Q. How do I find statistics by city, like consumer prices?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey.  Included are data on expenditures from selected U.S. metropolitan areas.

The subscription database EIU CityData also includes prices of selected products and services in 123 cities worldwide.  The database can perform data analysis and currency conversion.

• EIU CityData  

The subscription database Policy Commons has modules "North American City Reports" and "World Cities"

• Policy Commons This link opens in a new windoSearch 3.2 million reports, working papers, policy briefs, data sources and media in the Global Think Tank collection; surveys, reports, and research from the governments of 600+ North American cities, plus publications from local governments around the world in World Cities.

Google will search for government docs also. In the search box type: 

site:.gov before entering your search terms.  For example in Google type site:.gov Phoenix AND statistics

Use the search engine Search.USA.gov to find US, state and local government websites.  For example, type Pittsburgh AND statistics. 

The Statistical Abstract of the United States has a wealth of information.  The print copies are located in the AU Stacks in call number HA202.  There is also an online pdf version and can be searched in the database Data-Planet Statistical Datasets.

The Census Bureau also collects statistics by state, county and metropolitan area.  Try "Googling" Census State and County Databook. 

Take a look at these subscription databases:

• Data-Planet Statistical Datasets This link opens in a new window 
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  Alternative Name SAGE Stats
  U.S. statistical information from the American Statistics Index. Includes Statistical Abstract of the United States and a selection of full-text documents. As of June 2021, includes SAGE State Stats and SAGE Local Stats featuring statistical data series created from government and non-government datasets, covering topics of research interest for U.S. states, counties, cities, and metropolitan areas.

• SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window 

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  SimplyAnalytics, formerly SimplyMap, allows users to generate maps and reports from a wide variety of data sources. Variables available include census demographics, Nielsen's PRIZM, EASI Health Data, and more. Results can be exported as images, xls or csv reports, and GIS compatible formats. Users may create accounts to save their searches or proceed as guests.**Access limited to 5 concurrent users.**

The U.S.  Consumer Price Index (CPI) does not give dollar amounts for expenditures.  As an index, it shows percentage change over time.

The main website for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is https://www.bls.gov/

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