Skip to content
Find an acronym

Business

Stands forConsumer Price Index

initialismC P I, letter by letter

What Does CPI Stand For?

BusinessEconomyInflationUpdated Oct 30

What does CPI stand for? Across financial headlines, CPI stands for the Consumer Price Index, a monthly measure of how much the cost of everyday goods and services is changing. When a headline says "CPI rose 0.3 percent," it means prices on a typical basket of purchases went up by that much compared with the month before.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a federal agency, publishes the CPI. It is the best known gauge of inflation, and it affects things like yearly Social Security adjustments and some wage contracts. In schools, though, CPI usually points to something else entirely: crisis prevention training for staff.

Quick facts

  • Stands for

    Consumer Price Index

  • Published by

    Bureau of Labor Statistics, monthly

  • Measures

    Change in prices paid by urban consumers

  • Type

    Initialism

  • In education

    Crisis Prevention Institute, a staff training program

  • Other meanings

    Cost per install, Corruption Perceptions Index, continuous process improvement

  • Related terms

    Inflation, cost of living, GDP

CPI stands for Consumer Price Index

Reading Consumer Price Index one word at a time
LetterWordMeaning
CConsumerHouseholds buying things for their own use
PPriceWhat those things cost
IIndexA number that tracks change from a base period

Government staff collect prices on thousands of items, from groceries and rent to gas, doctor visits and haircuts. Each item is weighted by how much households spend on it, so rent counts for far more than, say, postage stamps. The result is one number that rises when overall prices rise. The yearly percent change in that number is the inflation rate most people hear about.

What does CPI stand for in education?

In schools, hospitals and care settings, "CPI training" or "CPI certified" usually refers to the Crisis Prevention Institute, an organization that trains staff to calm tense situations and keep students and adults safe. The training focuses on spotting rising stress early, talking a person down, and, only as a last resort, using approved holds.

A teacher job posting: "Special education aide. CPI certification required within 30 days of hire." Here CPI has nothing to do with inflation. It means the aide must complete crisis prevention and de-escalation training.

Teachers who work with an IEP student who has behavior goals are often asked to take this training, and many districts renew it every year or two.

How CPI shows up in real life

  • News: monthly reports on whether inflation is speeding up or slowing down.
  • Benefits: the yearly cost of living adjustment for Social Security is tied to a version of the CPI.
  • Leases and contracts: some rent or service contracts raise payments each year by the CPI change.
  • Taxes: many federal tax brackets and limits are adjusted for inflation each year.
  • Paychecks: some union contracts include raises linked to the index.

There are several versions. CPI-U covers all urban consumers and is the one in most headlines. CPI-W covers urban wage earners and clerical workers and is the one used for Social Security adjustments. "Core CPI" leaves out food and energy, whose prices jump around, to show the underlying trend.

This is general information about economic terms. For how inflation adjustments affect your own benefits, lease or taxes, ask the agency in charge, a tax preparer or a financial professional.

Other meanings of CPI

CPI outside economics and schools
FieldCPI meansExample
Mobile adsCost per install"Our CPI dropped after the new campaign."
BusinessContinuous process improvement"The plant runs a CPI program."
World affairsCorruption Perceptions Index"The country ranked low on the CPI."
Online adsCost per impression (more often CPM)"Compare CPI across sites."

For ad pricing terms, compare CPM. For a measure of the whole economy rather than prices, see GDP.

Saying and writing CPI

Say each letter, "C P I," and keep all three uppercase, never dotted. Most sentences put "the" first: "the CPI rose" or "the latest CPI report." The letter C begins like "seed," so the article is a: "a CPI report."

  • "The CPI rose 3 percent over the past year."
  • "Core CPI was flat last month."
  • "Our lease adjusts each spring by the CPI."
  • "All classroom aides must keep their CPI training current."

Plenty of other money terms appear in the business acronyms pages.

Questions people ask

What does CPI mean in simple terms?

The Consumer Price Index is one figure tracking how far prices for everyday things have moved. If it goes up 4 percent over a year, a typical basket of purchases costs about 4 percent more than it did a year earlier.

Who calculates the CPI?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the Department of Labor, gathers the prices and releases the CPI every month.

What is CPI training for teachers?

It is crisis prevention and de-escalation training, commonly from the Crisis Prevention Institute. Staff learn to spot rising stress, calm situations with words and keep everyone safe.

What is the difference between CPI and core CPI?

The headline CPI includes everything in the basket. Core CPI leaves out food and energy, which swing a lot from month to month, so it shows the slower trend.

Is CPI the same as inflation?

Not exactly. The CPI is an index, and the inflation rate is usually the percent change in that index over twelve months. In everyday talk, people use the two almost interchangeably.