Consumer Price Index Inflation

In its financial planning and budgeting, City of Seattle must take inflation into account as it affects wages and benefits of City's employee and also more broadly the costs of providing goods and services. City of Seattle's revenues are also affected by inflation, as the prices of taxable goods and services change over time, moreover, the formulas used to calculate the tax liability for some taxes directly involve measures of inflation.

The Office for Economic and Revenue Forecasts updates the regional inflation forecast for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Metropolitan Statistical Area (Seattle MSA) each quarter, as part of the regional economic forecast updates. Inflation forecasts are developed for both traditional calendar-year measures of inflation, and for measures that capture price increases over the period from June of the previous year to June of the current. These latter measures have traditionally been incorporated into City's labor contracts and are therefore particularly important for the City's financial planning.

The Frequently Asked Questions section discusses how inflation is measured using the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Cost of Living Adjustment Calculations provides information on how the City uses the CPI to calculate cost-of-living adjustments for labor contracts. 

The following file contains historical data for the United States CPI, as well as historical data and our forecasts for the Seattle MSA CPI: Inflation - Historical Data and Forecasts.