[TheyConvictedOglethorpe]

In order to have a Consumer Price Index, we need to sample the population and figure out what they purchase so that we can apply appropriate weights to that index. Guess who does that sampling? The Census Bureau.

The CPI is managed by the Labor Department. The Census Bureau / Commerce Department puts out some of the second-tier economic statistics like housing starts and retail sales, but as far as I know they only survey businesses for those.

[Our man in washington]

The Department of Labor (DOL) does manage the CPI, but the data for weighting comes from the Consumer Expenditures Survey, which is managed by the Department of Labor but is collected by Census.

Basically, if citizens need to be asked questions, Census does the pounding of the pavement. DOL doesn't have the manpower or expertise for that.

[Our man in washington]

The Department of Labor (DOL) does manage the CPI, but the data for weighting comes from the Consumer Expenditures Survey, which is managed by the Department of Labor but is collected by Census.

Basically, if citizens need to be asked questions, Census does the pounding of the pavement. DOL doesn't have the manpower or expertise for that.

[Dave S]

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of households conducted by the Bureau of Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It provides a comprehensive body of data on the labor force, employment, unemployment, and persons not in the labor force.

http://www.bls.gov/cps/home.htm