Every month the price of a representative item, a brand for example, is collected by a Price Collector.
These prices are first collected in January, which is known as the 'base' month. They are then collected on the same day, each and every month, for a period of thirteen months.
Every month price indices are constructed, which compare the latest prices with those of the base month.
These price indices are first aggregated to items, and then to sections, which becomes the published level. They are then rescaled to a reference point of January 1987=100.
This allows price changes to be compared to the previous year.
Which measure should I use to calculate pay rises - RPI and AEI?
There is no definitive measure that has to be applied to salary increases.
Some employers use Retail Price Index Inflation and others use the Average Earnings Index. Often the relevant measure is referred to in the employment contract.
Where can I find regional inflation?
Regional inflation is not presently available, only data for the UK as a whole.
The Regional Price Levels were last produced in 2004 and can be found on the ONS Regional Price Levels page.
Currently there are no plans to update this data.
How does the RPI figure affect my rent?
A rental agreement will either refer an increase to the overall RPI figure or the rent subgroup within the RPI, these figures will differ.
Where can I find inflation forecasts?
Economic forecasts are sourced to HM Treasury and are not produced by the ONS.
Where can I find the latest basket of goods?
Latest details of the shopping basket, that has been used to compile both the CPI and RPI, can be found in the Article Database.
The Labour Market Statistics Regional Monthly Data contains Regional and UK employment figures. These data provide the latest employment, unemployment and claimant count data, at regional and sub-regional levels, on a monthly basis.
The Labour Market Statistical Bulletin, however, provides the latest employment, unemployment and claimant count data, for the UK alone, also on a monthly basis.
Where can I find information on foreign workers?
Migrant Worker Employment information is extracted from the Labour Force Survey. This information is released on a quarterly basis and provides estimates of migrant workers, in the UK, by country of birth.
What does economically active/inactive mean?
'Economically active' people are people aged 16 and over who are either in employment or unemployed.
'Economically inactive' people are people who are neither in employment nor unemployment on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) measure. For example this group includes people under the age of 16, those looking after a home, and those that are retired.
What is the difference between claimant count and Job Seeker Allowance (JSA) recipients?
The claimant count measures the number of people who are claiming unemployment related benefits. Since October 1996 this has been the number of people claiming JSA.
Where can I find average rise for a particular sector?
The Economic and Labour Market Review (ELMR) contains details on average earnings, including and excluding bonuses. For average earnings, by sector, see tables 2.16 and 2.17.
Where can I find historical wage inflation?
Historical wage inflation can be found in the Average Earning Index, tables 2.16 and 2.17, in ELMR.
Data from 1990 onwards can be found in ELMR's Further Labour Market Statistics section, table 6.13.
Where can I find average earnings by occupation and region?
Work Region Occupation data is only available on request, from the Earnings Helpdesk by email or Tel: 01633 456 120, due to the size of the table.
What is the difference between mean and median?
The 'mean', which is commonly referred to as the 'average', is the sum of a series of values, divided by the number of values. So, for example, if the ages of four friends are 62, 65, 69 and 87, their mean, or average age, is 71.
(62+65+69+87)/4=70.75 or 71 rounded up.
The 'median' is the middle value, of a series of values, when listed in size order. If the number of items is even then the median is taken to be the value halfway between the middle pair. So, taking the four friends in the above example, their median age is halfway between 65 and 69, or 67.
Population estimates, by ethnic group, are available for mid-2001 and mid-2007. These estimates are by age and by sex, and cover England and its constituent administrative areas, being Government Office Regions, counties and local authority districts.
Where can I find information on UK residents by country of birth/nationality by region?
The Consumer Trends publication has details of Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HHFC). Figures are only available for the UK as a whole. Please be aware that some of these tables are in £ millions and some are shown as an index value.
Where can I find information on super output areas?
Guidance on super output areas (SOAs) can be found on the geography pages of the ONS website; this guidance includes names and codes for Super Output Geography.
Where can I find area classifications?
ONS Geography maintains files containing the area names and codes, for a wide range of geographies, used in statistical production. These can be found on the geography pages.
Where can I find local authority maps?
A range of reference maps can be found at the UK Map Collection. Maps 4a and 4b contain data for all local authorities.
You do not have to ask permission to hyperlink to pages on the Office for National Statistics website. For more details on linking to and from our website, including information on using one of our customised logos, please see the Link to us pages.
Where can I find a list of release dates?
Release dates can be found on the Publication Hub. The Publication Hub is the gateway to UK National Statistics and, by clicking on the release calendar link, you can search for specific releases, as well as find future and past release dates.
For questions not covered in the FAQs, or to make any other queries, you can find our contact details on the Office for National Statistics contact page.
