FR Doc. 04-2666

[Federal Register: February 9, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 26)]
[Notices]
[Page 6023-6053]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09fe04-95]

[[Page 6023]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

2002 Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living Allowance Survey Report:
Caribbean and Washington, DC, Areas

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice publishes the ``2002 Nonforeign Area Cost-of-
Living Allowance Survey Report: Caribbean and Washington, DC, Areas.''
The Federal Government uses the results of these surveys to set cost-
of-living allowance (COLA) rates for General Schedule, U.S. Postal
Service, and certain other Federal employees in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands. This report contains the results of the COLA
surveys that the Office of Personnel Management conducted in Puerto
Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Washington, DC, area during the
summer of 2002.

DATES: Comments on this report must be received on or before June 8,
2004.

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver comments to Donald J. Winstead, Deputy
Associate Director for Pay and Performance Policy, Strategic Human
Resources Policy Division, Office of Personnel Management, Room 7H31,
1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415-8200; fax: (202) 606-4264; or
e-mail: COLA@opm.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donald L. Paquin, (202) 606-2838; fax:
(202) 606-4264; or e-mail: COLA@opm.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 591.229 of title 5, Code of Federal
Regulations, requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to
publish nonforeign area cost-of-living allowance (COLA) survey summary
reports in the Federal Register. We are publishing the complete ``2002
Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living Allowance Survey Report: Caribbean and
Washington, DC, Areas'' with this notice. This report contains the
results of the COLA surveys OPM conducted in Puerto Rico, the U.S.
Virgin Islands, and the Washington, DC, area during the summer of 2002.
OPM published final regulations on May 3, 2002, (at 67 FR 22339)
that significantly modified the previous COLA survey methodology
consistent with the settlement agreement in Caraballo, et al. v. United
States, No. 1997-0027 (D.V.I.), August 17, 2000. Caraballo was a class-
action lawsuit in which the plaintiffs contested the methodology OPM
used to determine COLA rates. In the Caraballo settlement, the parties
agreed that if the Government adopted and maintained certain changes in
the COLA program, the plaintiffs would be forever barred from bringing
suit over these issues. Exhibit A of the settlement agreement lists 26
``Safe Harbor Principles'' that outline the changes to which the
parties agreed. (The settlement agreement is available on OPM's Web
site at http://www.opm.gov/oca/cola.)

The 2002 COLA surveys in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and
the Washington, DC, area are the first that OPM conducted using the new
methodology. The survey report that follows describes the methodology,
calculations, and the results of these surveys.

Survey Results

Using an index scale with the Washington, DC, area living costs
equal to 100, OPM computed index values of relative living costs in
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Then, pursuant to the
Caraballo settlement, OPM added an adjustment factor of 7.0 to the
Puerto Rico index and 9.0 to the Virgin Islands index and rounded the
results to the nearest whole percentage point. The results show that
the existing COLA rates for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
(11.5 percent and 22.5 percent respectively) are above the levels
indicated by the 2002 survey. However, pursuant to the Caraballo
settlement, OPM will not reduce COLA rates in any nonforeign area until
the effective date implementing the results of the Pacific surveys that
are planned for 2004. OPM anticipates that the effective date of that
final rule will be in mid-2005. At that time, OPM will reduce any COLA
rates where reductions are warranted but not by more than 1 percent per
year, as prescribed in 5 CFR 591.228(c).

Office of Personnel Management.
Kay Coles James,
Director.

2002 Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living Allowance Survey Report: Caribbean
and Washington, DC, Areas

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

1. Introduction
1.1 Report Objectives
1.2 New COLA Methodology
1.3 Significant Methodological Changes
2. Preparing for the Survey
2.1 COLA Advisory Committees
2.2 Pre-Survey Meetings
2.3 Survey Item Selection
2.3.1 Special Considerations
2.4 Outlet Selection
2.5 Geographic Coverage
3. Conducting the Survey
3.1 Pricing Period
3.2 Non-Housing Price Data Collection
3.2.1 Data Collection Teams
3.2.2 Data Collection Process
3.3 Housing (Rental) Price Data Collection
4. Analyzing the Results
4.1 Data Review
4.2 Special Price Computations
4.2.1 K-12 Private Education
4.2.2 Health Insurance
4.2.3 Water Utilities
4.2.4 Energy Utilities Model
4.2.5 Rental Data Hedonic Models
4.3 Averaging Prices by Item and Area
4.3.1 Special St. Thomas/St. John Computations
4.3.2 Computing DC Area Average Prices
4.4 Computing Price Indexes
4.4.1 Geometric Means
4.4.2 Special Private Education Computations
4.5 Applying Consumer Expenditure Weights
5. Final Results
6. Post Survey Meetings

List of Appendices

Appendix 1: Publication in the Federal Register of Prior Survey
Results: 1990-1998
Appendix 2: Estimated DC Area Middle Income Annual Consumer
Expenditures
Appendix 3: COLA Survey Items and Descriptions
Appendix 4: COLA Rental Survey Data Collection Elements
Appendix 5: Hedonic Rental Data Equations and Results
Appendix 6: Final Living-Cost Results for Puerto Rico
Appendix 7: Final Living-Cost Results for the U.S. Virgin Islands

Executive Summary

The Government pays cost-of-living allowances (COLAs) to Federal
employees in nonforeign areas in consideration of living costs
significantly higher than those in the Washington, DC, area. The Office
of Personnel Management (OPM) conducts living-cost surveys to set the
COLA rates. The methodology for conducting these surveys is prescribed
in regulation at subpart B of part 591 of title 5 of the Code of
Federal Regulations.
This report provides the results of the COLA surveys that OPM
conducted in the summer of 2002 in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin
Islands, and the Washington, DC, area. The report details OPM's
comparison of living costs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
with living costs in the Washington, DC, area.
For the surveys, OPM contacted about 900 outlets and collected
approximately 5,100 prices on more than 300 items representing typical
consumer purchases. OPM then combined the data

[[Page 6024]]

using consumer expenditure information developed by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. The final results are a series of living-cost indexes,
shown in Table 1, that compare living costs in the surveyed areas to
those in the Washington, DC, area. The index for the DC area (not
shown) is 100.00 because it is, by law, the reference area. The indexes
for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands shown in Table 1 include
the adjustment factor prescribed at 5 CFR 591.227.

Table 1.--Final Living-Cost Comparison Indexes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allowance area Index
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puerto Rico................................................... 103.60
U.S. Virgin Islands........................................... 121.44
------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Introduction

1.1 Report Objectives

This report provides the results of the 2002 (i.e., ``Caribbean'')
nonforeign area cost-of-living allowance (COLA) surveys that OPM
conducted in the summer of 2002. (Appendix 1 lists previous survey
reports and their publication dates.) In addition to providing these
results, this report describes how OPM prepared for and conducted the
survey and how it analyzed the results. The results show comparative
living-cost differences between the Caribbean areas, i.e., Puerto Rico
and U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), and the Washington, DC, area. By law,
Washington, DC, is the base or ``reference'' area for the COLA program.

1.2 New COLA Methodology

The Caribbean surveys are the first that OPM conducted using the
new methodology that OPM adopted pursuant to the stipulation of
settlement in Caraballo, et al. v. United States, No. 1997-0027
(D.V.I), August 17, 2000. Caraballo was a class-action lawsuit in which
the plaintiffs contested the methodology OPM used to determine COLA
rates. In the Caraballo settlement, the parties agreed that if the
Government adopted and maintained certain changes in the COLA program,
the plaintiffs would be barred from bringing suit over these issues.
The complete stipulation for settlement is on OPM's Web site at http://www.opm.gov/oca/cola/
html/cola-settlement.htm.

Before the settlement, the parties entered into a memorandum of
understanding under which they engaged in a cooperative process to
study living-cost and compensation issues. The research was exhaustive
and covered essentially all aspects of the COLA program. A summary of
that research is available on OPM's Web site at http://www.opm.gov/oca/COLA/html/cola-n.htm
.

Exhibit A of the Caraballo settlement agreement lists 26 ``Safe
Harbor Principles'' that outline the changes to which the parties
agreed. These principles formed the basis for a new COLA methodology,
which OPM incorporated into its regulations. In developing these
regulations, OPM consulted with the Survey Implementation Committee,
which was established under the Caraballo settlement and is composed of
representatives of the parties in Caraballo. The Survey Implementation
Committee in turn consulted with the Technical Advisory Committee,
which was also established under the Caraballo settlement and is
composed of three economists with expertise in living-cost comparisons.
OPM published the new COLA regulations in the Federal Register as
proposed on November 9, 2001 (66 FR 56741) and as final on May 3, 2002
(67 FR 22339).

1.3 Significant Methodological Changes

In the proposed rule, OPM described in detail the regulatory
changes that it made to incorporate the new methodology. Among these
are the following:

--OPM conducts the surveys in the COLA areas on a rotational basis once
every 3 years and in the Washington, DC, area, which is the reference
area, every year. Beginning after the first 3 survey years, OPM adjusts
the price index for each area not surveyed during a given year based on
the relative change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the COLA area
compared with the relative change in the CPI for the Washington, DC,
area. Under the previous methodology, OPM surveyed every COLA area and
the DC area annually (except during the period of negotiation of the
Caraballo settlement agreement).
--OPM surveys rents and detailed characteristics of rental units in
each area to compute relative shelter costs. OPM uses these data and
regression analyses to estimate the cost of shelter for both owners and
renters. Under the previous methodology, OPM surveyed rental prices and
obtained data on home owner mortgage and maintenance costs.
--OPM surveys sale prices of specified items (with certain exceptions)
in effect at the time of the survey. Under the previous methodology,
OPM surveyed only non-sale prices.
--OPM uses a utility model to compute the energy requirements and cost
to maintain the internal temperature of a standard home at a given
temperature in each area. Under the previous methodology, OPM used
local usage information provided by local utility companies.
--OPM uses estimated expenditure weights that reflect Washington, DC,
area average spending patterns of households in central income groups
as reported in tabulated Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) data,
published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Under the previous
methodology, OPM estimated expenditures at three different income
levels and weighted these together using Federal employment weights.
--OPM adds an adjustment factor to the index derived from the survey
data to account for differences in need, availability of and access to
goods and services, and quality of life between the COLA areas and the
Washington, DC, area. The survey index plus the adjustment factor is
the final price index for the COLA area. Under the previous
methodology, OPM did not add adjustment factors to the living-cost
index.
--OPM sets COLA rates by rounding the final living-cost index to the
nearest whole percentage point. If COLA rate reductions are warranted,
however, OPM limits such reductions to no more than one percentage
point per year. Under the previous methodology, OPM set COLA rates to
the nearest 2.5 percentage point, and reductions in COLA rates were
limited only if caused by changes in the methodology, not relative
changes in living costs.
--OPM involves employees in administering the COLA program. Before each
survey, OPM establishes COLA Advisory Committees (CACs), which are
described below.

2. Preparing for the Survey

2.1 COLA Advisory Committees

Before the Caribbean surveys, OPM established CACs in St. Croix,
USVI, St. Thomas/St. John, USVI, and Puerto Rico. The Caraballo
settlement provides for employee involvement in the administration of
the COLA program, and in the previous two surveys under the COLA
Partnership Pilot Project, OPM found it valuable to involve employee
and agency representatives in planning and conducting the survey and
reviewing the survey results.
Each CAC is composed of approximately 12 agency and employee
representatives from the survey area and two representatives from OPM.
The CACs' functions include:

[[Page 6025]]

--Advising and assisting OPM in planning COLA surveys;
--Providing or arranging for data collection observers during COLA
surveys;
--Advising and assisting OPM in reviewing survey data;
--Advising OPM on its COLA program administration, including survey
methodology;
--Assisting OPM in disseminating information to affected employees
about the surveys and the COLA program; and
--Advising OPM on special situations or conditions, such as hurricanes
and earthquakes, as they relate to OPM's authority to conduct interim
surveys or implement some other change in response to conditions caused
by a natural disaster or similar emergency.

2.2 Pre-Survey Meetings

To help OPM prepare for the COLA surveys, the CACs held 3-day
meetings in each of the Caribbean areas. These were joint meetings of
the CAC, Survey Implementation Committee (SIC), and Technical Advisory
Committee (TAC). The CACs, SIC, and TAC reviewed the preliminary outlet
and item lists that OPM had developed for the surveys. The committee
members researched the outlets and availability and appropriateness of
the items in each area and made recommendations to OPM concerning the
survey. OPM incorporated these in its survey design.
OPM found the work of the CACs, SIC, and TAC in the Caribbean to be
extremely helpful and informative. The SIC and TAC's knowledge about
the Caraballo settlement, the new methodology, and the economic
concepts underlying that methodology combined with the CACs' knowledge
of the local area, the popularity of items and outlets, and other
information about the COLA area were invaluable in helping OPM plan the
survey. These joint CAC, SIC, and TAC meetings were particularly
important because, under the Caraballo settlement, the SIC and TAC
dissolve after the first 3 years of COLA surveys.

2.3 Survey Item Selection

As described above, OPM consulted with the CACs, SIC, and TAC as it
selected survey items. OPM identified items to reflect a wide array of
items consumers typically purchase. To determine what consumers
purchase, OPM used the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2000 Consumer
Expenditure Survey (CES). OPM aggregated CES expenditures into the
following nine major expenditure groups (MEGs):

--Food
--Shelter & Utilities
--Household furnishings and supplies
--Apparel
--Transportation
--Medical
--Recreation
--Education and Communication
--Miscellaneous

OPM further subdivided each MEG into primary expenditure groups
(PEGs). In all, there were 45 PEGs. For example, OPM subdivided Food
into the following nine PEGs:

--Cereals and Bakery Products
--Meats, Poultry, Fish, and Eggs
--Dairy Products
--Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
--Processed Foods
--Other Food at Home
--Nonalcoholic Beverages
--Food Away from Home
--Alcoholic Beverages

To select survey items, OPM chose a sufficient number of items to
represent each PEG and reduce overall price index variability. To do
this, OPM applied the following guidelines. Each survey item should be:

--Relatively important (i.e., represent a fairly large expenditure)
within the PEG;
--Relatively easy to find in both COLA and DC areas;
--Relatively common, i.e., what people typically buy;
--Relatively stable over time, e.g., not a fad item; and
--Subject to similar supply and demand functions.

In all, OPM selected 312 non-housing items for survey. Appendix 2
shows how OPM organized the CES data into MEGs and PEGs, identifies the
Detailed Expenditure Categories (DECs) for which OPM chose survey
items, and shows estimated DC area middle income annual consumer
expenditures for each DEC and higher level of aggregations.
Appendix 3 lists the non-housing items that OPM surveyed and their
descriptions. Each of these items is specifically described with an
exact brand, model, type, and size whenever practical. Thus, OPM priced
exactly the same items in both the COLA and DC areas. For example, OPM
priced a 10.5-ounce can of Campbell's vegetable soup in both the COLA
and DC areas because it is typical of canned soups and consumers
commonly purchase it.
2.3.1 Special Considerations
Automobile Insurance: OPM was not able to compare exactly the same
level of automobile insurance coverage in all areas. State and local
jurisdictions regulate car insurance, and the coverage offered varies
among the COLA areas and the Washington, DC, area. Therefore, OPM
surveyed different levels of automobile insurance coverage in Puerto
Rico as compared with the USVI. OPM, however, surveyed both levels of
coverage, to the extent possible, in the Washington, DC, area. When OPM
made the price comparisons, OPM based the comparison on comparable
levels of coverage in the COLA survey area and in the DC area. Table 2
shows the coverage that OPM surveyed.

Table 2.--Automobile Insurance Coverage
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puerto Rico and
Coverage DC area limits USIV and DC area limits
and deductibles and deductibles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bodily Injury................ $100,000/ $25,000/$30,000.
$300,000.
Property Damage.............. $25,000......... $25,000.
Medical...................... $15,000......... $5,000.
Uninsured Motorist *......... $100,000/ $25,000/$30,000.
$300,000.
Comprehensive................ $100 Deductible. $250 Deductible.
Collision.................... $250 Deductible. $500 Deductible.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Not available in Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. OPM excluded the
Uninsured Motorist cost from Washington, DC, area policies before
computing the price index.

Health Insurance: It was not practical to compare the prices of
exactly the same quality and quantity of health benefits insurance
between the COLA and Washington, DC, areas because the same array of
plans are not offered in

[[Page 6026]]

each area and a significant proportion of Federal employees in both the
COLA and DC areas subscribe to plans that are not available nationwide.
To compare the employee health benefit premium of these often highly
different plans, OPM would have to adjust for differences in benefits
and coverage. Research that the parties conducted prior to the
Caraballo settlement indicated that this would not be feasible.
Therefore, OPM used the non-Postal Service employee's share of the
Federal Employees Health Benefits premiums by plan for each plan
offered in each area and obtained from OPM's Central Personnel Data
File the number of Federal employees enrolled in each plan. As
described in Section 4.2.2 below, OPM used these data to compute the
average ``price'' of health benefits insurance for Federal employees in
the COLA and DC areas.
Housing: For housing items, OPM surveyed rental rates for specific
kinds or classes of housing but collected a much broader range of
information about each housing unit. OPM surveyed the following classes
of housing:

--Four bedroom, single family unit, not to exceed 3200 square feet.
--Three bedroom, single family unit, not to exceed 2600 square feet.
--Two bedroom, single family unit, not to exceed 2200 square feet.
--Three bedroom apartment unit, not to exceed 2000 square feet.
--Two bedroom apartment unit, not to exceed 1800 square feet.
--One bedroom apartment unit, not to exceed 1400 square feet.

For each rental unit surveyed, OPM obtained detailed information
about the unit. Appendix 4 lists the types of information that OPM
collected. OPM did not collect homeowner data, such as mortgage
payments, maintenance expenses, or insurance. Under the Caraballo
settlement, the parties agreed to adopt a rental equivalence approach
similar to the one BLS uses for the Consumer Price Index. Rental
equivalence compares the shelter value (rental value) of owned homes
rather than total owner costs because the latter are influenced by the
investment value of the home (i.e., influenced by what homeowners hope
to realize as a profit when they sell their homes). As a rule, living-
cost surveys do not compare how consumers invest their money.
In the 2002 survey, OPM surveyed rents and used that as a surrogate
for rental equivalence. In the coming year, OPM plans to conduct a
special research to obtain additional rent and rental equivalence
information to determine whether the approach OPM is currently using is
appropriate.
Although OPM surveyed rental rates for the same classes of housing
in each area, the type, style, size, quality, and other characteristics
of each unit varied within each area and between the COLA and DC areas.
As described in Section 4.2.5, OPM used hedonic regression analyses to
hold these characteristics constant between the COLA and Washington,
DC, area to make rental price comparisons.

2.4 Outlet Selection

Just as it is important to select commonly-purchased items and
survey the same items in both the DC area and COLA areas, it is
important to select outlets frequented by consumers and find comparable
outlets in both the COLA and DC areas. To identify comparable outlets,
OPM categorized outlets by type (e.g., grocery store, convenience
store, discount store, hardware store, auto dealer, and catalog
outlet). For example, OPM surveyed grocery items at supermarkets in all
areas because most people purchase their groceries at such stores and
because supermarkets exist in nearly all areas. Selecting comparable
outlets is particularly important because of the significant price
variations that may occur between dissimilar outlets (e.g., comparing
the price of milk at a supermarket with the price of milk at a
convenience store).
OPM used the above classification criteria and existing data
sources, including previous COLA surveys, phone books, and various
business listings, to develop initial outlet lists for the survey. OPM
provided these lists to the CACs, SIC, and TAC and consulted with them
on outlet selection. The committees helped OPM refine the outlet lists
and identify other/additional outlets where local consumers generally
purchase the items that OPM planned to survey. For example, OPM planned
to survey various department store items, such as clothing, but there
are no major department stores in the USVI. The St. Croix and St.
Thomas/St. John CACs helped OPM identify quality clothing, shoe, and
jewelry stores in the USVI to survey. OPM surveyed these outlets and
compared their prices with prices from similar quality department
stores in the Washington, DC, area. Also, at the CACs' recommendation,
OPM used catalog pricing in both Puerto Rico and the USVI, particularly
in the USVI because catalog shopping is relatively more popular there.
Whenever OPM used catalog prices, it also priced the same item by
catalog in the DC area for comparative purposes. To ensure consistent
catalog pricing, OPM used only current catalogs for all catalog survey
items. OPM priced 8 items by catalog in Puerto Rico and in the DC area
and priced 16 items by catalog in the USVI and the DC area. All catalog
prices included any charges for shipping and handling and all
applicable taxes.
In all, OPM surveyed prices from approximately 900 outlets. In the
COLA survey areas, described below, OPM attempted to survey three
popular outlets of each type, to the extent practical. For some outlet
types, such as local phone service, there were not three outlets, and
in some areas, particularly in the USVI, there were not a sufficient
number of businesses to find three outlets of each particular type.
This was not generally a problem in Puerto Rico, however. In the
Washington, DC, area, OPM attempted to survey nine popular outlets of
each type, three in each of the DC survey areas, also described below.

2.5 Geographic Coverage

Table 3 shows the COLA and DC survey area boundaries.

Table 3.--Survey and Data Collection Areas
------------------------------------------------------------------------
COLA areas and reference areas Survey area
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puerto Rico............................ San Juan/Caguas area and
eastern Puerto Rico.*
U.S. Virgin Islands.................... St. Croix, St. Thomas/St. John
area.*
Washington, DC--DC..................... District of Columbia.**
Washington, DC--MD..................... Montgomery County and Prince
Georges County.**
Washington, DC--VA..................... Arlington County, Fairfax
County, Prince William County,
City of Alexandria, City of
Fairfax, City of Falls Church,
City of Manassas, and City of
Manassas Park.**
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* OPM collects housing data in St. John and eastern Puerto Rico. OPM may
also collect non-housing data from selected outlets in St. John and
combine such data with St. Thomas data as provided in Sec. 591.216(b).

[[Page 6027]]

** For selected items, such as golf and air travel, these survey areas
include additional geographic locations beyond these jurisdictions.

On St. Croix and St. Thomas, OPM surveyed businesses in essentially
all of the major commercial areas. As recommended by the St. Thomas/St.
John CAC, OPM also surveyed selected businesses on St. John. OPM
surveyed rental rates throughout the USVI, selecting sample sizes for
each island roughly in proportion to the number of General Schedule
employees whose duty station is on the island and who receive COLA.
In Puerto Rico, OPM surveyed businesses in the major commercial
areas in the greater San Juan-Caguas area. OPM surveyed rental rates in
the San Juan-Caguas area and in the communities north and east of San
Juan including communities in the Roosevelt Roads area. In selecting
these communities and sample sizes of each, OPM used the results of the
1993-94 Federal Employee Housing and Living Patterns Survey. Among
other things, that survey obtained information on where Federal
employees lived.
OPM divides the Washington, DC, area into three survey areas: the
District of Columbia, the DC suburban areas of Maryland, and the DC
suburban areas of northern Virginia. For certain items, OPM surveys
prices in areas beyond the counties and cities shown in the table
above. For example, OPM surveyed the cost of air travel from Ronald
Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International
Airport, and Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI). OPM also
surveyed the price of a 5-mile taxi ride originating at these airports.
Both Dulles and BWI, however, are outside the counties and cities shown
in the above table. Nevertheless, these airports are commonly used by
residents of the DC area for air travel.
OPM surveyed rental rates in the same three DC survey areas. As
with the Puerto Rico survey, OPM used the results of the 1993-94
Federal Employee Housing and Living Patterns Survey to select
communities within these areas and to determine the sample size for
each community.

3. Conducting the Survey

3.1 Pricing Period

OPM collected data from late June 2002 through early November. OPM
collected non-housing price data onsite in the USVI from June 24
through July 12, 2002, and in Puerto Rico from July 15 through August
2, 2002. OPM collected non-housing data in the DC areas beginning
August 5 and completed most of the collection by mid-September 2002.
OPM continued to check and collect non-housing prices on an as-needed
basis through November 2002. OPM contracted for the collection of
rental data. That data collection began in the Caribbean areas in mid-
July and ended with the delivery of the data to OPM on November 8,
2002.

3.2 Non-Housing Price Data Collection

3.2.1 Data Collection Teams
In both the COLA and Washington, DC, areas, OPM central office
staff collected non-housing price data. In the COLA areas, data
collection observers designated by the local CAC accompanied the OPM
data collectors. Data collection observers were extremely helpful to
OPM and the survey process by advising and assisting the data
collectors in contacting outlets, matching items, and selecting
substitutes. The observers also advised OPM on other living-cost and
compensation issues relating to their areas. OPM did not use data
collection observers in the Washington, DC, area, but OPM made
available to the CACs all of the DC area data it collected.
3.2.2 Data Collection Process
The data collector/observer teams obtained most of the data by
visiting stores, auto dealers, and other outlets. The teams also priced
items, such as insurance, tax preparation fees, bank interest, and
private education tuition, by telephone. As noted above, OPM surveyed
some items via catalog, including all shipping costs and any applicable
taxes in the price. OPM also collected other items, such as sales tax
rates and airline fares, from Web sites on the Internet.
For all items subject to sales and/or excise taxes, OPM added the
appropriate amount of tax to the price for computing COLA rates. For
some items, such as restaurant meals, tax rates varied by location.
The data collectors collected the price of the item at the time of
the visit to the outlet. Therefore, with certain exceptions, the data
collectors collected the sale price, if the item was on sale, and that
was used in the COLA calculations. The exceptions include coupon
prices, going-out-of-business prices, clearance prices, and area-wide
distress sales, which OPM does not use because they are atypical and/or
seasonal. OPM also does not collect automobile ``sale'' or negotiated
prices. Instead, OPM obtains the sticker (i.e. non-negotiated) price
for the model and specified options. The prices are the manufacturer's
suggested retail price (including options), destination charges,
additional shipping charges, appropriate dealer-added items or options,
dealer mark-up, and taxes, including sales tax, licensing and title
fees, road use tax, and an excise tax (``arbitrio'') in Puerto Rico.

3.3 Housing (Rental) Price Data Collection

OPM contracted for the collection of rental data. The contractor
was Delta-21 Resources, Incorporated, a research organization with
expertise in housing and rental data collection. Delta-21 collected
data throughout the Caribbean and DC areas. These data included rental
prices, comprehensive information about the size and type of dwelling,
number and types of rooms, amenities, and other important aspects of
the dwelling that might influence the rental price. Appendix 4 lists
the data elements that the contractor collected.
The contractor identified units for rent from various sources,
including rental property managers, realtor brokers, listing services,
newspaper ads, grocery store bulletin boards, and casual drive-by
observation. The contractor then visited each rental unit, took a
photograph of the unit, and made a sketch of the floor plan based on
exterior dimensions and shape. OPM made these data available to the
CACs, including the photographs and sketches.

4. Analyzing the Results

4.1 Data Review

During and after the data collection process, the data collectors
reviewed the data for errors and omissions. This involved reviewing the
data item-by-item and comparing prices across outlets within an area to
spot data entry errors, mismatches, and other mistakes.
After all of the data had been collected in both the COLA areas and
Washington, DC, area, OPM staff again reviewed the data by item across
all of the areas. One purpose was to spot errors not previously
detected, but the principle reasons were to look at equivalent brands
and substitute items.
An equivalent brand is one that has the same size, quality, and
price as another brand for the same type of item. Despite the pre-
survey research, OPM discovered after the survey that some of the
brands thought to be equivalent were often priced differently within
the same outlet across areas. For example, prior to the survey, OPM
specified Post Raisin Bran and Kellogg's Raisin Bran as equivalent
brands. During the post-

[[Page 6028]]

survey data review, however, OPM found that within the same outlet the
regular price of one brand was usually higher than the price of the
other brand. Therefore, OPM concluded that the cereals were not
equivalent in price; and during the post-survey review, OPM decided to
use only the Post Raisin Bran prices.
A substitute is an item that is similar but does not exactly match
the item description of the specified survey item. For example, OPM
specified an Egg McMuffin Value Meal as an item to survey as a Fast
Food Breakfast. The data collectors in Puerto Rico, however, discovered
that McDonald's in the San Juan area do not sell Egg McMuffins. So, the
data collectors priced a Ham, Egg, and Cheese Bagel Value meal as a
substitute. OPM then priced both types of breakfast value meals in the
DC area and used the Egg McMuffin Value Meal prices for the USVI and DC
area comparison and the Bagel Value Meal prices for the Puerto Rico/DC
area comparison.

4.2 Special Price Computations

After OPM completed its data review, it was essentially ready to
begin the price averaging process described in section 4.3. First,
however, OPM had to make special price computations for five survey
items: K-12 private education, Federal Employees Health Benefits
premiums, energy utility prices, and rental prices. For each of these,
OPM used special processes to calculate appropriate values for each
survey area.
4.2.1 K-12 Private Education
One of the items OPM surveyed is the average annual tuition for
private education, grades K-12 in each area. Generally, tuition rates
varied by grade level, so OPM computed an overall average tuition
``price'' for each school surveyed by averaging the tuition rates
grade-by-grade. Section 4.4.2 below describes the additional special
adjustments OPM applied to these ``prices'' in the price comparison
process.
4.2.2 Health Insurance
As noted in Section 2.3.1, OPM surveyed the non-Postal employee's
premium for the various Federal Employees Health Benefit plans offered
in each survey area. Using enrollment information from OPM's Central
Personnel Data File (CPDF), OPM computed two weighted average premium
costs--one for self-only coverage and another for family coverage--for
Federal white-collar employees in each of the COLA areas and the
Washington, DC, area. As shown in Table 4, OPM then computed an overall
weighted average premium for each survey area by applying the number of
white-collar Federal employees nationwide enrolled in self-only and
family plans. OPM used these overall weighted average premiums as
``prices'' in the price averaging process described in section 4.3
below.

Table 4.--2002 Average FEHB Premiums for Full-Time Permanent Employees--Employees' Share for Non-Postal
Employees
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bi-weekly Annual
Family weighted weighted
Location Self premium premium average average
premium premium
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puerto Rico..................................... $23.47 $49.94 $39.85 $1,039.66
USVI............................................ $43.77 $92.72 $74.05 $1,931.91
DC Area......................................... $37.12 $84.96 $66.72 $1,740.68
50 States Enrollment............................ 571,014 926,439 .............. ..............
Percent......................................... 38.13 61.87 .............. ..............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.2.3 Water Utilities
OPM surveyed water utility rates in each of the COLA and
Washington, DC, survey areas. In the USVI, where rainwater cisterns are
widely used, OPM obtained water utility rates only for customers who
are on municipal water systems. To compute the ``price'' of water
utilities, OPM assumed that the average monthly water consumption in
each area was 7,600 gallons. This is consistent with the consumption
amount OPM used in the previous COLA survey. OPM used this quantity
along with the rates charged to compute the average monthly water
utility cost by survey area. OPM used these average monthly costs as
``prices'' in the price averaging process described in section 4.3
below.
4.2.4 Energy Utilities Model
For energy utilities (i.e., electricity, gas and oil), OPM
collected from local utility companies and suppliers in each of the
COLA and DC survey areas the price of various energy utilities used for
lighting, cooking, heating, cooling, and other household needs. In
previous surveys, OPM also obtained average local household energy
consumption and used this information along with the prices surveyed to
compute annual utility costs. A shortcoming of this approach was that
usage varies among areas depending on several variables including
climate, type of home construction, and type of heating and/or cooling
technology (e.g., central air conditioning versus window-unit air
conditioning). Therefore, in the Caraballo settlement, the parties
agreed to a new methodology for computing utility costs.
The new methodology uses a heating and cooling engineering model
along with local home construction information and climatic data from
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to determine
how many kilowatt hours of electricity, cubic feet of gas, and/or
gallons of fuel oil are needed to maintain a home at a constant ambient
temperature in each area. Although some homes use additional heating
and cooling technologies, such as wood, coal, kerosene, and solar
energy, OPM did not price or include these in the calculations because,
based on the results of the 1992-93 Federal Employee Housing and Living
Patterns Survey, relatively few Federal employees use these as primary
sources of energy in their homes.
For Puerto Rico and the USVI, OPM surveyed the price of electricity
for heating, cooling, and other household energy utility needs because
the Employee Survey indicated that was by far the most popular energy
source. For the Washington, DC area, OPM surveyed the prices of
electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil to compute home energy costs for
all electric homes, gas heated homes, and fuel oil heated homes. OPM
then used the results of the Federal Employee survey to compute a
weighted average cost for each of the DC areas based on the relative
usage of each type of heating energy source.

[[Page 6029]]

Table 5 shows the energy usage and utility costs by month for the
Caribbean and DC areas. The energy usage for both Puerto Rico and the
USVI is the same because the model assumed that home construction is
comparable in both areas and assumed that the weather is the same
because NOAA publishes Caribbean data only for Puerto Rico. Therefore,
the model used these data for the USVI. The table shows for comparison
purposes only the energy usage by month for an all-electric home in the
DC area, although as noted above, the model actually computed utility
costs for all electric, gas and electric, and oil and electric homes.
OPM used the weighted annual costs shown in the bottom row of the table
as ``prices'' in the price averaging process described in section 4.3.

Table 5.--2002 Energy Utility Costs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Caribbean areas Washington, DC, area
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Month Puerto All Gas and
KWH Rico USVI KWH[hairsp]* electric electric Oil and electric
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January................................................. 2318 $241.33 $366.10 3326 $238.29 $157.51 $171.41
February................................................ 2225 233.47 351.75 2688 194.20 122.49 142.59
March................................................... 2649 265.21 417.18 1812 133.66 95.64 108.20
April................................................... 2746 289.11 432.15 966 75.12 69.50 73.73
May..................................................... 2980 345.82 468.26 1170 89.27 86.43 88.96
June.................................................... 3086 346.27 484.62 1377 132.09 114.38 131.25
July.................................................... 3197 354.48 501.75 1648 159.52 140.46 158.27
August.................................................. 3226 335.89 506.23 1566 151.22 132.74 150.08
September............................................... 2938 315.63 461.78 1246 118.83 100.22 118.30
October................................................. 2921 321.60 459.16 975 88.21 69.82 86.41
November................................................ 2546 277.45 401.29 1797 132.62 95.63 107.63
December................................................ 2348 263.74 370.58 2797 210.21 140.22 153.37
-------------
Totals.............................................. 33180 $3,590.00 $5,220.85 21368 $1,723.25 $1,325.04 $1,490.20
-------------
Relative Usage (in percent)............................. .......... 100 100 ............ 45 45 10
---------------------------------------------------------
Wtd. Average............................................ .......... $3,590 $5,220.85 ............ $1,520.75
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* DC area all electric usage. Shown only for comparison with Caribbean usage. OPM used DC area all electric KWH usage only for all electric homes. OPM
used lower KWH usages for gas and oil homes.

4.2.5 Rental Data Hedonic Models
As discussed in Section 3.3, OPM hired a contractor to collect
rental data, including rents and data about the characteristics of each
rental unit. OPM hired another contractor, the Center of International
and Interarea Comparisons (CIIC), to analyze the housing data and
estimate relative rental rates and rental indexes. CIIC is well-known
for its work in international price comparisons, and one of its co-
directors of research is a member of the TAC. CIIC consulted closely
with the TAC and the SIC in analyzing the rental survey results.
As prescribed by OPM regulations and the Caraballo settlement, CIIC
used hedonic regression analysis, which is a type of multiple linear
regression analysis, to compare rents in the COLA areas with rents in
the DC area. Multiple linear regression is used to determine how the
dependent variable (in this case rent) is influenced by the independent
variables (in this case the characteristics of the rental unit). CIIC
found that only some of the housing characteristics that Delta-21
collected were statistically meaningful in determining what influenced
rent in the Puerto Rico, USVI, and DC areas. CIIC tested various
approaches using different characteristics and shared the results with
the TAC. The TAC recommended one specific equation, which OPM adopted.
This equation used the independent variables listed below, although
some of the variables were ``crossed'' (i.e., used interactively) with
other variables:

Number of square feet
Number of bedrooms
Number of bathrooms
Number of years since built or extensively remodeled
Parking provided (yes/no)
Pets Allowed (yes/no)
Furnished (yes/no)
External condition (good, average, poor)
Quality of Neighborhood (desirable, less desirable)
Unit Type 1 (a: high rise apartment, b: garden or in-home apartment, c:
house)
Unit Type 2 (a: high rise, garden, or in-home apartment, b: house)
Area (St. Croix, St. Thomas/St. John, Puerto Rico, Washington, DC,
area)

As is common in this type of analysis and as was done in the
research leading to the Caraballo settlement, CIIC used semi-
logarithmic regressions. The regression produces parameter estimates
for each independent variable, including Area. When the regression uses
the Washington, DC, area as the base, the regression produces parameter
estimates for each of the COLA survey areas: St. Croix, St. Thomas/St.
John, and Puerto Rico. The exponent of the Area parameter estimate
(i.e., when the estimate is converted from natural logarithms)
multiplied by 100 (following the convention used to express indexes)
yields the Area's rent index. This index reflects the difference in
rents for the COLA survey area relative to the Washington, DC, area,
while (in effect) holding other significant housing characteristics
constant.
The TAC recommended a technical adjustment to the above
calculations to correct for a slight bias caused by the use of
logarithms. The exponent of the average of the logarithms of a series
of numbers is always less than the average of the numbers. Therefore,
at the TAC's recommendation, OPM added one-half of the standard
deviation of the Area parameter estimate before converting from natural
logarithms. (See Arthur Goldberger, ``Best Linear Unbiased Prediction
in the Generalized Linear Regression Model,'' Journal of the American
Statistical Association, 1962.) Table 6 shows the resulting rental
indexes. OPM used these indexes as ``prices'' in the price averaging
process described in section 4.3.

[[Page 6030]]

Table 6.--Rent Indexes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rent
Area index
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puerto Rico.................................................. 65.52
St. Croix, USVI.............................................. 67.50
St. Thomas/St. John, USVI.................................... 84.22
Washington, DC, Area......................................... *[hairsp]
100.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* By definition, the index of the base area is always 100.00.

Appendix 5 shows the regression equation in SAS code and the
regression results. (SAS is a proprietary statistical analysis computer
software package.) The TAC recommended that OPM review the issue of
which equation to use and how to choose among equations as additional
rental data become available during the Alaska and Pacific COLA
surveys. OPM plans to do this.

4.3 Averaging Prices by Item and Area

After OPM collected, reviewed, and made special adjustments as
required to the data, OPM averaged the prices for each item by COLA
survey area. For example, OPM priced canned soup at three different
grocery stores on St. Croix, then averaged these prices to compute a
single average price for canned soup on St. Croix. If the OPM data
collectors reported more than one price for a particular item within
the same outlet (e.g., for equivalent items as described in Section 4.1
above), OPM used the lowest price by item by outlet to compute the
average. (The concept is that if the item and brands are equivalent,
consumers will choose the one with the lowest price.) OPM repeated this
averaging process item-by-item and area-by-area.
4.3.1 Special St. Thomas/St. John Computations
For St. Thomas and St. John, OPM applied an additional step. As
noted in Section 2.5 above, the St. Thomas/St. John CAC recommended
that OPM survey and use non-housing price data from selected outlets on
St. John. OPM did this and computed average prices by item on St. John.
OPM then combined these St. John average prices with St. Thomas average
prices on an item-by-item basis to compute a St. Thomas/St. John
weighted average price for each item found in both areas. For weights,
OPM used the number of General Schedule (GS) employees with duty
stations on St. John and with duty stations on St. Thomas expressed as
a percentage of the GS employment on St. Thomas and St. John combined.
Table 7 shows the weights.

Table 7.--St. Thomas and St. John Employment Weights
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GS Weight
Area Employment (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Thomas, USIV................................ 224 79.7
St. John, USVI.................................. 57 20.3
--------------
Total......................................... 281 100.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.3.2 Computing DC Area Average Prices
For Washington, DC, area prices, OPM first averaged prices within
each of the three DC survey areas described in Section 2.5. Then OPM
computed a simple average of the three DC area survey averages to
derive a single DC area average price for each survey item.

4.4 Computing Price Indexes

Next, OPM computed a price index for each of the items found in
both the COLA survey area and in the Washington, DC, area. To do this,
OPM divided the COLA survey area average price by the DC area average
price and (following the convention used to express indexes) multiplied
this by 100. For the vast majority of survey items, OPM's next step was
to apply consumer expenditure weights. For a few items, however, OPM
first applied special processes as described below.
4.4.1 Geometric Means
As described in Section 2.3, OPM selected survey items to represent
selected detailed expenditure categories (DEC). Generally, OPM surveyed
only one item per DEC, but in a few cases, OPM surveyed multiple items
at a single DEC. In these cases, OPM computed the geometric mean of the
price indexes to derive a single price index for the DEC. (A geometric
mean is the nth root of the product of n different numbers and is often
used in price index computations.) For example, OPM surveyed two
prescription drugs--Amoxicillin and Prilosec. These two different
prescription drugs represent a single DEC called ``prescription
drugs.'' To derive a single price index for the DEC, OPM computed the
geometric mean of the price index for amoxicillin and the price index
for Prilosec.
4.4.2 Special Private Education Computations
As noted in Section 4.2.1, OPM surveyed K-12 private education in
the COLA and DC areas and computed an average tuition ``price'' that
reflected all grade levels. Because not everyone sends children to
private school, OPM made an additional special adjustment for K-12
education by applying ``use factors.'' These use factors reflect the
relative extent to which Federal employees make use of private
education in the COLA and DC areas. For example, Table 8 below shows a
use factor of 4.1066 for Puerto Rico. OPM computed this by dividing
54.33 percent (the percentage of Puerto Rico Federal employees with at
least one child in a private school) by 13.23 percent (the percent of
DC area Federal employees with at least one child in a private school).
OPM obtained the percentages from the results of the 1992/93 Federal
Employee Housing and Living Patterns Survey. This is the most current
comprehensive data available. The table below shows the use factors and
the adjusted price indexes for each COLA survey area.

Table 8.--Summary of Private Education Use Factors and Indexes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employees w/children in
private schools Prince index
COLA survey area -------------------------------- Use factor Price index w/use factor
Local area DC area
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puerto Rico..................... 54.33 13.23 4.1066 52.68 216.35
St. Croix....................... 57.27 13.23 4.3288 62.14 268.97
St. Thomas...................... 51.90 13.23 3.9229 48.05 188.50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 6031]]

4.5 Applying Consumer Expenditure Weights

Next, OPM applied consumer expenditure weights to aggregate price
indexes by expenditure group. As noted in Section 2.3, OPM used the
results of the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey to estimate the amounts
that middle income level consumers in the DC area spend on various
items. By using expenditure weights, OPM was able to combine the price
indexes according to their relative importance. For example, shelter is
the most important expenditure in terms of the COLA survey and
represents about 28 percent of total consumer expenditures. On the
other hand, the purchase of newspapers at newsstands represents less
that a \1/10\th of 1 percent of total expenditures.
Beginning at the lowest level of expenditure aggregation (e.g.,
sub-PEG), OPM computed the relative importance in percent of each
survey item within the level of aggregation, multiplied the price index
times its expenditure percentage, and summed the cross products for all
of the items within the level of aggregation to compute a weighted
price index for that level. OPM repeated this process at each higher
level of aggregation (e.g., PEG and MEG). Appendices 6 and 7 show these
calculations for each COLA survey area at the PEG and MEG level.
The above process resulted in an overall price index for Puerto
Rico (shown in Appendix 6) but not for the U.S. Virgin Islands, which
has two separate COLA survey areas. To compute an overall price index
for the U.S. Virgin Islands, OPM computed weights based on the number
of GS employees stationed on St. Croix versus St. Thomas/St. John. OPM
then multiplied each of the MEG indexes for St. Croix and St. Thomas/
St. John by their respective GS employment weights and summed the cross
products to produce an overall price index for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
(See Appendix 7.) Table 9 shows the weights OPM used.

Table 9.--St. Croix, and St. Thomas/St. John Employment Weights
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GS Weight
Area Employment (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Croix, US VI.............................. 221 48.3
St. Thomas/St. John, USVI..................... 281 51.7
--------------
Total..................................... 502 100.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Final Results

To compute the overall living-cost index, OPM added to the price
index a non-price adjustment factor. The parties in Caraballo
negotiated these factors to reflect differences in living costs that
might not be captured by the surveys, and OPM adopted these factors in
regulation as part of the new methodology. The factors for Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands are seven and nine index points
respectively. The resulting living-cost indexes are shown in Table 10.

Table 10.--Final Living-Cost Comparison Indexes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allowance area Index
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puerto Rico................................................... 103.60
U.S. Virgin Islands........................................... 121.44
------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Post Survey Meetings

In December 2002, the CACs, SIC, and TAC held 1-day joint meetings
in each of the Caribbean survey areas to review the survey results. OPM
provided the committee members with various reports showing all the
data that OPM collected, examples of how OPM reviewed these data, the
data that OPM used in its analyses, and the results at the PEG and MEG
level, as shown in Appendix 6. Members of the TAC explained how the
rental data were analyzed and how OPM used expenditure weights to
combine price indexes to reflect overall living costs. OPM described
changes that it planned to incorporate in its regulations as a result
of what it learned in the 2002 surveys. (See OPM's proposed rulemaking
under 5 CFR part 591 published concurrent with this notice.)
In the St. Thomas/St. John CAC, SIC, and TAC meeting, OPM briefed
the committees on the results of the St. John non-housing price test
survey. The St. Thomas/St. John CAC recommended that OPM include St.
John non-housing price data in the 2002 survey and in future COLA
surveys. OPM agreed with the CAC and included this change among the
other proposed COLA regulatory changes.

Appendix 1.--Publication in the Federal Register of Prior Survey
Results: 1990-1998
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Citation Contents
------------------------------------------------------------------------
65 FR 44103............................ Report on 1998 living-cost
surveys conducted in Alaska,
Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
63 FR 56432............................ Report on 1997 living-cost
surveys conducted in Alaska,
Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
62 FR 14190............................ Report on 1996 living-cost
surveys conducted in Alaska,
Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
61 FR 4070............................. Report on winter 1995 living-
cost surveys conducted in
Alaska.
60 FR 61332............................ Report on summer 1994 living-
cost surveys conducted in
Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
59 FR 45066............................ Report on winter 1994 living-
cost surveys conducted in
Alaska.
58 FR 45558............................ Report on summer 1992 and
winter 1993 living-cost
surveys conducted in Alaska,
Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
58 FR 27316............................ Report on summer 1993 living-
cost surveys conducted in
Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
57 FR 58556............................ Report on summer 1991 and
winter 1992 living-cost
surveys conducted in Alaska,
Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
56 FR 7902............................. Report on summer 1990 living-
cost surveys conducted in
Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto
Rico, and the U.S. Virgin
Islands.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 6032]]

Appendix 2--Estimated DC Area Middle Income Annual Consumer Expenditures
[Asterisks show Detailed Expenditure Categories (DECs) at which OPM surveyed items]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level Code Category name Expenditures
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1................. TOTALEXP ................ Total........................... $48,701.32
2................. FOODTOTL MEG Food......................... 6,407.88
3................. CERBAKRY PEG Cereals and bakery products.. 477.67
4................. CEREAL ................ Cereals and cereal products. 157.97
5................. 010110 ................ Flour...................... 7.33
5................. 010120 ................ Prepared flour mixes....... 15.88
5................. 010210 ................ Ready-to-eat and cooked 89.31
cereals*.
5................. 010310 ................ Rice*...................... 19.07
5................. 010320 ................ Pasta, cornmeal & other 26.38
cereal products*.
4................. BAKERY ................ Bakery products............. 319.69
5................. BREAD ................ Bread...................... 88.26
6................. 020110 ................ White bread*.............. 39.13
6................. 020210 ................ Bread, other than white... 49.13
5................. CRAKCOOK ................ Crackers and cookies....... 79.90
6................. 020510 ................ Cookies*.................. 55.56
6................. 020610 ................ Crackers.................. 24.34
5................. 020810 ................ Frozen & refrigerated 27.04
bakery products*.
5................. OTHBAKRY ................ Other bakery products...... 124.49
6................. 020310 ................ Biscuits and rolls*....... 41.38
6................. 020410 ................ Cakes and cupcakes*....... 39.84
6................. 020620 ................ Bread and cracker products 4.65
6................. 020710 ................ Sweetrolls, coffee cakes, 24.13
doughnuts.
6................. 020820 ................ Pies, tarts, turnovers.... 14.49
3................. ANIMAL PEG Meats, poultry, fish, and 714.81
eggs.
4................. BEEF ................ Beef........................ 192.11
5................. 030110 ................ Ground beef*............... 71.80
5................. ROAST ................ Roast...................... 28.82
6................. 030210 ................ Chuck roast*.............. 10.33
6................. 030310 ................ Round roast*.............. 8.66
6................. 030410 ................ Other roast............... 9.83
5................. STEAK ................ Steak...................... 78.30
6................. 030510 ................ Round steak*.............. 12.86
6................. 030610 ................ Sirloin steak*............ 25.26
6................. 030710 ................ Other steak............... 40.18
5................. 030810 ................ Other beef................. 13.18
4................. PORK ................ Pork........................ 98.96
5................. 040110 ................ Bacon*..................... 15.17
5................. 040210 ................ Pork chops*................ 23.31
5................. HAM ................ Ham........................ 22.35
6................. 040310 ................ Ham, not canned*........... 21.13
6................. 040610 ................ Canned ham*............... 1.23
5................. 040510 ................ Sausage.................... 13.87
5................. 040410 ................ Other pork................. 24.25
4................. OTHRMEAT ................ Other meats................. 91.73
5................. 050110 ................ Frankfurters*.............. 17.00
5................. LNCHMEAT ................ Lunch meats (cold cuts).... 61.47
6................. 050210 ................ Bologna, liverwurst, 20.68
salami*.
6................. 050310 ................ Other lunch meats......... 40.79
5................. LAMBOTHR ................ Lamb, organ meats and 13.26
others.
6................. 050410 ................ Lamb and organ meats...... 9.10
6................. 050900 ................ Mutton, goat and game..... 4.16
4................. POULTRY ................ Poultry..................... 129.18
5................. CHICKEN ................ Fresh and frozen chickens.. 102.64
6................. 060110 ................ Fresh and frozen whole 28.33
chicken*.
6................. 060210 ................ Fresh and frozen chicken 74.32
parts*.
5................. 060310 ................ Other poultry.............. 26.54
4................. FISHSEA ................ Fish and seafood............ 175.60
5................. 070110 ................ Canned fish and seafood*... 25.31
5................. 070230 ................ Fresh fish and shellfish*.. 101.05
5................. 070240 ................ Frozen fish and shellfish*. 49.24
4................. 080110 ................ Eggs*....................... 27.24
3................. DAIRY PEG Dairy products............... 316.36
4................. MILKCRM ................ Fresh milk and cream........ 105.55
5................. 090110 ................ Fresh milk, all types*..... 96.70
5................. 090210 ................ Cream...................... 8.85
4................. OTHDAIRY ................ Other dairy products........ 210.81
5................. 100110 ................ Butter..................... 17.39
5................. 100210 ................ Cheese*.................... 108.29
5................. 100410 ................ Ice cream and related 60.12
products*.
5................. 100510 ................ Miscellaneous dairy 25.01
products.
3................. FRUITVEG PEG Fruits and vegetables........ 356.11

[[Page 6033]]

4................. FRSHFRUT ................ Fresh fruits................ 186.75
5................. 110110 ................ Apples*.................... 33.23
5................. 110210 ................ Bananas*................... 37.03
5................. 110310 ................ Oranges*................... 21.81
5................. 110510 ................ Citrus fruits, excluding 16.87
oranges.
5................. 110410 ................ Other fresh fruits......... 77.80
4................. FRESHVEG ................ Fresh vegetables............ 169.35
5................. 120110 ................ Potatoes*.................. 30.09
5................. 120210 ................ Lettuce*................... 22.63
5................. 120310 ................ Tomatoes*.................. 33.65
5................. 120410 ................ Other fresh vegetables..... 82.98

3................. PROCFOOD PEG Processed Foods.............. 748.33
4................. PROCFRUT ................ Processed fruits............ 127.16
5................. FRZNFRUT ................ Frozen fruits and fruit 14.55
juices.
6................. 130110 ................ Frozen orange juice*...... 6.32
6................. 130121 ................ Frozen fruits............. 3.75
6................. 130122 ................ Frozen fruit juices....... 4.48
5................. 130310 ................ Canned fruits*............. 17.90
5................. 130320 ................ Dried fruit................ 5.68
5................. 130211 ................ Fresh fruit juice.......... 24.72
5................. 130212 ................ Canned and bottled fruit 64.32
juice*.
4................. PROCVEG ................ Processed vegetables........ 113.36
5................. 140110 ................ Frozen vegetables*......... 35.60
5................. CANDVEG ................ Canned and dried vegetables 77.76
and juices.
6................. 140210 ................ Canned beans*............. 16.60
6................. 140220 ................ Canned corn............... 9.51
6................. 140230 ................ Canned miscellaneous 23.67
vegetables.
6................. 140320 ................ Dried peas................ 0.36
6................. 140330 ................ Dried beans............... 3.64
6................. 140340 ................ Dried miscellaneous 9.69
vegetables.
6................. 140310 ................ Dried processed vegetables 0.68
6................. 140410 ................ Frozen vegetable juices... 0.45
6................. 140420 ................ Fresh and canned vegetable 13.16
juices.
4................. MISCFOOD ................ Miscellaneous foods......... 507.81
5................. FRZNPREP ................ Frozen prepared foods...... 87.37
6................. 180210 ................ Frozen meals*............. 26.12
6................. 180220 ................ Other frozen prepared 61.25
foods.
5................. 180110 ................ Canned and packaged soups*. 34.37
5................. SNACKS ................ Potato chips, nuts, and 95.21
other snacks.
6................. 180310 ................ Potato chips and other 76.37
snacks*.
6................. 180320 ................ Nuts...................... 18.83
5................. CONDMNTS ................ Condiments and seasonings.. 86.66
6................. 180410 ................ Salt, spices, other 20.88
seasonings*.
6................. 180420 ................ Olives, pickles, relishes. 9.46
6................. 180510 ................ Sauces and gravies*....... 39.77
6................. 180520 ................ Baking needs & misc. 16.55
products.
5................. OTHRPREP ................ Other canned & pkgd 144.39
prepared foods.
6................. 180611 ................ Prepared salads........... 18.08
6................. 180612 ................ Prepared desserts*........ 9.58
6................. 180620 ................ Baby food*................ 38.38
6................. 180710 ................ Miscellaneous prepared 78.20
foods.
6................. 180720 ................ Vitamin supplements....... 0.15
5................. 190904 ................ Food prepared by consumer on 59.81
trips.
3................. OTHRFOOD PEG Other food at home........... 202.69
4................. SWEETS ................ Sugar and other sweets...... 126.14
5................. 150110 ................ Candy and chewing gum*..... 85.89
5................. 150211 ................ Sugar*..................... 17.15
5................. 150212 ................ Artificial sweeteners...... 2.84
5................. 150310 ................ Jams, preserves, other 20.25
sweets*.
4................. FATSOILS ................ Fats and oils............... 76.55
5................. 160110 ................ Margarine*................. 10.13
5................. 160211 ................ Fats and oils*............. 20.82
5................. 160212 ................ Salad dressings*........... 26.16
5................. 160310 ................ Nondairy cream and 9.00
imitation milk.
5................. 160320 ................ Peanut butter.............. 10.44
3................. NALCBEVG ................ Nonalcoholic beverages...... 239.71
4................. 170110 ................ Cola*...................... 86.72
4................. 170210 ................ Other carbonated drinks.... 47.55
4................. COFFEE ................ Coffee..................... 37.70
5................. 170310 ................ Roasted coffee*........... 25.07

[[Page 6034]]

5................. 170410 ................ Instant and freeze dried 12.63
coffee.
4................. 170510 ................ Noncarbonated fruit 18.80
flavored drinks*.
4................. 170520 ................ Tea........................ 14.47
4................. 200112 ................ Nonalcoholic beer.......... 0.37
4................. 170530 ................ Other nonalcoholic 34.10
beverages and ice*.
3................. FOODAWAY PEG Food away from home........... 2,885.84
4................. RESTRANT ................ Meals at restaurants, carry- 2,459.35
outs and other.
5................. LUNCH ................ Lunch....................... 938.18
6................. 190111 ................ Lunch at fast food, take- 515.26
out, etc.*.
6................. 190112 ................ Lunch at full service 284.21
restaurants*.
6................. 190113 ................ Lunch at vending machines & 9.97
vendors.
6................. 190114 ................ Lunch at employer and 128.73
school cafeterias.
5................. DINNER ................ Dinner...................... 947.59
6................. 190211 ................ Dinner at fast food, take- 311.43
out, etc.*.
6................. 190212 ................ Dinner at full service 629.98
restaurants*.
6................. 190213 ................ Dinner at vending machines 1.76
& vendors.
6................. 190214 ................ Dinner at employer and 4.43
school cafeterias.
5................. SNKNABEV ................ Snacks and nonalcoholic 344.59
beverages.
6................. 190311 ................ Snacks, etc. at fast food, 229.29
take-out, etc.*.
6................. 190312 ................ Snacks, etc. at full 26.13
service restaurants.
6................. 190313 ................ Snacks, etc. at vending 70.07
machines, etc.
6................. 190314 ................ Snacks, etc. at non-public 19.10
cafeterias.
5................. BRKFBRUN ................ Breakfast and brunch........ 228.99
6................. 190321 ................ Breakfast at fast food, 110.28
take-out, etc.*.
6................. 190322 ................ Breakfast at full service 110.80
restaurants*.
6................. 190323 ................ Breakfast at vending 1.71
machines, etc..
6................. 190324 ................ Breakfast at non-public 6.20
cafeterias.
4................. NONRESME ................ Non Restaurant Meals......... 426.48
5................. 190901 ................ Board (including at school).. 21.15
5................. 190902 ................ Catered affairs.............. 49.65
5................. 190903 ................ Food on out-of-town trips.... 251.16
5................. 790430 ................ School lunches............... 79.99
5................. 800700 ................ Meals as pay................. 24.54
3................. ALCBEVG PEG Alcoholic beverages 466.36
4................. ALCHOME ................ At home....................... 269.33
5................. 200111 ................ Beer and ale*................ 151.40
5................. 200210 ................ Whiskey...................... 20.56
5................. 200310 ................ Wine*........................ 72.76
5................. 200410 ................ Other alcoholic beverages..... 24.61
4................. ALCAWAY ................ Away from home................ 197.04
5................. BEERNALE ................ Beer and ale................ 97.03
6................. 200511 ................ Beer & ale at fast food, 19.20
take-out, etc..
6................. 200512 ................ Beer & ale at full service 65.30
restaurants*.
6................. 200513 ................ Beer & ale at vend. machines 1.09
& vendors.
6................. 200516 ................ Beer & ale at catered 11.44
affairs.
5................. WINE ................ Wine......................... 24.93
6................. 200521 ................ Wine at fast food, take-out, 2.06
delivery, etc..
6................. 200522 ................ Wine at full service 21.66
restaurants*.
6................. 200526 ................ Wine at catered affairs..... 1.21
5................. OTHALCBV ................ Other alcoholic beverages.... 75.07
6................. 200531 ................ Other alcohol at fast food, 4.90
take-out, etc..
6................. 200532 ................ Other alcohol at full 31.55
service restaurants.
6................. 200533 ................ Other alcohol at vending 0.53
machines, etc..
6................. 200536 ................ Other alcohol at catered 5.04
affairs.
6................. 200900 ................ Alcoholic beverages 33.04
purchased on trips.
2................. SHEL&UTL MEG Shelter and Utilities 15,244.33
3................. SHELTER PEG Shelter....................... 13,669.60
4................. RNTLEQ ................ Rented Equivalence*.......... 9,870.46
4................. RENTXX ................ Rented Dwelling*............. 3,060.99
4................. OTHLODGE ................ Other Lodging................ 707.16
4................. 350110 ................ Tenants Insurance*........... 30.99
3................. ENERUT PEG Energy Utilities*............. 1,289.59
3................. WATERX PEG Water and other public 285.14
services*.
2................. HHF&SUPP MEG Household Furnishings and 2,952.82
Supplies.
3................. HHOPER PEG Household operations.......... 664.63
4................. HHPERSRV ................ Personal services............ 319.42
5................. 340210 ................ Babysitting and child care*. 78.76
5................. 340906 ................ Care for elderly, invalids, 24.12
& handicapped.
5................. 340910 ................ Adult day care centers....... 2.78
5................. 670310 ................ Day-care centers, nursery, & 213.76
preschools*.
4................. HHOTHXPN ................ Other household expenses 345.21

[[Page 6035]]

5................. 340310 ................ Housekeeping services*...... 74.34
5................. 340410 ................ Gardening, lawn care 82.64
service*.
5................. 340420 ................ Water softening service..... 5.03
5................. 340520 ................ Laundry & dry clean 2.28
(nonclothing).
5................. 340530 ................ Coin-op laundry & dry clean 6.63
(nonclothng).
5................. 340914 ................ Services for termite/pest 14.95
control.
5................. 340915 ................ Home security system service 31.84
fee.
5................. 340903 ................ Other home services......... 21.34
5................. 330511 ................ Termite/pest control 0.52
products.
5................. 340510 ................ Moving, storage, freight 52.63
express*.
5................. 340620 ................ Appliance repair, including 21.64
service center.
5................. 340630 ................ Reupholstering, furniture 14.75
repair.
5................. 340901 ................ Repairs/rentals of lawn & 7.54
garden equip..
5................. 340907 ................ Appliance rental............ 6.66
5................. 340908 ................ Rental of office equip. for 1.06
nonbus. use.
5................. 340913 ................ Repair of misc. equip. and 1.15
furnishings.
5................. 990900 ................ Rental & installation of 0.20
dishwashers, etc..
3................. HKPGSUPP PEG Housekeeping supplies......... 517.77
4................. LAUNDRY ................ Laundry and cleaning supplies 111.39
5................. 330110 ................ Soaps and detergents*....... 60.63
5................. 330210 ................ Other laundry cleaning 50.75
products.
4................. HKPGOTHR ................ Other household products..... 293.49
5................. 330310 ................ Toilet tissue, paper towels, 83.22
napkins, etc.*.
5................. 330510 ................ Miscellaneous household 123.71
products.
5................. 330610 ................ Lawn and garden supplies*... 86.56
4................. POSTAGE ................ Postage and stationery....... 112.90
5................. 330410 ................ Stationery, stationery 59.15
supplies, giftwraps*.
5................. 340110 ................ Postage..................... 52.76
6................. STAMP ................ Stamp*..................... 51.60
6................. PARPST ................ Parcel Post*............... 1.16
5................. 340120 ................ Delivery services........... 0.98
3................. TEX&RUGS PEG Textiles and Area Rugs...... 122.91
4................. HHTXTILE ................ Household textiles........... 116.04
5................. 280110 ................ Bathroom linens*............ 18.65
5................. 280120 ................ Bedroom linens*............. 58.59
5................. 280130 ................ Kitchen and dining room 10.38
linens.
5................. 280210 ................ Curtains and draperies...... 13.44
5................. 280220 ................ Slipcovers, decorative 3.55
pillows.
5................. 280230 ................ Sewing mtls. for slipcovers, 10.30
curtains, etc..
5................. 280900 ................ Other linens................ 1.14
4................. FLOORCOV ................ Floor coverings.............. 6.87
5................. RNTCARPT ................ Wall-to-wall carpeting 0.60
(renter).
6................. 230134 ................ Wall-to-wall carpet 0.49
(renter).
6................. 320163 ................ Wall-to-wall carpet 0.11
(replacemnt) (renter).
5................. 320111 ................ Floor coverings, 6.27
nonpermanent *.
3................. FURNITUR PEG Furniture..................... 513.48
4................. 290110 ................ Mattress and springs *...... 79.17
4................. 290120 ................ Other bedroom furniture..... 105.79
4................. 290210 ................ Sofas....................... 101.92
4................. 290310 ................ Living room chairs *........ 59.83
4................. 290320 ................ Living room tables.......... 19.19
4................. 290410 ................ Kitchen, dining room 54.91
furniture *.
4................. 290420 ................ Infants' furniture.......... 12.70
4................. 290430 ................ Outdoor furniture........... 13.68
4................. 290440 ................ Wall units, cabinets & other 66.29
furniture.
3................. MAJAPPL PEG Major appliances.............. 178.09
4................. 230116 ................ Dishwashers, garbage 15.01
disposals, etc..
4................. 300110 ................ Refrigerators, freezers *... 47.17
4................. 300210 ................ Washing machines *.......... 21.05
4................. 300220 ................ Clothes dryers.............. 14.08
4................. 300310 ................ Cooking stoves, ovens *..... 26.21
4................. 300320 ................ Microwave ovens............. 7.99
4................. 300330 ................ Portable dishwasher......... 0.97
4................. 300410 ................ Window air conditioners..... 6.23
4................. 320511 ................ Electric floor cleaning 25.51
equipment *.
4................. 320512 ................ Sewing machines............. 5.59
4................. 300900 ................ Miscellaneous household 8.28
appliances.
3................. SMAPPHWR PEG Small appliances, misc. 102.30
housewares.
4................. HOUSWARE ................ Housewares.................. 76.57
5................. 320310 ................ Plastic dinnerware........... 2.17
5................. 320320 ................ China and other dinnerware *. 11.30

[[Page 6036]]

5................. 320330 ................ Flatware..................... 3.07
5................. 320340 ................ Glassware.................... 13.35
5................. 320350 ................ Silver serving pieces........ 2.51
5................. 320360 ................ Other serving pieces......... 1.21
5................. 320370 ................ Nonelectric cookware *....... 21.73
5................. 320380 ................ Tableware, nonelectric 21.24
kitchenware.
4................. SMLLAPPL ................ Small appliances............ 25.73
5................. 320521 ................ Small electric kitchen 19.60
appliances *.
5................. 320522 ................ Portable heating and 6.13
cooling equipment.
3................. MISCHHEQ PEG Miscellaneous household 853.64
equipment.
4................. 320120 ................ Window coverings *.......... 14.72
4................. 320130 ................ Infants' equipment.......... 11.50
4................. 320140 ................ Laundry and cleaning 16.28
equipment.
4................. 320150 ................ Outdoor equipment *......... 21.95
4................. 320210 ................ Clocks...................... 46.99
4................. 320220 ................ Lamps and lighting fixtures. 17.10
4................. 320231 ................ Other household decorative 324.95
items.
4................. 320232 ................ Telephones and accessories * 41.77
4................. 320410 ................ Lawn and garden equipment *. 77.17
4................. 320420 ................ Power tools *............... 43.40
4................. 320901 ................ Office furniture for home 20.40
use *.
4................. 320902 ................ Hand tools *................ 12.12
4................. 320903 ................ Indoor plants, fresh flowers 70.25
*.
4................. 320904 ................ Closet and storage items.... 14.56
4................. 340904 ................ Rental of furniture......... 4.36
4................. 430130 ................ Luggage..................... 14.38
4................. 690210 ................ Telephone answering devices. 3.00
4................. 690220 ................ Calculators................. 3.22
4................. 690230 ................ Business equipment for home 3.32
use.
4................. 320430 ................ Other hardware.............. 30.67
4................. 690242 ................ Smoke alarms................ 1.05
4................. 690245 ................ Other household appliances.. 15.17
4................. 320905 ................ Miscellaneous household 45.30
equip. & parts.
2................. APPAREL MEG Apparel and services 1,949.90
3................. MENBOYS PEG Men and boys.................. 364.49
4................. MENS ................ Men, 16 and over............. 281.87
5................. 360110 ................ Men's suits *............... 21.47
5................. 360120 ................ Men's sportcoats, tailored 7.89
jackets.
5................. 360210 ................ Men's coats and jackets *... 33.75
5................. 360311 ................ Men's underwear *........... 15.47
5................. 360312 ................ Men's hosiery............... 10.08
5................. 360320 ................ Men's nightwear............. 2.93
5................. 360330 ................ Men's accessories........... 20.30
5................. 360340 ................ Men's sweaters and vests.... 11.48
5................. 360350 ................ Men's active sportswear..... 15.40
5................. 360410 ................ Men's shirts *.............. 71.11
5................. 360511 ................ Men's pants *............... 52.02
5................. 360512 ................ Men's shorts, shorts sets... 13.35
5................. 360901 ................ Men's uniforms.............. 4.37
5................. 360902 ................ Men's costumes.............. 2.25
4................. BOYS ................ Boys, 2 to 15................ 82.61
5................. 370110 ................ Boys' coats and jackets..... 6.28
5................. 370120 ................ Boys' sweaters.............. 2.63
5................. 370130 ................ Boys' shirts*............... 19.64
5................. 370211 ................ Boys' underwear............. 5.59
5................. 370212 ................ Boys' nightwear............. 2.42
5................. 370213 ................ Boys' hosiery............... 3.81
5................. 370220 ................ Boys' accessories........... 2.56
5................. 370311 ................ Boys' suits, sportcoats, 2.62
vests.
5................. 370312 ................ Boys' pants[hairsp]*........ 20.90
5................. 370313 ................ Boys' shorts, shorts sets... 7.86
5................. 370903 ................ Boys' uniforms.............. 2.97
5................. 370904 ................ Boys' active sportswear..... 3.24
5................. 370902 ................ Boys' costumes.............. 2.08
3................. WMNSGRLS PEG Women and girls............... 812.23
4................. WOMENS ................ Women, 16 and over........... 699.16
5................. 380110 ................ Women's coats and 51.84
jackets[hairsp]*.
5................. 380210 ................ Women's dresses[hairsp]*.... 82.20
5................. 380311 ................ Women's sportcoats, tailored 6.09
jackets.
5................. 380312 ................ Women's vests and 54.09
sweaters[hairsp]*.
5................. 380313 ................ Women's shirts, tops, 126.65
blouses[hairsp]*.

[[Page 6037]]

5................. 380320 ................ Women's skirts.............. 17.14
5................. 380331 ................ Women's pants[hairsp]*...... 102.08
5................. 380332 ................ Women's shorts, shorts sets. 29.78
5................. 380340 ................ Women's active sportswear... 32.51
5................. 380410 ................ Women's sleepwear........... 34.86
5................. 380420 ................ Women's undergarments....... 40.91
5................. 380430 ................ Women's hosiery............. 25.24
5................. 380510 ................ Women's suits............... 37.03
5................. 380901 ................ Women's accessories[hairsp]* 42.19
5................. 380902 ................ Women's uniforms............ 10.70
5................. 380903 ................ Women's costumes............ 5.84
4................. GIRLS ................ Girls, 2 to 15............... 113.07
5................. 390110 ................ Girls' coats and jackets.... 6.39
5................. 390120 ................ Girls' dresses and 21.31
suits[hairsp]*.
5................. 390210 ................ Girls' shirts, blouses, 25.04
sweaters[hairsp]*.
5................. 390221 ................ Girls' skirts and 22.27
pants[hairsp]*.
5................. 390222 ................ Girls' shorts, shorts sets.. 7.79
5................. 390230 ................ Girls' active sportswear.... 7.38
5................. 390310 ................ Girls' underwear and 7.42
sleepwear.
5................. 390321 ................ Girls' hosiery.............. 3.59
5................. 390322 ................ Girls' accessories.......... 5.57
5................. 390901 ................ Girls' uniforms............. 3.72
5................. 390902 ................ Girls' costumes............. 2.60
3................. INFANT PEG Children under 2.............. 88.68
4................. 410110 ................ Infant coat, jacket, snowsuit 3.17
4................. 410120 ................ Infant dresses, outerwear.... 23.90
4................. 410130 ................ Infant underwear[hairsp]*.... 48.52
4................. 410140 ................ Infant nightwear, 4.19
loungewear[hairsp]*.
4................. 410901 ................ Infant accessories........... 8.90
3................. FOOTWEAR PEG Footwear...................... 340.80
4................. 400110 ................ Men's footwear[hairsp]*...... 115.74
4................. 400210 ................ Boys' footwear............... 33.69
4................. 400310 ................ Women's footwear[hairsp]*.... 160.44
4................. 400220 ................ Girls' footwear.............. 30.92
3................. OTHAPPRL PEG Other apparel products and 343.71
services.
4................. 420110 ................ Material for making clothes.. 6.82
4................. 420120 ................ Sewing patterns and notions.. 11.17
4................. 430110 ................ Watches[hairsp]*............. 26.92
4................. 430120 ................ Jewelry[hairsp]*............. 136.82
4................. 440110 ................ Shoe repair and other shoe 2.28
service.
4................. 440120 ................ Coin-op. apparel laundry & 53.13
dry clean[hairsp]*.
4................. 440130 ................ Alteration, repair & 7.48
tailoring of apparel.
4................. 440140 ................ Clothing rental.............. 5.64
4................. 440150 ................ Watch and jewelry repair..... 6.28
4................. 440210 ................ Apparel laundry & dry clean 86.70
not coin-op[hairsp]*.
4................. 440900 ................ Clothing storage............. 0.46
2................. TRANS MEG Transportation 8,245.76
3................. MOTVEHCO PEG Motor Vehicle Costs 4,401.84
4................. VEHPURCH ................ Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,497.61
5................. NEWCARS ................ Cars and trucks, new......... 1,900.46
6................. 450110 ................ New cars[hairsp]*........... 1,190.89
6................. 450210 ................ New trucks.................. 709.58
5................. USEDCARS ................ Cars and trucks, used........ 1,574.79
6................. 460110 ................ Used cars................... 899.09
6................. 460901 ................ Used trucks................. 675.70
5................. OTHVEHCL ................ Other vehicles............... 22.36
6................. 450220 ................ New motorcycles............. 10.69
6................. 460902 ................ Used motorcycles............ 11.67
4................. VEHFINCH ................ Vehicle finance charges...... 403.33
5................. 510110 ................ Automobile finance 212.51
charges[hairsp]*.
5................. 510901 ................ Truck finance charges....... 167.71
5................. 510902 ................ Motorcycle and plane finance 1.69
charges.
5................. 850300 ................ Other vehicle finance 21.42
charges.
4................. LEASVEH ................ Leased vehicles............ 315.82
5................. 450310 ................ Car lease payments........ 155.21
5................. 450313 ................ Cash downpayment (car 11.23
lease).
5................. 450314 ................ Termination fee (car 1.96
lease).
5................. 450410 ................ Truck lease payments...... 134.22
5................. 450413 ................ Cash downpayment (truck 10.39
lease).
5................. 450414 ................ Termination fee (truck 2.81
lease).
4................. VEHXP&LV ................ Other Vehicle Expenses and 185.07
Licenses.

[[Page 6038]]

5................. 520110 ................ State and local 104.55
registration[hairsp]*.
5................. 520310 ................ Driver's license............ 7.87
5................. 520410 ................ Vehicle inspection*......... 12.05
5................. PARKING ................ Parking fees................ 30.22
6................. 520531 ................ Parking fees in home city, 25.57
exc. residence.
6................. 520532 ................ Parking fees, out-of-town 4.66
trips.
5................. 520541 ................ Tolls....................... 9.63
5................. 520542 ................ Tolls on out-of-town trips.. 4.13
5................. 520550 ................ Towing charges.............. 6.19
5................. 620113 ................ Automobile service clubs.... 10.42
3................. GASOIL PEG Gasoline and motor oil........ 1,314.01
4................. 470111 ................ Gasoline*.................... 1,191.85
4................. 470112 ................ Diesel fuel.................. 13.42
4................. 470113 ................ Gasoline on out-of-town trips 95.76
4................. 470211 ................ Motor oil.................... 12.01
4................. 470212 ................ Motor oil on out-of-town 0.97
trips.
3................. CARP&R PEG Maintenance and repairs....... 878.76
4................. CARPAR ................ Maintenance and Repair Parts. 228.80
5................. 470220 ................ Coolant, additives, brake, 6.11
trans. fluids.
5................. 480110 ................ Tires--purchased, replaced, 127.40
installed*.
5................. 480213 ................ Parts, equipment, and 84.17
accessories*.
5................. 480214 ................ Vehicle audio equipment, 2.65
excluding labor.
5................. 480212 ................ Vehicle products............ 8.47
4................. CARREP ................ Maintenance and Repair 649.97
Service*.
5................. 490000 ................ Misc. auto repair, servicing 45.18
5................. 490110 ................ Body work and painting...... 30.46
5................. 490211 ................ Clutch, transmission repair. 62.11
5................. 490212