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The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a statistical measure of change, over time, of the prices of goods and services in major expenditure groups--such as food, housing, apparel, transportation, and medical care--typically purchased by urban consumers. Essentially, it compares the cost of a sample "market basket" of goods and services in a specific month relative to the cost of the same "market basket" in an earlier reference period. This reference period is designated as the base period. The CPI introduced by the BLS in 1987 includes indexes for two populations; urban wage earners and clerical workers (MW), and all urban consumers (MU).