Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic Indicators
This fact sheet presents recent employment and unemployment, price, and earnings data for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), and the United States. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures price changes, or inflation, for particular commodities and services at the retail level. The Producer Price Index (PPI) measures price changes, or inflation, for particular commodities and services at the wholesale level and is widely used by business firms as an escalator in long-term contracts. The Employment Cost Index (ECI) measures price changes, or inflation, of labor costs which includes wages and salaries and employer costs for employee benefits. The earnings data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).
