Cost of Living
Data and tools
- Consumer Price Index
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics - How to Use the Consumer Price Index for Escalation
How-To Guide - Calculate inflation over time
Allows you to calculate what a salary in a given year would have to be today to maintain the same buying power - Compare cost of living between cities
Lets you choose a salary level and two cities and calculates the salary needed to afford a comparable living standard
Which data should I use?
- Should I use monthly CPI figures or annual averages?
Calculating annual inflation for a specific month (for example, from December to December) gives you more recent data, but using annual averages smooths out the volatility that can occur in monthly CPI data. - Should I use seasonally adjusted or unadjusted data?
BLS advises using unadjusted CPI data for escalation clauses - National, regional and city CPI measures:
BLS advises using national or regional CPIs for escalator clauses instead of city-specific CPI
What is a Living Wage In My Area?
Calculators
- Family Budget Calculator
From the Economic Policy Institute - Living Wage Calculator
From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Compensation data
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Wage Data by Area and Occupation
For over 800 occupations, the 50 states and 375 metropolitan areas as well as non-metropolitan areas - Employee Benefits Survey
Data on the prevalence of benefits and features of selected benefit plans
Other Economic Statistics
U.S. Census Bureau
- Data for States and Local Communities
From Census QuickFacts - Quarterly Survey of Public Pensions
From Census - Government Employment
Includes data on federal, state and local employment and payrolls
More resources
- Employment and Unemployment Rates and Trends
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics - Cornell Industrial & Labor Relations Guide
Guide to statistical sources - Moody’s economic data and forecasts
For the U.S., states and metropolitan areas, including employment growth, personal income, retail sales, CPI and more. Contact the Research Department at 202-429-1215 or research@afscme.org.
Current CPI and unemployment rate
Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
Increased 0.3%
The Consumer Price Index increased 0.3% in November. Over the last 12 months, the all items index rose 2.1 percent before seasonal adjustment.
Next release: January 14, 2020
Unemployment rate
3.5% in November 2019
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 266,000 in August, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 3.5%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Notable job gains occurred in health care and in professional and technical services. Employment rose in manufacturing, reflecting the return of workers from a strike.
Next release: January 10, 2020
