects costs relating to owning and operating a car in each area. The
Other Transportation Costs Category is represented by the cost of air
travel from each location to a common point within the contiguous 48
states.
5.2 Private Transportation Methodology
As was done in previous surveys, JFA analyzed automobile
transportation costs for three commonly purchased vehicles: a domestic
auto, an import auto, and a utility vehicle. New car costs were used
for these analyses because it was believed that pricing used vehicles
of equivalent quality in each area could introduce inconsistencies
because of the value judgements that would be required.
5.2.1 Vehicle Selection and Pricing
The three vehicles selected for analysis were:
Domestic--Ford Taurus GL 4-door sedan 3.0L 6 cyl,
Import--Honda Civic DX 4-door sedan 1.5L 4 cyl, and
Utility--Chevrolet S10 Blazer 4X4 2 door 4.3L 6 cyl.
These are the same models that were surveyed in previous years and
were selected based on their popularity in the United States as
demonstrated by owner registration data.
For each model car, JFA collected new vehicle prices at dealerships
in each area and from secondary sources, such as the Kelly Blue Book.
All prices were based on the manufacturers' suggested retail prices
(MSRP) for 1994. (OPM did not believe it was feasible to collect
information on the negotiated price for these vehicles.) All vehicles
were equipped with standard options, such as automatic transmission,
AM/FM stereo radio and air conditioning.
In addition to the MSRP, the price included additional charges such
as shipping, dealer preparation, additional dealer markup, excise tax,
sales tax, and any other one-time taxes or charges. In Hawaii, for
example, documentation fees were also included as part of the new-
vehicle costs.
Rustproofing was priced in all areas, including the Washington, DC,
area. In previous surveys, the contractor found that auto dealers in
the DC area did not recommend vehicle rustproofing, although it was a
commonly suggested option in the allowance areas. This year, the
information collected suggested that rustproofing was a commonly
offered option in all areas. Therefore, OPM directed JFA to include the
cost of rustproofing in the DC area as well as the allowance areas.
[[Page 61342]]
5.2.2 Vehicle Trade Cycle
Calculating the cost of owning and operating a vehicle requires
knowing the miles driven and how long the car is owned. In the
automobile industry, these two factors are known collectively as a
vehicle's ``trade cycle.'' The trade cycle is stated as a length of
time (in months or years) and the total number of miles driven in that
time period. This information is used in the model to compute annual
costs related to fuel, oil, tires, maintenance, and depreciation.
As with the previous living-cost analyses, JFA used a four-year,
60,000-mile trade cycle in all areas. This was based upon the following
information:
--The Internal Revenue Service uses this trade cycle to compute the
allowable cents-per-mile reimbursement rate for persons who drive their
personal vehicle for business purposes;
--The four-year time period coincides with the typical length of a
vehicle loan; and
--U.S. Department of Energy statistics for 1988 show that the annual
average for number of vehicle miles driven in the United States was
18,595 per household and 10,246 miles per vehicle.
5.2.3 Fuel Performance and Type
All vehicles included in this study used regular unleaded fuel. JFA
surveyed self-service cash prices of unleaded regular gasoline at name-
brand gas stations in each area.
To establish average fuel-performance ratings, the COLA model uses
the ``city driving'' figures published by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). The ``city'' instead of ``highway'' figures
are used because all locations contained considerable stop-and-go
driving conditions.
As in previous COLA surveys, JFA included in its analysis the
following fuel-performance factors: temperature, road surface, and
gradient. These factors are based on research previously conducted for
OPM. This research and the factors are discussed below.
5.2.3.1 Impact of Temperature Upon Fuel Performance
Gas mileage is affected by temperature. The lower the temperature,
the fewer miles-per-gallon achieved and vice versa. According to the
EPA's Passenger Car Fuel Economy: EPA and Road, the temperature at
which no adjustments to fuel performance occur is 77 deg.F. Below that
temperature, miles-per-gallon achieved drops; above 77 deg. miles-per-
gallon achieved improves. The model uses the average monthly
temperatures for each allowance area and the Washington, DC, area as
reported in The Weather Almanac, published by Ruffner and Blair.
For each location and month, the model uses the appropriate factor
from the EPA study based on the average monthly temperature for the
area. These factors are then averaged to derive a single overall factor
for each location. The results of these calculations are shown in
section 5.2.3.4.
5.2.3.2 Impact of Road Surface Upon Fuel Performance
For the model, it is assumed that Federally controlled roadways are
typically composed of concrete and/or highload asphalt and that locally
controlled roadways are typically composed of low-load asphalt. EPA's
research indicates that cars are generally more fuel-efficient on the
firmer, high-load surfaces than on the softer, low-load surfaces.
Although traffic patterns and road usage vary among areas, previous
research conducted for OPM produced no relevant findings regarding this
issue. Therefore, the model uses the assumption that Federally
controlled roadways generally support twice the traffic of, or are used
at least twice as much as, locally controlled roadways.
In each allowance area, the total mileage falling into either the
Federal or local categories was collected. For example, Hawaii contains
1,456 miles of Federally controlled roads and 2,606 miles of locally
controlled roads. The usage assumption increased Federal road mileage
by a factor of two.
The average low-load asphalt factor (which reflects dry, wet, and
snowy conditions) is applied to the local mileage percentage, and the
average concrete and/or high-load asphalt factor is applied to the
Federal mileage percentage to produce a weighted average factor for
each area. The weighted factor is 0.98 for the allowance areas. The
Washington, DC, area is assigned a factor of 1.00 on the premise that
the vast majority of traffic in that area travels on dry, high-load
surfaces. The application of these factors is described in section
5.2.3.4.
5.2.3.3 Impact of Gradient Upon Fuel Performance
The effect of gradient on gas mileage is also estimated from EPA's
Passenger Car Fuel Economy: EPA and Road. Local topography (i.e.,
gradient) affects fuel efficiency. EPA provides mileage factors based
upon various gradients ranging from less than 0.5% (essentially flat)
to greater than 6% (steep).
In research previously conducted for OPM, the contractor reviewed
the topographic features of each area and found a wide range of road
conditions. However, the contractor was unable to find relevant
information on the types of terrain drivers typically encounter in each
area or the number of miles drivers travel in each type of terrain.
Lacking such information, the contractor assumed that drivers in the
allowance areas generally traveled roads having approximately the same
gradients that are found on average in the United States.
Applying the information from EPA's research, a fuel-performance
factor of 0.981 was computed for this type of driving. This factor was
assigned to each allowance area. For the Washington, DC, area, a factor
of 1.00 was used on the premise that the vast majority of traffic in
that area travels on major freeways and highways that are relatively
flat. The application of these factors is described in the next
section.
5.2.3.4 Overall Impact Upon Fuel Performance
JFA applied the factors described above to make adjustments to the
average gas mileage ratings for each type of automobile surveyed for
each allowance area and for the Washington, DC, area. The adjustment
factors compound--that is, the total adjustment is the result of
multiplying the three individual factors together for each area.
In the table below, the factor 1.00 means that no adjustment to EPA
fuel performance is appropriate. A factor of less than 1.00 means that
the estimated gasoline mileage in the area is less than the EPA
average. For example, the total adjustment factor for Guam is 0.95.
This means that the estimated gasoline mileage in Guam is 95% of the
EPA estimated average. Note that the adjustment factor for the DC area
(0.94) indicates that average gasoline mileage in that area is also
below the EPA estimate.
[[Page 61343]]
Table 5-1.--Summary of Fuel-Performance Adjustments
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Road
Location Temperature surface Gradient Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hawaii...................................................... 0.99 0.98 0.98 0.95
Guam........................................................ 0.99 0.98 0.98 0.95
Puerto Rico................................................. 1.01 0.98 0.98 0.97
Virgin Islands.............................................. 1.01 0.98 0.98 0.97
Washington, DC.............................................. 0.94 1.00 1.00 0.94
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.2.4 Vehicle Maintenance
As was done in the previous surveys, JFA surveyed the cost of five
common maintenance services and repairs performed on the vehicles
surveyed. The services and repairs were--
--Tuneup,
--Oil change,
--Automatic transmission fluid change,
--Flush/fill coolant, and
--Muffler/exhaust pipe replacement.
Where appropriate, the automobile manufacturers' recommended
maintenance schedules were used to determine the frequency of
performing each of these maintenance jobs. Maintenance schedules vary,
depending on the driving conditions typically encountered. Consistent
with the assumptions used for fuel economy and tire mileage, it was
assumed that driving conditions in the allowance areas are generally
severe, and the maintenance schedules used reflected that kind of
driving. For the DC area, it was assumed that driving conditions were
normal, and the maintenance schedules used for that area reflected that
kind of driving.
The recommended frequency of performing each of these jobs was
combined with the prices charged by local dealers and service stations
to compute an estimated annual maintenance expense. As with previous
surveys, JFA collected specific parts costs and hourly labor costs in
each location and used Chilton's Labor Guide and Parts Manual to
determine service times and parts required for each maintenance
procedure.
5.2.5 Tires
Research previously conducted for OPM revealed that various factors
(e.g., road quality/state of repair, road composition) appeared to
reduce tread life (i.e., the average number of miles a tire is expected
to last) in the allowance areas compared with the Washington, DC, area.
Based on this research, the model uses tire expense based on a 40,000-
mile tread life in allowance areas and a 55,000-mile tread life in the
DC area.
JFA priced the cost of a new set of tires, including mounting and
balancing and all applicable taxes, in each area. This cost was
converted into an annual cost by dividing the estimated number of
annual miles driven by the expected tread life and multiplying this by
the new tire price.
5.2.6 License and Registration Fees, and Miscellaneous Tax
JFA obtained information regarding license registration fees and
personal property tax (where applicable). License and registration fees
were included as part of the annual cost of owning an automobile.
Personal property tax was computed for each year of the vehicle's four-
year trade cycle using the vehicle's estimated used-car value for each
year. The resulting four personal property tax values were then
averaged, and that average was included as part of the annual cost of
owning an automobile.
As stated in section 5.2.1, sales and excise taxes were included in
the purchase price of the vehicle and were accounted for under the
annual vehicle purchase and finance costs.
5.2.7 Depreciation
The single largest annual expense related to owning and operating a
new car is depreciation--the lost value of the vehicle as it ages and
is driven. Total depreciation is calculated by subtracting from the
purchase price the estimated residual value (used car value) four years
later. This value is then divided by 4 to produce an annual
depreciation amount.
As described earlier, the new car price is the manufacturer's
suggested retail price plus any additional charges, such as shipping,
dealer prep, additional dealer markup, excise tax, and sales tax. As
was done in previous surveys, the used car value was based on
information from the Black Book Official Finance/Lease Guide for 1994.
Although this source only tracks prices of vehicles sold in the
contiguous 48 states, research performed by the previous OPM contractor
produced no conclusive evidence that used cars in allowance areas were
(on average) worth more or less than used cars in the DC area.
Therefore, consistent with previous surveys, the used car prices for
each make and model were held constant among the areas.
It should be noted that identical residual values did not result in
identical depreciation amounts. Depreciation amounts were higher in the
allowance areas than in the Washington, DC, area because new car prices
are higher in the allowance areas.
5.2.8 Finance Expense
For the model, it is assumed that new car purchases are financed.
Therefore, JFA surveyed banks in all areas to obtain their auto-loan
interest rates for a 48-month loan with 80 percent financing. The
finance cost for each vehicle in each area was computed and included in
the annual cost of owning and operating an automobile.
5.2.9 Vehicle Insurance
JFA surveyed the cost of car insurance in each location. Consistent
with the previous year's survey, JFA used the following common
coverages, limits, and deductibles:
Bodily Injury............................. $100,000/$300,000.
Property Damage........................... 50,000.
Medical................................... 5,000.
Uninsured Motorist........................ 100,000/300,000.
Comprehensive............................. 100 Deductible.
Collision................................. 250 Deductible.
In each survey area, JFA identified the common automobile insurance
companies and attempted to obtain three insurance price quotes for each
type of car surveyed. These quotes were averaged by type of car to
produce estimated insurance costs for each area.
JFA found that some insurance companies in Hawaii and Kauai
Counties, Hawaii; Guam; Puerto Rico; and the Virgin Islands did not
offer the coverages, limits, and deductibles shown above. To allow the
comparison of the cost of these different policies with DC costs, OPM
directed JFA also to survey in the DC area the cost of insurance that
was comparable to that offered in these allowance areas. The cost of
these equivalent policies were then compared to derive adjustment
factors that could be applied to the cost of the standard coverages,
limits, and deductibles shown above. By applying
[[Page 61344]]
these factors to the DC area average price, the cost of equivalent
coverage was estimated for these particular allowance areas. The
factors and their derivation are shown in Appendix 16.
5.2.10 Overall Annual Costs
As described above, JFA measured the annual costs for fuel,
maintenance and oil, tires, licensing, taxes, depreciation, finance,
and insurance for three types of automobiles in each allowance area and
in the Washington, DC, area. These costs were then summed to determine
the overall annual costs by area for owning and operating each type of
automobile. Appendix 15 shows these costs for each area by type of
vehicle.
5.3 Other Transportation Costs--Air Fares
Air fares are the only item priced for the Other Transportation
Costs Category. For this item, JFA priced the lowest available round-
trip air fare from each allowance area and the Washington, DC, area to
Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles was selected because it is a
common point approximately equidistant from most of the allowance areas
and the Washington, DC, area. The cost of the trip from each allowance
area to Los Angeles was compared with the cost of the trip from the DC
area to Los Angeles to compute the category indexes. These fares are
shown in Appendix 17.
5.4 Transportation Component Analyses
JFA compared the total cost of private auto transportation for each
vehicle in each allowance area with the total cost for the same vehicle
in the DC area. These comparisons are expressed as indexes and are
shown in Appendix 18. The indexes were then averaged to produce a
single Automobile Expense Category index for each allowance area.
Likewise, JFA compared the cost of air fares for each area with
those for the DC area and computed a cost index. These indexes are also
shown in Appendix 18. That appendix also shows how the auto and air
transportation indexes are combined using expenditure weights derived
from the CES data to produce final transportation indexes.
JFA used national average expenditure data to derive weights that
reflected how much consumers typically spend to own and operate an
automobile versus other transportation expenses. These weights were
used to combine the Automobile Expense Category index with the Other
Transportation Cost index by area to derive the overall Transportation
Component index for the area. The weights, computations, and final
indexes are also shown in Appendix 18. The Transportation Component
indexes are used in Appendix 20 to derive the total overall index.
6. Miscellaneous Expenses
6.1 Component Overview
The Miscellaneous Expense component consists of three categories of
expenses:
--Medical care,
--Contributions (including gifts to non-family members),
--Personal insurance and retirement contributions/ investments.
JFA used an approach similar to that used for the Goods and
Services Component to derive the indexes for each of these categories
and the Miscellaneous Component overall.
6.2 Component Weights
JFA used CES data to determine the appropriate weights for each of
the items and categories in the Miscellaneous Component. The following
table shows the category weights. Item weights are shown in Appendix
19.
Table 6-1.--Miscellaneous Expense Categories and Weights
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Income level
--------------------------------------
Categories Lower Middle Upper
(percent) (percent) (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medical Care..................... 41.50 31.33 23.51
Contributions.................... 15.80 16.85 17.65
Personal Insurance and Retirement
Contributions................... 42.70 51.82 58.83
--------------------------------------
Totals....................... 100.00 100.00 100.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Note: Values may not total because of rounding.)
6.3 Component Categories
6.3.1 Medical Expense Category
JFA surveyed the price of medical care items using essentially the
same approach it used for the Goods and Services Component items. The
following medical-care items were priced in each allowance area and in
the Washington, DC, area. (See Appendix 5 for item descriptions).
--Nonprescription pain reliever
--Prescription drugs
--Vision check
--Dental service
--Doctor visit
--Hospital room
--Health insurance
JFA surveyed the cost of these items in both the allowance areas
and in the Washington, DC, area and compared the prices to produce an
index for each item in each area. JFA combined these indexes using CES
weights to produce a single Medical Care Category index for each area.
It should be noted that for the model, it is assumed that the cost
of health insurance is constant among areas because the choice of
Federal health coverage is to a large extent a matter of personal
preference. Therefore, the index for this item is 100.00.
6.3.2 Contributions Category
The index for the Contributions Category is the Goods and Services
Component index for the area. The Goods and Services index is used
based on the assumption that the relative level of contributions is
roughly equivalent to that reflected by the Goods and Services index.
6.3.3 Personal Insurance and Retirement Category
The index for personal insurance and retirement contributions and
investments is assumed to be constant among areas. The cost of Federal
Employees Group Life Insurance is a matter of personal preference and
is constant in all areas for the same age, salary, and benefit option
combinations. Likewise, retirement contributions are a matter of
personal preference and the minimum contribution requirements are
constant among areas for equivalent salary levels.
[[Page 61345]]
6.4 Miscellaneous Expense Analyses
As with the Goods and Services Component, the indexes for each of
the Miscellaneous Component categories are combined using CES weights
to produce a single component index for each area. These indexes are
shown in Appendix 19.
Section 2.5 describes how the miscellaneous expense component
indexes are combined with the other component indexes to derive the
final index for each area.
7. Final Results
7.1 Total Comparative Cost Indexes
The total comparative cost indexes appear below. Appendix 20 shows
how each index was derived from the component indexes.
Table 7-1.--Final Cost Comparison Indexes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allowance area Index
------------------------------------------------------------------------
City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii.......................... 119.56
Hawaii County, Hawaii........................................ 112.56
Kauai County, Hawaii......................................... 116.35
Maui County, Hawaii.......................................... 118.84
Guam/CNMI, Local Retail...................................... 119.39
Guam/CNMI, Commissary/Exchange............................... 113.40
Puerto Rico.................................................. 99.63
U.S. Virgin Islands.......................................... 112.08
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CNMI=Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Appendix 1.--Publication in the Federal Register of Results of
Nonforeign Area Living-Cost Surveys: 1990-1994
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Citation Title Contents
------------------------------------------------------------------------
56 FR 7902............. Office of Personnel Results of summer 1990
Management: Cost-of- living-cost surveys
Living Allowances and conducted in Alaska,
Post Differentials Hawaii, Guam, Puerto
(Nonforeign areas). Rico, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands.
57 FR 58556............ Office of Personnel Results of summer 1991
Management: Report on and winter 1992
1991/1992 Surveys Used living-cost surveys
to Determine Cost-of- conducted in Alaska,
Living Allowances in Hawaii, Guam, Puerto
Nonforeign Areas. Rico, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands.
58 FR 45558............ Office of Personnel Results of summer 1992
Management: Report on and winter 1993
1992/1993 Surveys Used living-cost surveys
to Determine Cost-of- conducted in Alaska,
Living Allowances in Hawaii, Guam, Puerto
Nonforeign Areas. Rico, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands.
58 FR 27316............ Office of Personnel Results of summer 1993
Management: Report on living-cost surveys
Summer 1993 Surveys conducted in Hawaii,
Used to Determine Cost- Guam, Puerto Rico,
of-Living Allowances and the U.S. Virgin
in Nonforeign Areas. Islands.
59 FR 45066............ Office of Personnel Results of winter 1994
Management: Report on living-cost surveys
Winter 1994 Surveys conducted in Alaska.
Used to Determine Cost-
of-Living Allowances
in Alaska.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appendix 2.--Multiple Survey Areas: Summer 1994 Survey
[Federal Employment Weights Within a Single Allowance Area]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Location 1992 1993 1994 Average Weights
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hawaii County:
Hilo, HI............................................. 243 250 292 262 83.17
Kailua Kona, HI...................................... 47 52 60 53 16.83
------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. ......... ......... ......... 315 100.00
======================================================
Puerto Rico:
San Juan, PR......................................... 5074 5135 5235 5148 88.90
Mayaguez, PR......................................... 625 606 698 643 11.10
------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. ......... ......... ......... 5791 100.00
======================================================
Virgin Islands:
St. Croix, VI........................................ 148 142 151 147 45.09
St. Thomas, VI....................................... 180 190 166 179 54.91
------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. ......... ......... ......... 326 100.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Multiple Income Levels: Summer 1994 Survey
[Federal Employment Weights Within a Single Allowance Area]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Location and income level 1992 1993 1994 Average Weights
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Honolulu, HI:
Low.................................................. 4789 4346 4239 4458 33.49
Middle............................................... 4567 4540 4171 4426 33.25
Upper................................................ 4248 4344 4689 4427 33.26
------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. ......... ......... ......... 13311 100.00
======================================================
[[Page 61346]]
Hawaii County, HI:
Low.................................................. 129 122 165 139 37.87
Middle............................................... 133 145 154 144 39.24
Upper................................................ 77 85 91 84 22.89
------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. ......... ......... ......... 367 100.00
======================================================
Kauai County, HI:
Low.................................................. 53 71 81 68 28.57
Middle............................................... 94 94 84 91 38.24
Upper................................................ 71 78 89 79 33.19
------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. ......... ......... ......... 238 100.00
======================================================
Maui County, HI:
Low.................................................. 29 37 39 35 24.65
Middle............................................... 61 56 56 58 40.84
Upper................................................ 44 51 51 49 34.51
------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. ......... ......... ......... 142 100.00
======================================================
Guam:
Low.................................................. 1010 1061 1060 1044 48.31
Middle............................................... 650 696 681 676 31.28
Upper................................................ 387 437 498 441 20.41
------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. ......... ......... ......... 2161 100.00
======================================================
Puerto Rico:
Low.................................................. 2535 2330 2428 2431 41.91
Middle............................................... 2133 2287 2184 2201 37.94
Upper................................................ 1047 1140 1321 1169 20.15
------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. ......... ......... ......... 5801 100.00
======================================================
Virgin Islands:
Low.................................................. 125 128 114 122 37.54
Middle............................................... 139 133 128 133 40.92
Upper................................................ 64 71 75 70 21.54
------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................................. ......... ......... ......... 325 100.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appendix 3.--Consumer Expenditure Surveys
[Pre-published Data for All Consumer Units Nationwide*]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total complete reporting
---------------------------------------------------
1988 1991 1992 Average
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average Before Tax Income................................... 28,540.00 33,901.00 33,854.00 32,098.33
Average annual expenditures................................. 26,389.07 30,487.29 30,527.49 29,134.62
Food...................................................... 3,804.39 4,366.88 4,358.56 4,176.61
Food at home............................................ 2,176.94 2,724.89 2,684.35 2,528.73
Cereals and bakery products*.......................... 317.03 413.81 418.15 383.00
Cereals and cereal products*........................ 111.15 149.01 144.15 134.77
Flour*............................................ 4.83 6.61 7.21 6.22
Prepared flour mixes*............................. 9.88 14.67 13.62 12.72
Ready-to-eat and cooked cereals*.................. 73.49 90.13 88.39 84.00
Rice*............................................. 7.98 14.49 12.67 11.71
Pasta, cornmeal and other cereal products*........ 14.97 23.11 22.27 20.12
Bakery products*.................................... 205.88 264.80 274.00 248.23
Bread*............................................ 65.72 76.98 77.58 73.43
White bread*.................................... 35.48 38.93 38.04 37.48
Bread, other than white*........................ 30.24 38.04 39.54 35.94
Crackers and cookies*............................. 51.76 65.09 67.10 61.32
Cookies*........................................ 32.19 41.15 40.75 38.03
Crackers*....................................... 19.57 23.94 26.34 23.28
Frozen and refrigerated bakery products*.......... 13.55 19.33 21.06 17.98
Other bakery products*............................ 74.84 103.40 108.27 95.50
Biscuits and rolls*............................. 26.62 34.12 35.55 32.10
[[Page 61347]]
Cakes and cupcakes*............................. 20.31 29.49 31.67 27.16
Bread and cracker products*..................... 2.82 4.14 4.70 3.89
Sweetrolls, coffee cakes, doughnuts*............ 19.60 24.05 24.93 22.86
Pies, tarts, turnovers*......................... 5.48 11.61 11.41 9.50
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs*....................... 560.01 725.06 687.17 657.41
Beef*............................................... 183.66 238.59 210.36 210.87
Ground beef*...................................... 79.09 89.66 87.67 85.47
Roast*............................................ 33.40 42.62 37.74 37.92
Chuck roast*.................................... 13.23 16.81 13.48 14.51
Round roast*.................................... 9.13 12.63 12.96 11.57
Other roast*.................................... 11.04 13.18 11.30 11.84
Steak*............................................ 59.01 87.83 69.00 71.95
Round steak*.................................... 11.62 16.56 14.63 14.27
Sirloin steak*.................................. 12.96 23.58 17.72 18.09
Other steak*.................................... 34.42 47.68 36.65 39.58
Other beef*....................................... 12.17 18.47 15.95 15.53
Pork*............................................... 114.19 146.62 155.56 138.79
Bacon*............................................ 20.23 21.28 20.47 20.66
Pork chops*....................................... 27.10 35.26 34.88 32.41
Ham*.............................................. 27.43 38.92 42.73 36.36
Ham, not canned*................................ 24.47 35.84 38.98 33.10
Canned ham*..................................... 2.96 3.08 3.75 3.26
Sausage*.......................................... 16.60 21.01 23.29 20.30
Other pork*....................................... 22.83 30.15 34.19 29.06
Other meats*........................................ 83.61 102.91 94.58 93.70
Frankfurters*..................................... 17.37 23.87 21.19 20.81
Lunch meats (cold cuts)*.......................... 58.88 70.13 63.56 64.19
Bologna, liverwurst, salami*.................... 19.11 23.75 22.91 21.92
Other lunchmeats*............................... 39.78 46.39 40.65 42.27
Lamb, organ meats and others*..................... 7.36 8.91 9.84 8.70
Lamb and organ meats*........................... 6.17 7.89 8.74 7.60
Mutton, goat and game*.......................... 1.19 1.02 1.10 1.10
Poultry*............................................ 85.49 123.67 123.39 110.85
Fresh and frozen chickens*........................ 66.41 92.17 91.28 83.29
Fresh whole chicken*............................ 17.24 24.27 19.61 20.37
Fresh and frozen chicken parts*................. 49.17 67.90 71.67 62.91
Other poultry, incl. whole frozen chickens*....... 19.08 31.50 32.10 27.56
Fish and seafood*................................... 65.24 81.51 74.99 73.91
Canned fish and seafood*.......................... 17.95 18.40 17.46 17.94
Fresh and frozen shellfish*....................... 14.98 25.27 21.36 20.54
Fresh and frozen finfish*......................... 32.31 37.83 36.17 35.44
Eggs*............................................... 27.83 31.77 28.30 29.30
Dairy products*....................................... 277.91 306.57 307.10 297.19
Fresh milk and cream*............................... 134.41 134.72 136.59 135.24
Whole milk*....................................... 52.12 49.88 47.69 49.90
Other milk and cream*............................. 82.29 84.84 88.90 85.34
Other dairy products*............................... 143.50 171.85 170.52 161.96
Butter*........................................... 8.89 10.62 9.71 9.74
Cheese*........................................... 79.01 90.15 87.72 85.63
Ice cream and related products*................... 41.68 50.47 51.93 48.03
Miscellaneous dairy products*..................... 13.93 20.61 21.16 18.57
Fruits and vegetables*................................ 376.38 437.70 435.20 416.43
Fresh fruits*....................................... 120.98 132.65 129.17 127.60
Apples*........................................... 21.57 26.69 26.64 24.97
Bananas*.......................................... 20.65 27.62 26.48 24.92
Oranges*.......................................... 10.98 12.28 13.23 12.16
Other fresh fruits*............................... 67.78 66.06 62.82 65.55
Fresh vegetables*................................... 110.67 131.09 127.84 123.20
Potatoes*......................................... 16.61 25.25 24.56 22.14
Lettuce*.......................................... 13.73 15.51 16.33 15.19
Tomatoes*......................................... 14.87 21.64 19.85 18.79
Other fresh vegetables*........................... 65.47 68.69 67.10 67.09
Processed fruits*................................... 86.81 99.35 102.67 96.28
Frozen fruits and fruit juices*................... 19.59 22.09 21.35 21.01
Frozen orange juice*............................ 14.43 14.09 13.34 13.95
Other frozen fruits and juices*................. 5.16 7.99 8.01 7.05
Canned and dried fruits*.......................... 21.22 24.23 23.48 22.98
Fresh, canned or bottled fruit juices*............ 46.00 53.03 57.83 52.29
Processed vegetables*............................... 57.92 74.61 75.53 69.35
[[Page 61348]]
Frozen vegetables*................................ 21.30 26.45 25.46 24.40
Canned and dried vegetables and juices*........... 36.62 48.16 50.07 44.95
Canned beans*................................... 6.64 9.26 10.09 8.66
Canned corn*.................................... 4.21 6.29 7.40 5.97
Other canned and dried veg. and juices*......... 25.77 32.61 32.59 30.32
Other food at home*................................... 645.61 841.75 836.73 774.70
Sugar and other sweets*............................. 80.66 104.62 106.24 97.17
Candy and chewing gum*............................ 45.41 59.10 62.86 55.79
Sugar*............................................ 17.07 20.80 18.12 18.66
Artificial sweeteners*............................ 2.36 3.23 3.24 2.94
Jams, preserves, other sweets*.................... 15.82 21.48 22.02 19.77
Fats and oils*...................................... 56.65 73.12 73.79 67.85
Margarine*........................................ 11.96 14.31 14.56 13.61
Other fats, oils, and salad dressing*............. 31.66 39.96 40.94 37.52
Nondairy cream and imitation milk*................ 4.49 6.56 6.75 5.93
Peanut butter*.................................... 8.54 12.30 11.53 10.79
Miscellaneous foods*................................ 272.98 387.81 393.26 351.35
Frozen prepared foods*............................ 46.13 71.21 73.99 63.78
Frozen meals*................................... 16.75 25.00 22.99 21.58
Other frozen prepared foods*.................... 29.39 46.21 51.01 42.20
Canned and packaged soups*........................ 21.41 26.23 25.44 24.36
Potato chips, nuts, and other snacks*............. 59.78 78.66 78.63 72.36
Potato chips and other snacks*.................. 46.79 62.03 62.34 57.05
Nuts*........................................... 12.99 16.63 16.29 15.30
Condiments and seasonings*........................ 61.52 87.93 90.44 79.96
Salt, spices, other seasonings*................. 12.31 19.15 20.79 17.42
Olives, pickles, relishes*...................... 7.62 11.05 10.82 9.83
Sauces and gravies*............................. 31.62 42.03 43.55 39.07
Baking needs and misc. products................. 9.97 15.71 15.29 13.66
Other canned and packaged prepared foods*......... 84.14 123.78 124.75 110.89
Salads and desserts*............................ 13.23 17.87 20.42 17.17
Baby food*...................................... 16.25 23.56 24.11 21.31
Miscellaneous prepared foods*................... 54.66 82.35 80.22 72.41
Nonalcoholic beverages*............................. 204.37 233.06 219.33 218.92
Cola*............................................. 92.19 92.26 86.71 90.39
Other carbonated drinks*.......................... 32.62 39.32 40.41 37.45
Coffee*........................................... 40.93 42.59 40.13 41.22
Roasted coffee*................................. 25.27 23.35 24.56 25.06
Instant and freeze dried coffee*................ 15.66 17.24 15.57 16.16
Noncarbonated fruit flavored drinks*.............. 16.30 25.74 20.15 20.73
Tea*.............................................. 11.18 14.66 14.26 13.37
Nonalcoholic beer*................................ NA NA NA NA
Other nonalcoholic beverages*..................... 11.15 18.51 17.68 15.78
Food prepared by consumer unit on out-of-town trips. 30.94 43.13 44.12 39.40
Food away from home..................................... 1,627.45 1,641.99 1,674.21 1,647.88
Meals at restaurants, carry-outs and other*........... 1,275.77 1,300.05 1,344.40 1,306.74
Lunch*.............................................. 499.88 463.89 476.89 480.22
Dinner*............................................. 549.30 601.50 619.67 590.16
Snacks and nonalcoholic beverages*.................. 142.56 133.59 141.35 139.17
Breakfast and brunch*............................... 84.04 101.08 106.49 97.20
Board (including at school)........................... 43.62 43.00 46.92 44.51
Catered affairs....................................... 41.27 46.07 40.77 42.70
Food on out-of-town trips............................. 195.31 178.84 167.14 180.43
School lunches........................................ 42.24 46.89 47.40 45.51
Meals as pay.......................................... 29.24 27.13 27.58 27.98
Alcoholic beverages..................................... 281.70 313.94 321.12 305.59
At home*.............................................. 148.36 166.77 177.01 164.05
Beer and ale*....................................... 89.05 87.98 99.54 92.19
Whiskey*............................................ 12.73 17.07 14.23 14.68
Wine*............................................... 32.15 45.33 43.11 40.20
Other alcoholic beverages*.......................... 14.43 16.38 20.13 16.98
Away from home........................................ 133.34 147.17 144.11 141.54
Beer and ale*....................................... 37.50 46.76 48.77 44.34
Wine*............................................... 18.54 25.57 22.95 22.35
Other alcoholic beverages*.......................... 58.12 46.66 47.06 50.61
Alcoholic beverages purchased on trips.............. 19.17 28.19 25.34 24.23
Housing................................................... 8,069.13 9,325.13 9,528.41 8,974.22
Shelter................................................. 4,470.25 5,208.28 5,431.78 5,036.77
Owned dwellings....................................... 2,554.04 3,279.50 3,307.24 3,046.93
[[Page 61349]]
Mortgage interest and charges....................... 1,560.48 1,951.95 1,984.40 1,832.28
Mortgage interest................................. 1,560.38 1,880.31 1,856.78 1,765.82
Interest paid, home equity loan................... NA 33.34 63.99 48.67
Interest paid, home equity line of credit......... NA 37.94 63.32 50.63
Prepayment penalty charges........................ 0.10 0.36 0.31 0.26
Property taxes...................................... 496.08 767.69 760.97 674.91
Maintenance, repairs, insurance, and other expenses. 497.48 559.86 561.86 539.73
Homeowners and related insurance.................. 151.74 164.20 176.37 164.10
Fire and extended coverage...................... 4.98 3.84 5.02 4.61
Homeowners insurance............................ 146.76 160.36 171.35 159.49
Ground rent....................................... 26.88 33.78 33.40 31.35
Maintenance and repair services................... 252.68 278.55 268.09 266.44
Painting and papering........................... 52.01 39.24 37.27 42.84
Plumbing an water heating....................... 23.06 31.48 34.02 29.52
Heat, a/c, electrical work...................... 42.03 45.96 53.14 47.04
Roofing and gutters............................. 46.96 54.11 40.98 47.35
Other repair and maintenance services........... 78.78 99.93 91.16 89.96
Repair and replacement of hard surface flooring. 8.14 6.47 10.16 8.26
Repair of built-in appliances................... 1.68 1.36 1.36 1.47
Maintenance and repair commodities................ 65.41 69.18 63.89 66.16
Paints, wallpaper and supplies.................. 17.47 16.27 16.50 16.75
Tools and equipment for painting and
wallpapering................................... 1.88 1.75 1.77 1.80
Plumbing supplies and equipment................. 5.65 7.65 5.96 6.42
Electrical supplies, heating and cooling
equipment...................................... 3.76 3.44 7.13 4.78
Materials for hard surface flooring, repair and
replac......................................... 1.85 2.17 3.13 2.38
Materials and equipment for roof and gutters.... 5.18 6.61 6.20 6.00
Materials for plaster., panel., siding, wind.,
doors, screens, awn............................ 11.08 10.86 7.29 9.74
Materials for patio, walk, fence, drive.,
mason., brick, stucco work..................... 2.12 0.55 0.67 1.11
Materials for landscaping maintenance........... 2.52 1.77 1.15 1.81
Miscellaneous supplies and equipment............ 13.89 18.11 14.08 15.36
Material for insulation, other maint., and
repair....................................... 7.87 12.55 7.84 9.42
Materials to finish base., remodel rooms or
build patios, walks, etc..................... 6.02 5.56 6.24 5.94
Property management and security.................. 0.74 13.44 20.12 11.43
Property management............................. 0.64 8.61 13.24 7.50
Management and upkeep services for security..... 0.10 4.84 6.88 3.94
Parking........................................... 0.04 0.70 NA 0.37
Rented dwellings...................................... 1,469.41 1,609.43 1,787.19 1,622.01
Rent................................................ 1,428.30 1,538.23 1,714.30 1,560.28
Rent as pay......................................... 17.34 44.87 37.09 33.10
Maintenance, insurance and other expenses........... 23.76 26.33 35.80 28.63
Tenant's insurance................................ 8.68 9.76 9.16 9.20
Maintenance and repair services................... 9.01 9.96 11.88 10.28
Repair or maintenance service................... 8.62 9.49 11.52 9.88
Repair and replacement of hard surface flooring. 0.36 0.38 0.29 0.34
Repair of built-in appliances................... 0.03 0.08 0.07 0.06
Maintenance and repair commodities................ 6.07 6.61 14.76 9.15
Paint, wallpaper, and supplies.................. 1.19 2.07 1.70 1.65
Tools and equipment for painting and
wallpapering................................... 0.13 0.22 0.18 0.18
Materials for plastering, panels, roofing,
gutters, etc................................... 0.68 0.43 2.86 1.32
Materials for patio, walk, fence, drive,
masonry, brick and stucco work................. 0.02 0.02 0.04 0.03
Plumbing supplies and equipment................. 0.38 0.25 0.55 0.39
Electrical supplies, heating and cooling
equipment...................................... 0.92 0.34 0.26 0.51
Miscellaneous supplies and equipment............ 1.84 2.17 7.71 3.91
Material for insulation, other maintenance and
repair....................................... 0.58 0.82 1.51 0.97
Termite and pest control (capital improvement) 0.00 NA NA 0.00
Materials for additions, finishing base.,
remodeling rooms............................. 1.08 1.34 5.90 2.77
Construction materials for jobs not started... 0.18 0.01 0.30 0.16
Material for hard surface flooring.............. 0.14 0.59 0.90 0.54
Material for landscape maintenance.............. 0.76 0.53 0.55 0.61
Other lodging......................................... 446.79 319.35 337.35 367.83
Owned vacation homes................................ 78.26 92.13 115.29 95.23
Mortgage interest and charges..................... NA 39.20 54.55 46.88
Mortgage interest............................... 48.65 38.93 50.60 46.06
Interest paid, home equity loan................. NA 0.02 1.06 0.54
Interest paid, home equity line of credit....... NA 0.26 2.88 1.57
Prepayment penalty charge....................... 0.00 NA NA 0.00
Property taxes.................................... 16.90 37.77 42.04 32.24
Maintenance, insurance, and other expenses........ 12.71 15.17 18.70 15.53
Homeowners and related insurance................ 3.07 3.79 4.10 3.65
[[Page 61350]]
Homeowners insurance.......................... 3.04 3.65 3.86 3.52
Fire and extended coverage.................... 0.03 0.14 0.24 0.14
Ground rent..................................... 3.33 2.32 1.75 2.47
Maintenance and repair services................. 5.52 5.25 7.53 6.10
Repair and remodeling services................ 5.52 5.14 7.39 6.02
Repair and replacement of hard surface
flooring..................................... 0.00 0.11 0.15 0.09
Maintenance and repair commodities.............. 0.39 0.53 1.97 0.96
Paints, wallpaper, supplies................... 0.08 0.15 1.31 0.51
Tools and equipment for painting and
wallpapering................................. 0.01 0.02 0.14 0.06
Materials for plaster., panel., roof.,
gutters, downspouts, sid., wind., door,...... 0.05 0.05 0.07 0.06
Material for patio, walk, fence, drive,
masonry, brick, stucco....................... 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00
Plumbing supplies and equipment............... 0.02 0.05 0.32 0.13
Electrical supplies, heating and cooling
equipment.................................... 0.01 0.09 0.03 0.04
Miscellaneous supplies and equipment.......... 0.01 0.12 0.09 0.07
Material for insulation, other maintenance
and repair................................. 0.01 0.04 0.09 0.05
Material for finishing basements and
remodeling rooms........................... 0.00 0.08 NA 0.04
Materials for hard surface flooring........... 0.20 NA NA 0.20
Materials for landscaping maintenance......... 0.00 0.06 NA 0.03
Property management and security................ 0.40 3.19 3.35 2.31
Property management........................... 0.40 1.96 2.25 1.54
Management and upkeep services for security... 0.00 1.23 1.10 0.78
Parking......................................... 0.00 0.09 NA 0.05
Housing while attending school........................ 35.48 59.66 54.71 49.95
Lodging on out-of-town trips.......................... 178.58 167.56 167.34 171.16
Utilities, fuels, and public services..................... 1,726.29 1,961.13 1,962.49 1,883.30
Natural gas............................................. 232.22 240.89 246.97 240.03
Utility-natural gas (renter).......................... 50.85 50.96 55.98 52.60
Utility-natural gas (owned home)...................... 180.07 189.11 189.86 186.35
Utility-natural gas (owned vacation).................. 1.22 0.82 1.07 1.04
Utility-natural gas (rented vacation)................. 0.08 NA 0.06 0.07
Electricity............................................. 700.08 791.57 770.65 754.10
Electricity (renter).................................. 169.94 189.36 201.59 186.96
Electricity (owned home).............................. 524.87 595.84 562.26 560.99
Electricity (owned vacation).......................... 5.03 6.00 6.59 5.87
Electricity (rented vacation)......................... 0.25 0.37 0.20 0.27
Fuel oil and other fuels................................ 94.02 103.30 93.93 97.08
Fuel oil.............................................. 55.60 62.83 55.61 58.01
Fuel oil (renter)................................... 5.21 5.61 7.00 5.94
Fuel oil (owned home)............................... 49.96 56.67 48.25 51.63
Fuel oil (owned vacation)........................... 0.38 0.51 0.36 0.42
Fuel oil (rented vacation).......................... 0.06 0.04 NA 0.05
Coal.................................................. 3.50 4.66 2.50 3.55
Coal (renter)....................................... 0.55 0.26 0.05 0.29
Coal (owned home)................................... 2.95 4.38 2.44 3.26
Coal (owned vacation)............................... 0.00 0.02 0.02 0.01
Coal (rented vacation).............................. 0.00 NA NA 0.00
Bottled gas........................................... 24.48 27.47 27.18 26.38
Gas, btld/tank (renter)............................. 3.78 4.19 4.79 4.25
Gas, btld/tank (owned home)......................... 18.58 21.14 20.75 20.16
Gas, btld/tank (owned vacation)..................... 2.12 2.11 1.64 1.96
Gas, btld/tank (rented vacation).................... 0.00 0.02 NA 0.01
Wood and other fuels.................................. 10.43 8.35 8.64 9.14
Wood/other fuels (renter)........................... 1.31 1.37 1.59 1.42
Wood/other fuels (owned home)....................... 9.05 6.92 6.71 7.56
Wood/other fuels (owned vacation)................... 0.06 0.05 0.34 0.15
Wood/other fuels (rented vacation).................. 0.00 NA NA 0.00
Telephone services.................................... 528.79 608.50 619.87 585.72
Telephone (old)..................................... NA 48.22 0.00 24.11
Telephone services in home city, excluding mobile
car phones......................................... NA 560.28 619.87 590.08
Telephone services for mobile car phones............ NA NA NA NA
Water and other public services....................... 171.19 216.87 231.08 206.38
Water and sewerage maintenance...................... 131.02 159.33 160.22 150.19
Water/sewer maint. (renter)....................... 18.53 22.04 24.38 21.65
Water/sewer maint. (owned home)................... 111.57 136.19 133.69 127.15
Water/sewer maint. (owned vacation)............... 0.83 1.09 2.10 1.34
Water/sewer maint. (rented vacation).............. 0.09 0.01 0.05 0.05
Trash and garbage collection........................ 38.67 55.90 69.38 54.65
Trash/garb. coll. (renter)........................ 5.28 7.26 7.37 6.64
[[Page 61351]]
Trash/garb. coll. (owned home).................... 33.31 47.64 59.92 46.96
Trash/garb. coll. (owned vacation)................ 0.08 1.00 2.09 1.06
Trash/garb. coll. (rented vacation)............... 0.00 NA 0.01 0.01
Septic tank cleaning................................ 1.50 1.65 1.47 1.54
Septic tank clean. (renter)....................... 0.01 0.07 0.11 0.06
Septic tank clean. (owned home)................... 1.48 1.57 1.29 1.45
Septic tank clean. (owned vacation)............... 0.00 0.01 0.07 0.03
Septic tank clean. (rented vacation).............. 0.00 NA NA 0.00
Household operations.................................. 387.45 451.97 487.20 442.21
Personal services................................... 176.53 224.86 253.05 218.15
Babysitting....................................... 74.62 83.78 85.92 81.44
Care for elderly, invalids, handicapped, etc...... 11.66 26.56 43.92 27.38
Day-care centers, nursery, and preschools......... 90.25 114.51 123.21 109.32
Other household expenses............................ 210.92 227.11 234.15 224.06
Housekeeping services............................. 67.76 77.46 71.70 72.31
Gardening, lawn care service...................... 49.60 60.85 64.99 58.48
Water softening service........................... 2.81 2.72 3.28 2.94
Household laundry, dry cleaning, sent out
(nonclothing) not coin operated.................. 1.63 2.21 2.32 2.05
Coin-operated household laundry and dry cleaning
(nonclothing).................................... 4.78 4.91 5.58 5.09
Other home services............................... 17.86 16.79 18.38 17.68
Termite/pest control products..................... 0.20 0.22 0.29 0.24
Moving, storage, freight express.................. 26.46 22.73 24.37 24.52
Appliance repair, including service center........ 16.44 16.96 15.88 16.43
Reupholstering, furniture repair.................. 13.85 11.51 18.56 14.64
Repair/rental of lawn/garden equip., hand/power
tools, other house. equip........................ 5.92 5.78 3.74 5.15
Appliance rental.................................. 2.08 1.28 1.86 1.74
Rental of office equipment for nonbusiness use.... 0.17 0.17 0.13 0.16
Repair of miscellaneous household equipment and
furnishings*..................................... 0.48 2.34 1.89 1.57
Repair of computer systems for nonbusiness use.... 0.88 1.19 1.19 1.09
Rental/installation of dishwashers, range hoods,
and garbage disposals............................ 0.00 NA NA 0.00
Housekeeping supplies*.............................. 382.82 451.34 462.61 432.26
Laundry and cleaning supplies*.................... 106.44 123.66 123.97 118.02
Soaps and detergents*............................. 62.10 73.49 70.41 68.67
Other laundry cleaning products*.................. 44.33 50.17 53.56 49.35
Other household products*........................... 157.48 197.81 211.79 189.03
Cleansing and toilet tissue, paper towels and
napkins*......................................... 52.12 62.60 60.52 58.41
Miscellaneous household products*................. 67.89 91.22 94.75 84.62
Lawn and garden supplies*......................... 37.47 44.00 56.52 46.00
Postage and stationery*............................. 118.90 129.87 126.85 125.20
Stationery, stationery supplies, giftwraps*....... 54.40 66.09 62.59 61.03
Postage*.......................................... 64.49 63.78 64.26 64.18
Household furnishings and equipment................. 1,102.32 1,252.41 1,184.33 1,179.69
Household textiles................................ 97.11 107.35 94.56 99.67
Bathroom linens*................................ 13.69 24.61 15.62 17.97
Bedroom linens*................................. 38.11 39.34 43.17 40.21
Kitchen and dining room linens*................. 5.74 4.76 7.84 6.11
Curtains and draperies.......................... 26.56 18.09 19.11 21.25
Silpcovers, decorative pillows.................. 1.64 1.36 1.42 1.47
Sewing material for slipcovers, curtains, other
sewing mater, for the home*.................... 10.32 18.17 6.54 11.68
Other linens.................................... 1.05 1.04 0.86 0.98
Furniture......................................... 319.44 297.24 316.15 310.94
Mattress and springs............................ 41.86 35.82 38.97 38.88
Other bedroom furniture......................... 39.75 46.24 57.57 47.85
Sofas........................................... 65.44 65.48 70.67 67.20
Living room chairs.............................. 35.91 34.99 30.70 33.87
Living room tables.............................. 20.16 14.24 17.63 17.34
Kitchen, dining room furniture.................. 58.64 46.11 42.37 49.04
Infants' furniture.............................. 7.01 7.58 6.74 7.11
Outdoor furniture............................... 12.57 13.59 11.02 12.39
Occasional furniture............................ 38.12 33.18 40.48 37.26
Floor coverings................................... 70.23 128.97 61.08 86.76
Wall-to-wall carpeting (renter)................. 2.41 2.02 2.57 2.33
Wall-to-wall carpet, installed (renter)....... 1.73 1.56 2.05 1.78
Wall-to-wall carpet, not installed carpet
squares (renter)............................. 0.68 0.46 0.52 0.55
Wall-to-wall carpet (replacement) (owned home).. 42.57 34.99 29.06 35.54
Wall-to-wall carpet, not installed (replace.),
carp. squar. (owned home).................... 3.04 2.91 1.89 2.61
Wall-to-wall carpet, installed (replacement)
(owned home)................................. 39.53 32.08 27.17 32.93
Room size rugs and other floor covering,
nonpermanent*.................................. 25.25 91.96 29.45 48.89
[[Page 61352]]
Major appliances.................................. 172.90 131.98 144.89 149.92
Dishwashers (built-in), garbage disposals, range
hoods, (renter)................................ 0.24 0.98 0.16 0.46
Dishwashers (built-in), garbage disposals, range
hoods, (owned home)............................ 10.05 9.54 7.21 8.93
Refrigerators, freezers (renter)................ 11.18 7.51 8.38 9.02
Refrigerators, freezers (owned home)............ 39.29 25.85 33.30 32.81
Washing machines (renter)....................... 6.56 4.28 6.28 5.71
Washing machines (owned home)................... 17.96 17.22 15.85 17.01
Clothes dryers (renter)......................... 4.18 2.34 3.35 3.29
Clothes dryers (owned home)..................... 10.35 7.05 9.78 9.06
Cooking stoves, ovens (renter).................. 2.87 2.18 3.11 2.72
Cooking stoves, ovens (owned home).............. 19.55 13.20 14.81 15.85
Microwave ovens (renter)........................ 4.47 2.09 3.09 3.22
Microwave ovens (owned home).................... 9.81 4.85 4.74 6.47
Portable dishwasher (renter).................... 0.31 0.14 0.11 0.19
Portable dishwasher (owned home)................ 1.33 0.24 1.15 0.91
Window air conditioners (renter)................ 2.43 1.12 1.18 1.58
Window air conditioners (owned home)............ 8.23 7.61 3.31 6.38
Electric floor cleaning equipment............... 14.62 15.03 13.63 14.43
Sewing machines................................. 6.08 5.19 5.15 5.47
Miscellaneous household appliances*............. 3.39 5.56 10.29 6.41
Small appliances, miscellaneous housewares........ 60.51 83.38 86.46 76.78
Housewares...................................... 39.14 57.82 62.47 53.14
Plastic dinnerware............................ 1.83 1.79 1.61 1.74
China and other dinnerware.................... 10.31 11.56 11.60 11.16
Flatware...................................... 3.44 4.07 3.97 3.83
Glassware*.................................... 9.79 7.08 13.59 10.15
Silver serving pieces*........................ 0.27 3.83 1.35 1.82
Other serving pieces.......................... 1.36 1.78 1.59 1.58
Nonelectric cookware*......................... 12.14 11.67 11.66 11.82
Tableware, nonelectric kitchenware*........... NA 16.02 17.08 16.55
Small appliances................................ 21.37 25.56 23.99 23.64
Small electric kitchen appliances............. 14.17 18.05 18.75 16.99
Portable heating and cooling equipment........ 7.20 7.52 5.23 6.65
Miscellaneous household equipment................. 382.11 503.48 481.19 455.59
Window coverings................................ 13.72 12.79 17.37 14.63
Infants' equipment*............................. 3.77 10.62 5.52 6.64
Laundry and cleaning equip.*.................... 8.52 9.19 10.99 9.57
Outdoor equipment............................... 4.73 6.20 4.83 5.25
Clocks.......................................... 5.46 4.45 3.38 4.43
Lamps and lighting fixtures*.................... 28.40 22.80 26.10 25.77
Other household decorative items*............... 80.30 107.69 111.16 99.72
Telephones and accessories*..................... 7.25 62.21 20.55 30.00
Lawn and garden equipment....................... 49.12 39.58 43.15 43.95
Power tools..................................... 14.39 13.25 16.15 14.60
Small miscellaneous furnishings*................ 3.39 5.23 1.15 3.26
Hand tools*..................................... 13.67 11.71 14.07 13.15
Indoor plants, fresh flowers*................... 41.42 57.80 53.49 50.90
Closet and storage items*....................... 4.62 6.99 12.21 7.94
Rental of furniture............................. 3.02 3.36 3.67 3.35
Luggage......................................... 8.72 7.49 7.04 7.75
Computers and computer hardware nonbusiness use. 39.86 63.64 63.66 55.72
Computer software and accessories for
nonbusiness use................................ 7.36 8.69 9.48 8.51
Telephone answering devices..................... 4.23 5.00 4.64 4.62
Calculators..................................... 1.99 2.56 1.57 2.04
Business equipment for home use................. 6.20 5.02 4.23 5.15
Other hardware*................................. 6.95 11.83 13.74 10.84
Smoke alarms (owned home)....................... 0.54 0.38 0.47 0.46
Smoke alarms (renter)........................... 0.15 0.09 0.06 0.10
Smoke alarms (owned vacation)................... 0.00 NA NA 0.00
Other household appliances (owned home)......... 4.25 4.63 4.40 4.43
Other household appliances (renter)............. 1.35 0.87 0.99 1.07
Miscellaneous household equipment and parts*.... 18.73 19.42 27.08 21.74
Apparel and services...................................... 1,537.27 1,801.23 1,732.90 1,690.47
Men and boys............................................ 400.67 448.88 436.86 428.80
Men, 16 and over...................................... 318.80 357.81 353.05 343.22
Men's suits......................................... 41.20 39.20 43.98 41.46
Men's sportcoats, tailored jackets.................. 15.57 13.84 12.04 13.82
Men's coats and jackets*............................ 29.30 30.48 26.12 28.63
Men's underwear*.................................... 9.72 12.26 14.13 12.04
[[Page 61353]]
Men's hosiery*...................................... 10.34 12.60 13.73 12.22
Men's nightwear*.................................... 2.89 6.24 5.84 4.99
Men's accessories*.................................. 22.88 34.42 33.64 30.31
Men's sweaters and vests............................ 17.65 13.47 13.11 14.74
Men's active sportswear............................. 12.10 12.15 11.96 12.07
Men's shirts*....................................... 74.17 87.10 87.25 82.84
Men's pants*........................................ 70.76 77.09 70.18 72.68
Men's shorts, shorts sets*.......................... 8.29 13.53 16.40 12.74
Men's uniforms...................................... 3.16 5.00 3.70 3.95
Men's costumes...................................... 0.77 0.42 0.98 0.72
Boys, 2 to 15......................................... 81.86 91.07 83.82 85.58
Boys' coats and jackets*............................ 9.48 4.36 5.73 6.52
Boys' sweaters...................................... 3.73 3.09 2.70 3.17
Boys' shirts*....................................... 20.55 21.80 19.50 20.62
Boys' underwear*.................................... 1.55 4.96 4.89 3.80
Boys' nightwear*.................................... 2.79 2.21 2.83 2.61
Boys' hosiery*...................................... 3.99 4.97 4.26 4.41
Boys' accessories*.................................. 2.77 4.58 5.19 4.18
Boys' suits, sportcoats, vests*..................... 3.00 0.51 2.13 1.88
Boys' pants*........................................ 24.70 24.72 19.41 22.94
Boys' shorts, shorts sets*.......................... 3.91 11.51 9.03 8.15
Boys' uniforms, active sportwear.................... 5.10 7.43 7.30 6.61
Boys' costumes...................................... 0.29 0.93 0.85 0.69
Women and girls....................................... 608.90 724.73 703.40 679.01
Women, 16 and over.................................. 509.83 624.19 607.23 580.42
Women's coats and jackets*........................ 33.49 40.55 58.80 44.28
Women's dresses*.................................. 83.27 118.10 89.96 97.11
Women's sportcoats, tailored jackets*............. 0.84 6.02 3.90 3.59
Women's vests and sweaters*....................... 36.74 46.00 40.43 41.06
Women's shirts, tops, blouses*.................... 85.55 114.03 106.20 101.93
Women's skirts*................................... 29.28 28.63 21.52 26.48
Women's pants*.................................... 66.85 69.35 79.18 71.79
Women's shorts, shorts sets*...................... 14.23 20.40 23.33 19.32
Women's active sportswear*........................ 23.13 28.54 32.91 28.19
Women's sleepwear*................................ 22.57 20.98 25.33 22.96
Women's undergarments*............................ 24.38 27.53 33.13 28.35
Women's hosiery................................... 25.85 27.13 25.01 26.00
Women's suits..................................... 28.04 33.54 30.71 30.76
Women's accessories*.............................. 34.46 38.59 33.98 35.68
Women's uniforms*................................. 1.15 1.47 1.82 1.48
Women's costumes.................................. 0.00 3.34 1.01 1.45
Girls, 2 to 15...................................... 99.08 100.53 96.17 98.59
Girls' coats and jackets.......................... 7.95 6.71 7.65 7.44
Girls' dresses, suits............................. 12.02 13.87 13.23 13.04
Girls' shirts, blouses, sweaters*................. 30.19 23.20 22.42 25.27
Girls' skirts and pants........................... 16.37 15.56 14.87 15.60
Girls' shorts, shorts sets........................ 6.41 8.41 9.83 8.22
Girls' active sportswear*......................... 9.32 10.66 8.41 9.46
Girls' underwear and sleepwear.................... 5.92 6.16 6.26 6.11
Girls' hosiery*................................... 4.88 6.09 5.05 5.34
Girls' accessories*............................... 4.08 5.49 4.50 4.69
Girls' uniforms................................... 1.46 2.26 1.86 1.86
Girls' costumes................................... NA 2.12 2.08 2.10
Children under 2.................................... 63.60 85.67 80.39 76.55
Infant coat, jacket, snowsuit....................... 3.17 2.99 3.25 3.14
Infant dresses, outerwear........................... 14.98 17.87 20.75 17.87
Infant underwear*................................... 36.68 51.00 46.85 44.84
Infant nightwear, loungewear........................ 3.19 3.11 4.26 3.52
Infant accessories.................................. 3.06 5.15 5.28 4.50
Infant hosiery...................................... 0.41 0.10 NA 0.10
Footwear*............................................. 204.13 258.04 243.05 235.07
Men's footwear*..................................... 62.95 72.47 73.53 69.65
Boys' footwear*..................................... 18.19 29.42 31.65 26.42
Women's footwear*................................... 104.54 128.82 115.47 116.28
Girls' footwear*.................................... 18.46 27.33 22.41 22.73
Other apparel products and services................... 259.97 283.91 269.19 271.02
Material for making clothes......................... 8.12 9.10 8.58 8.60
Sewing patterns and notions......................... 2.15 3.00 2.56 2.57
Watches............................................. 21.65 20.45 20.47 20.86
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Jewelry............................................. 110.35 121.45 108.73 113.41
Shoe repair and other shoe service.................. 3.46 4.27 3.47 3.73
Coin-operated apparel laundry and dry cleaning...... 34.25 37.63 38.61 36.83
Apparel alteration and repair....................... 6.05 6.23 6.02 6.10
Clothing rental..................................... 4.77 4.02 3.56 4.12
Watch and jewelry repair............................ 5.72 6.94 5.54 6.07
Apparel laundry and dry cleaning not coin operated.. 62.72 69.99 70.94 67.88
Clothing storage.................................... 0.75 0.83 0.71
This text is long and has been trimmed here. Open the source document for the complete record.
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