After adjusting for inflation, wages are higher than at any point in U.S. history, and after adjusting for age and sex, the percentage of the population that is employed is around its peak in U.S. history.
After adjusting for inflation, wages are higher than at any point in U.S. history, and after adjusting for age and sex, the percentage of the population that is employed is around its peak in U.S. history.
The market basket approach they use looks at the mix of goods and services people buy. So yes, it captures the fact that housing is more of a typical person’s budget than milk.
I did a quick search and couldn’t find an answer.
I wonder if part of the disconnect is that they are using just a general “dwelling” in CPI. As opposed to price per square foot. That is, is dwelling size shrinking, while costs are growing, this could cause housing costs to be understated in CPI
That’s the whole point of CPI. It flattens a large aspect of capitalism into one magic number. It simplifies things for politicians and pals. But it’s not an objective measurement for meaningful science, especially as used in these types of articles (OP).
It captures the fact that housing is some percentage of people’s expenditures. But the measurement of housing and the percentage of expenditures are both subjective. It’s a choice of measurement not a capturing of some objective “fact”.