Is there a clearinghouse for price information by region in the U.S.?

May 23, 2006 4:37 PM

I want to compare the prices of common consumer commodities over time within a specific region of the U.S. Is there any clearinghouse for this information?

I'm specifically interested in Southwest Washington state, but the greater Portland metro area or the Pacific Northwest would work too. I'd like to be able to see how much a gallon of milk cost in 1996 and 1986, how much a pint of vegetable oil cost, etc.

Then I can go to the store and see how much these items cost today, and see how their prices have changed relative to overall inflation.

Ideally this information would be free or inexpensive (a few cents per page). I'm happy to go to the library or the book store, but I don't know what to look for.

posted by croutonsupafreak to shopping (4 comments total)

You might try here, a U.S. agency that compiles consumer price index data. I've not looked, but I imagine they report non-aggregated data.

FedStats.gov also appears to have a metric buttload of government-generated data.
posted by docgonzo at 4:44 PM on May 23, 2006

I would look for microfiche of local newspapers, then scan for the grocery store ads.
posted by QIbHom at 3:27 PM on May 24, 2006

Thanks, QlbHom! You're a genius!
posted by croutonsupafreak at 6:10 AM on May 25, 2006

Hope you have as much fun, crutonsupafreak, as I have with the old microfiche.

This was one of the canonical examples in library school of something we all hate (junk ads, yech) having historical value. And it is one of the reasons electronic resources may not be as good for some kinds of research - digitized magazines and newspapers don't include the ads.
posted by QIbHom at 9:06 AM on May 25, 2006