Well,
here we have the composition, item by item of the CPI as reported december 2006 (it is reported every december but can be used from any point in time to any other point in time):
CPI RI 2006
and here we have the page that explains how to use the #s above.
BLS_CPI Relative Importance Archive
Basically, you can see the relative importance of every item in the consumer price index and see how it changed over time.
the reason this was so hard to find is simply because it doesn't come up unless you look for "relative importance" rather than just contribution or composition.
One thing that stands out is the 6.28 relative importance of medical services vs. recreation (5.5) and transportation (6.0). this means that we spend on average about as much on transportation and recreation as we do on our medical care. considering that it is widely viewed that we spend too little on medical care (i.e. that there are too many uninsured), it seems it we cut back on fun, we could have more health [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]
questions, comments, thoughts?
Barron