The Consumer Price Index is used to calculate inflation, or the change in price of a basket of goods and services, as it impacts consumers; whereas, the Producer Price Index measures changes in selling prices, thereby expressing price changes from the perspective of the seller who produces a particular commodity.
A slide presentation updated with March 2015 data shows the Midwest inflation rate increased in both urban metros and non-metro urban areas from February to March.
The Producer Price Index data shows that the price in the United States has increased from March 2014 to March 2015 for aircraft (1.3 percent). During that same time period, prices decreased for slaughter livestock (6.4 percent), crude petroleum (54.9 percent), natural gas (46.3 percent), sorghum (5.6 percent) and wheat (20.1 percent).
