CPI — Televisions

## What this measures

The BLS Consumer Price Index subindex for televisions, rebased to 1982–84 = 100. It tracks the price level of televisions within the CPI basket.

## Why it matters

Organizations monitoring cost structures across categories see televisions as the canonical case of rapid price decline driven by manufacturing productivity gains. The series demonstrates how technology goods have behaved radically differently from services and other consumption categories, making it a reference point for discussions of sectoral inflation divergence and cost disease.

## How to read it

The index rises when television prices increase and falls when they decrease, relative to the 1982–84 base period. A lower value means televisions cost less in nominal terms than in the base years; this series has fallen sharply over its history, reflecting consistent price declines.

## What it does not say

The index does not adjust for quality improvements or new features introduced over time, nor does it measure unit sales, market share, or consumer spending on televisions.

## Source

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as a component of the Consumer Price Index. Palanor receives the series from BLS.