CPI — Computers, Peripherals, and Smart Home Assistants

## What this measures

A consumer price index tracking the cost of computers, peripherals, and smart home assistants for urban households, measured monthly and seasonally adjusted. The index uses December 2007 as its base period (100).

## Why it matters

Technology hardware costs influence capital budgets, compensation calculations, and margin forecasts for organizations that buy or sell computing equipment. This index quantifies the sustained price declines in computing power, a key input when adjusting nominal spending for real output or comparing technology costs over time.

## How to read it

A rise indicates hardware is becoming more expensive; a fall indicates declining prices. Because computing prices have dropped for decades while quality improved, this index typically trends downward. Compare it to broader CPI measures to assess the relative pace of technology deflation.

## What it does not say

It does not separate computers from peripherals or smart home devices, nor does it adjust for quality improvements or performance per dollar. The index reflects only the basket of goods BLS tracks for urban consumers, not enterprise or wholesale pricing.

## Source

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as part of the Consumer Price Index program. Palanor retrieves the series nightly from the FRED API at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where it appears as CUSR0000SEEE01.