[Federal Register: March 12, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 49)]
[Notices]
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From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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Part V
Office of Personnel Management
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2003 Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living Allowance Survey Report; Alaska and
Washington, DC, Areas; Notice
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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
2003 Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living Allowance Survey Report:
Alaska and Washington, DC, Areas
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice publishes the ``2003 Nonforeign Area Cost-of-
Living Allowance Survey Report: Alaska 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 Alaska and
the Washington, DC, area during the spring and summer of 2003.
DATES: Comments on this report must be received on or before July 12,
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 591.299 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 ``2003
Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living Allowance Survey Report: Alaska and
Washington, DC, Areas`` with this notice. This report contains the
results of the COLA surveys OPM conducted in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and
Juneau, Alaska, and in the Washington, DC, area during the spring and
summer of 2003.
Survey Results
Using an index scale with the Washington, DC, area living costs
equal to 100, OPM computed index values of relative prices in the
Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and the Rest of the State of Alaska COLA
areas. Then OPM added an adjustment factor of 7.0 to the Anchorage
price index and 9.0 to the Fairbanks, Juneau, and Rest of the State of
Alaska price indexes and rounded the results to the nearest whole
percentage point. The results show that the existing COLA rates for
Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau (25 percent) are above the levels
indicated by the 2003 survey. However, pursuant to the settlement
agreement in Caraballo, et al. v. United States, No. 1997-0027
(D.V.I.), August 17, 2000, OPM will not reduce COLA rates in any
nonforeign area until the effective date of the final rule 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 or later. 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.
2003 Nonforeign Area Cost-of-Living Allowance Survey Report: Alaska and
Washington, DC, Areas
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
1. Introduction
1.1 Report Objectives
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
4.4 Computing Price Indexes
4.4.1 Geometric Means
4.4.2 Special Private Education Computations
4.5 Applying Consumer Expenditure Weights
4.6 Computing the Overall Price Index for Rest of the State of
Alaska
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: Utility Usage and Calculations
Appendix 6: Hedonic Rental Data Equations and Results
Appendix 7: Final Living-Cost Results for Anchorage, Fairbanks, and
Juneau, AK
Appendix 8: Final Living-Cost Results for the Rest of the State of
Alaska
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 spring and summer of 2003 in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and
Juneau, Alaska, and the Washington, DC, area. The report details OPM's
comparison of living costs in these Alaska areas, as well as the Rest
of the State of Alaska, with living costs in the Washington, DC, area.
For the surveys, OPM contacted about 900 outlets and collected
approximately 4,600 prices on more than 250 items representing typical
consumer purchases. OPM then combined the data 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 living-cost indexes
shown in Table 1 include the adjustment factor prescribed at 5 CFR
591.227.
Table 1.--Final Living-Cost Comparison Indexes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allowance Area Index
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Anchorage.................................................. 112.63
Fairbanks.................................................. 115.26
Juneau..................................................... 118.34
Rest of the State of Alaska................................ 134.80
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Introduction
1.1 Report Objectives
This report provides the results of the 2003 (i.e., ``Alaska'')
nonforeign area cost-of-living allowance (COLA) surveys
[[Page 12003]]
that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) conducted in the spring
and summer of 2003. (Appendix 1 lists prior 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 Alaska areas, i.e., Anchorage, Fairbanks,
Juneau, and the Rest of the State of Alaska, and the Washington, DC,
area. By law, Washington, DC, is the base or ``reference'' area for the
COLA program.
2. Preparing for the Survey
2.1 COLA Advisory Committees
Before the Alaska surveys, OPM established COLA Advisory Committees
(CACs) in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. The settlement of
Caraballo, et al. v. United States, No. 1997-0027 (D.V.I.), August 17,
2000, 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 2 representatives from OPM.
The CACs' functions include:
--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 Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. These were joint meetings
of the CAC, Survey Implementation Committee (SIC), and Technical
Advisory Committee (TAC). The SIC and the TAC were established pursuant
to the Carballo settlement. The SIC advises and assists OPM in the
implementation of the new COLA methodology to which the parties agreed.
There are seven members on the SIC--five plaintiffs' representatives
from the COLA areas and two OPM representatives. The TAC has three
members, economists who have expertise in living-cost measurement. The
TAC performs research for and advises the members of the SIC.
The CACs, SIC, and TAC reviewed the preliminary outlet and item
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 recommendations into its survey design.
OPM found the work of the CACs, SIC, and TAC in Alaska to be
extremely helpful and informative. The SIC and TAC's knowledge of the
Caraballo settlement, the new COLA methodology, and the economic
concepts underlying that methodology combined with the CAC's 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 in Sections 2.1 and 2.2, 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 and 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 269 non-housing items to 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 or the same quality and quantity of 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
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 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
[[Page 12004]]
plan for each plan offered in each area and obtained from OPM's Central
Personnel Data File (CPDF) 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 and collected detailed 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.
Appendix 4 lists the types of detailed 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 2003 survey, OPM surveyed rents and used that as a surrogate
for rental equivalence. In the coming year, OPM plans to conduct
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.
OPM also priced some items by catalog; and when it did, it priced
the same items by catalog in the COLA areas and in DC areas for
comparative purposes. To ensure consistent catalog pricing, OPM used
only current catalogs for all catalog survey items. OPM priced 11 items
by catalog in the Alaska and DC areas. All catalog prices included any
charges for shipping and handling and all applicable taxes.
In all, OPM surveyed prices from approximately 850 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 Fairbanks and Juneau, there sometimes were not sufficient number of
businesses to find three outlets of each particular type. This was not
generally a problem in Anchorage, however. In the Washington, DC, area,
OPM attempted to survey nine popular outlets of each type, three in
each of the DC survey areas, described in Table 3.
2.5 Geographic Coverage
Table 3 shows the Alaska COLA and DC survey area boundaries.
Table 3.--Survey and Data Collection Areas
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COLA areas and reference areas Survey area
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Anchorage, AK............................. City of Anchorage.
Fairbanks, AK............................. Fairbanks/North Pole area.
Juneau, AK................................ Juneau/Mendenhall/Douglas
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: For selected items, such as snow skiing and air travel, these
survey areas include additional geographic locations beyond these
jurisdictions.
In Alaska, OPM collected non-housing prices in outlets throughout
three major cities as described in Table 3. For certain items, such as
skiing, OPM surveyed prices in areas beyond the cities shown in the
table above. To collect housing (i.e., rental) data, OPM contracted
with Delta-21 Resources, Incorporated, a research organization with
expertise in housing and rental data collection. Delta-21 surveyed
rental rates in locations within these cities. In selecting the
locations and sample sizes within these cities, OPM used tables from
the 2000 Census that showed the number of Federal employees and rental
vacancies by zip code.
To collect data in the DC area, OPM divided the area into three
survey areas as shown in Table 3. OPM collected non-housing prices in
outlets throughout this area. As in Alaska, OPM surveyed certain items,
including skiing, in areas beyond the counties and cities shown in
Table 3. OPM also surveyed the cost of air travel from Ronald Reagan
Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport,
and Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) and surveyed the
price of a 5-mile taxi ride originating at these airports. Both Dulles
and BWI are outside the counties and cities shown in Table 3.
Nevertheless, DC area residents commonly use both airports.
Delta-21 surveyed rental rates throughout the DC area. As with the
Alaska COLA areas, OPM used Census data to select specific locations
and sample sizes within the DC area, and
[[Page 12005]]
Delta collected data accordingly within these locations.
3. Conducting the Survey
3.1 Pricing Period
OPM collected data from early May through August 2003. OPM
collected non-housing price data concurrently in the tree Alaska cities
in May and collected the bulk of the DC area data in June and July.
Delta-21 collected rental data sequentially in Juneau, Fairbanks,
Anchorage, and in the Washington, DC, area beginning in early May and
ending August 1, 2003.
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 the
collected data available to the CACs.
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 Section 2.4, OPM
surveyed some items via catalog, including all shipping costs and any
applicable taxes in the price. OPM also collected other data, 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. Sales
tax rates varied by city within Alaska and in the DC area. Some sales
tax rates also varied by item, such as restaurant meals, within a
location.
The data collectors collected the rice 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 OPM
used that sale price 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 charge, additional shipping charges, appropriate dealer-
added items or options, dealer mark-up, an taxes, including sales tax
and licensing and title fees.
3.3 Housing (Rental) Price Data Collection
As noted in Section 2.5, OPM contracted for the collection of
rental data with Delta-21, which collected data in the three Alaska
cities and in the DC area. 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 prides 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 principal reason was to look at substitute items.
A substitute is an item that is similar but does not exactly match
the description of the specified survey item. For example, one of the
items OM specified was a queen size sheet, flat of fitted, with 230-250
thread count to by surveyed in a discount store. The data collectors in
Alaska, however, discovered that neither Fred Meyers nor Wal-Mart sold
sheets with this thread count. Therefore, the data collectors, priced
queen size sheets with a 300 thread count instead. OPM then prices the
same type of sheet in the DC area and used the substitute price
information for this item.
4.2 Special Price Computations
After completing its data review, OPM had to make special price
computations for five survey items: K-12 private education, Federal
Employees Health Benefits premiums, water utilities, 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 (FEHB) plans
offered in each survey area. Using enrollment information from OPM's
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.
[[Page 12006]]
Table 4.--2003 Average FEHB Premiums for Full-Time Permanent Employees
[Non-postal employees' share]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bi-weekly Annual
weighted weighted
Location Self premium Family premium average average
premium premium
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anchorage....................................... $47.16 $106.73 $83.59 $2,180.80
Fairbanks....................................... $45.19 $105.79 82.25 2,145.84
Juneau.......................................... $47.44 $104.45 82.31 2,147.41
DC Area......................................... $41.41 $93.96 73.55 1,918.87
Natonwide Enrollment............................ 584,117 919,642 .............. ..............
Enrollment Percentage........................... 38.13 61.87 .............. ..............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.2.3 Water Utilities
OPM surveyed water utility rates in each of the COLA and
Washington, DC, survey areas. 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. OPM
then used the results of a heating and cooling engineering model to
determine how many kilowatt hours of electricity, cubic feet of gas,
and/or gallons of fuel oil are needed to maintain a specific model home
at a constant ambient temperature of 72 degrees in each area. The
engineering model uses local home construction information and climatic
data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and also
includes the amount of electricity needed to run standard household
appliances and lighting. For each survey area, OPM calculated the cost
to heat and cool the model home using the different heating fuels and
electricity for lighting and appliances. 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 2000 Census,
relatively few homes use these as primary energy sources.
For Fairbanks and Juneau, OPM surveyed the price of electricity and
fuel oil to compute home energy costs because the 2000 Census indicated
that these two sources were used to heat over 95 percent of the homes
in Fairbanks and Juneau. In Anchorage, OPM surveyed gas and electricity
prices because Census data indicated that 97 percent of the Anchorage
homes use these energy sources for heating. In Washington, OPM surveyed
the costs of all three fuels (gas, oil and electricity). OPM used
percentages based on the usage of the different fuels in each survey
area to compute a weighted average utility fuel cost for the area.
Appendix 5 shows the energy requirements, relative usage percentages,
and total costs by area. OPM used these total costs as the ``price'' of
utilities in the COLA rate calculations.
4.2.5 Rental Data Hedonic Models
As discussed in Sections 2.5 and 3.3, OPM hired a contractor to
collect rental data, including rents and 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 Alaska 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);
Heated garage (yes/no);
Fireplace (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 (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, or the 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: Anchorage, Fairbanks, and
Juneau. 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
[[Page 12007]]
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 rent indexes. OPM used these indexes as
``prices'' in the price averaging process described in Section 4.3.
Table 6.--Rent Indexes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Area Rent index
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anchorage............................................... 86.06
Fairbanks............................................... 78.84
Juneau.................................................. 92.91
Washington, DC, Area.................................... *100.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* By definition, the index of the base area is always 100.00.
Appendix 6 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 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 in Anchorage and averaged these prices to compute a
single average price for canned soup in Anchorage. If OPM collected
more than one price for a particular matched item within the same
outlet (e.g., priced equivalent brands), OPM used the lowest price by
item and 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 item-by-item averaging process for
each area.
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 next applied
consumer expenditure weights. For a few items, however, OPM first
applied special processes as described in Sections 4.4.1 and 4.4.2
below.
4.4.1 Geometric Means
As described in Section 2.3, OPM selected survey items to represent
selected detailed expenditure categories (DECs). 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 0.7816 for Anchorage. OPM computed this by dividing 10.34
percent (the percentage of Federal employees in Anchorage with at least
1 child in a private school) by 13.23 percent (the percent of DC area
Federal employees with at least 1 child in a private school). OPM
obtained the percentages from the results of the 1992/93 Federal
Employee Housing and Living Patterns Survey, which is the most current
comprehensive data available. Table 8 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 Price index w/
COLA survey area -------------------------------- Use factor Price index use factor
Local area DC area
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anchorage....................... 10.34 13.23 0.7816 37.97 29.67
Fairbanks....................... 8.56 13.23 0.6470 21.39 13.84
Juneau.......................... 12.343 13.23 0.9395 23.95 22.50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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. Using expenditure weights, OPM combined 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 than \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 proces at each level of
aggregation (e.g., PEG and MEG). Appendix 7 shows these calculations
for each COLA survey area at the PEG and MEG level. The above process
resulted in an overall price index for each of the
[[Page 12008]]
Alaska COLA areas (shown in Appendix 7) but not for the Rest of the
State of Alaska.
4.6 Computing the Overall Price Index for Rest of the State of Alaska
Pursuant to the Caraballo settlement agreement, OPM did not conduct
a living-cost survey in the Rest of the State of Alaska COLA area.
Instead, OPM obtained information published by the University of Alaska
and the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development that
compared prices in Anchorage with various other locations in Alaska.
OPM used these data to compare prices in Kodiak, Alaska, with prices in
Anchorage to compute, to the extent practical, Kodiak price indexes at
the PEG and MEG level using Anchorage as the base. OPM then multiplied
the MEG price indexes by the anchorage indexes shown in Appendix 7 to
estimate price differences in Kodiak compared with the DC area. OPM
used the expenditure weights and the process described above to
aggregate these indexes and produce an overall price index for the Rest
of the State of Alaska, as shown in Appendix 8.
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 factor for Anchorage is
even index points. The factor for all other COLA areas in Alaska is
nine index points. The resulting living-cost indexes are shown in Table
9.
Table 9.--Final Living-Cost comparison Indexes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allowance Index
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anchorage............................................... 112.63
Fairbanks............................................... 1152.00
Juneau.................................................. 118.34
Rest of the State of Alaska............................. 134.80
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Post Survey Meetings
In October 2003, the CACs, SIC, and TAC held 1-day joing meetings
in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau 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 7. Members of the TAC explained how the
rental data were analyzed and how OPM sued expenditure weights to
combine price indexes to reflect overall living costs.
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. Virgini
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BILLING CODE 6325-39-M
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Appendix 3--Cola Survey Items and Descriptions
Adhesive Bandages. One box of 30 adhesive bandages, assorted
sizes, clear or flexible. [Note: In Virginia, add tax to this item.]
Use: Band Aid brand.
Airfare Los Angeles. Lowest cost round trip ticket to Los
Angeles, CA, 3-week advance reservation, departing and returning
midweek. (Including Saturday night stay). Price non-refundable
ticket. Disregard restrictions, super-saver fares, and special
promotions. In reference area, price flights from BWI for MD,
National for DC, and Dulles for VA. Price all flights via Internet
on same day. Use: Major carrier.
Airfare Miami. Lowest cost round trip ticket to Miami, FL, 3-
week advance reservation, departing and returning midweek.
(Including Saturday night stay). Price non-refundable ticket.
Disregard restrictions, super-saver fares, and special promotions.
In reference area, price flights from BWI for MD, National for DC,
and Dulles for VA. Price all flights via Internet on same day. Use:
Major carrier.
Airfare Seattle. Lowest cost round trip ticket to Seattle, WA,
3-week advance reservation, departing and returning midweek.
(Including Saturday night stay). Price non-refundable ticket.
Disregard restrictions, super-saver fares, and special promotions.
In reference area, price flights from BWI for MD, National for DC,
and Dulles for VA. Price all flights via Internet on same day. Use:
Major carrier.
Airfare St. Louis. Lowest cost round trip ticket to St. Louis,
MO, 3-week advance reservation, departing and returning midweek.
(Including Saturday night stay). Price non-refundable ticket.
Disregard restrictions, super-saver fares, and special promotions.
In reference area, price flights from BWI for MD, National for DC,
and Dulles for VA. Price all flights via Internet on same day. Use:
Major carrier.
Alternator (Chevrolet). Price of an 105 Amp alternator for a
1996 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Regular Cab, 4WD, 119.0'' wheelbase,
2 door, 6\1/2\ ft. fleetside bed, 4.3 liter, V6, 5-speed manual
transmission, to the consumer at a dealership. Remanufactured. Use:
Dealer recommended brand.
Alternator (Ford). Price of a 95 Amp alternator for a 1996 Ford
Explore 4.0L Fuel Injected V6 with A/C and Automatic Transmission to
the consumer at a dealership. Remanufactured. Use: Dealer
recommended brand.
Alterenator (Honda). Price of an alternator for a 1996 Honda
Civic DX, 1.6L, 4-cylinder, with A/C and Automatic Transmission to
the consumer at a dealership. Remanufactured. Use: Dealer
recommended brand.
Antacid. One large size bottle of extra strength tablets. 96
tablets. Use: Tums EX 96.
Antibacterial Ointment. One ounce tube of antibacterial
ointment. Use: Neosporin.
Apples. Price per pound, loose (not bagged). If only bagged
available, report bag weight. Note quality in comments. Use: Red
Delicious.
Area Rug. Approximately 8' x 11' braided rug, flat woven, 3-ply
yarn. Wool/nylon/rayon. Multi-colored accents. (Include sales tax
and shipping and handling.) Use: American Tradition.
Artificial Sweetener. Fifty count package of artificial
sweetener. Use: Equal.
Aspirin. Fifty count bottle. If no Bayer, report Bufferin or
Excedrin as a substitute. Use: Bayer.
ATV. All terrain sports vehicle with 250-300cc engine, with
electric start. Use: Honda 2003 Sportrax 300EX, Polaris Trailblazer
400.
Auto Finance Rate. Interest rate for a 4-year loan on a new car
with a down payment of 20 percent. Assume the loan applicant is a
current bank customer who will make payments by cash/check and not
by automatic deduction from the account. Use: Interest Percentage
Rate (x 100).
Auto Inspection. Annual cost of auto safety and emissions
inspection required by local government. If not required annually,
prorate to annual assuming 4-year trade cycle. (Certificate and
inspection required every 2 years in Anchorage and Fairbanks. No
inspection required in Juneau. Various inspections required in all
DC areas.) Use: Auto Inspection.
Baby Food. 4 oz. jar strained vegetables or fruit. Use. Gerber
2nd Foods.
Babysitter. Minimum hourly wage appropriate to area. Use:
Babysitting.
Baking Dish. Eight inch square glass, clear or tinted. Exclude
baking dish with cover or lid. Use: Anchor Hocking, Pyrex.
Bananas. Price per pound. If sold by bunch, report price and
weight of average sized bunch. Note quality in comments. Use:
Available brand.
Bath Towel. Approximately 54\1/2\'' x 30'' x 30 wide, 100%
cotton, medium weight. Side hem is woven selvage. Bottom hem may be
folded. Use: Store brand.
Beer at home (Cans). Six-pack of 12 oz cans of beer. Do not
price refrigerated beer unless that is the only type available.
Include [liquor tax FA 5%, JU 3%] plus applicable sales tax in
price. Use: Budweiser.
Beer Away (Casual). One glass of beer. Price only at casual
restaurants where dinner is also priced. (Check Sales Tax and
INCLUDE in price.) Use: Budweiser.
Beer Away (CH-type). One glass of beer. Price only at ``Chart
House'' type restaurants where dinner is priced. (Check Sales Tax
and INCLUDE in price.) Use: Budweiser.
Board Game. Standard edition, not deluxe. Use: Sorry.
Book, Paperback. Store price (not publisher's list price unless
that is the store price) for top selling paperback book. Also price
via Amazon.com. Use: 2nd Chance (Fiction), The Summons (Fiction).
Bowling. One game of open (or non-league) 10-pin bowling on
Saturday night. Exclude shoe rental. If priced by the hour, report
hourly rate divided by 5 (estimated number of games per hour) and
note hourly rate in comments. Do not price duck-pin bowling. Use:
Bowling.
Boy's Jeans. Relaxed fit, size range 9-14, pre-washed jeans. Not
bleached, stone-washed or designer jeans. Use: Levi's 550 Relaxed
Fit.
Boy's Polo Shirt. Knit polo-type short sleeve shirt with collar,
solid color, cotton/polyester, size range 8-14. Use: Izod.
Boy's T-Shirt. Screen-printed t-shirt for boys ages 8 thru 10
(size 7-14). Pullover with crew neck, short sleeves and polyester/
cotton blend. Do not price team logo shirts. [Changed post survey to
Sears' Canyon River brand only.] Use: Store brand.
Bread, Wheat. Twenty ounce loaf, sliced, wheat bread. Use: Home
Pride.
Bread, White. Twenty-two to 24 ounce loaf sliced white bread.
Use: Wonder.
Breakfast Full Service. Two strips of bacon or two sausages, two
eggs, toast, hash browns, coffee, and juice. (Check Sales Tax and
include in price.) Use: Breakfast.
Breakfast, Fast Food. Egg McMuffin, hash brown and coffee. Use
value meal, medium size. (Check sales tax and INCLUDE in price.)
Use: Egg McMuffin Value Meal.
Cable TV, Digital service. One month of digital cable service.
Include digital converter, and universal remote fees. Do not price
value packages or premium channels i.e. Showtime, HBO, Cinemax. Do
not report hook-up charges. Itemize taxes and fees as percent rates
or amounts and add into price. Use: One month of Digital Cable TV.
Camera Film. Four-pack, 35 millimeter, 24 exposure, 400 ASA
(speed). Use: Kodak Max.
Candy Bar. One regular size, weight approx. 1.55 to 2.13 ounce.
Not king-size or multi-pack. Use: Snickers.
Canned Chopped Ham. Twelve ounce can of processed luncheon meat.
Do not price turkey, light or smoked. Use: SPAM.
Canned Green Beans. Fourteen to 15 ounce can of plain cut green
beans. Do not price French cut style, Italian style, or similar
specialty variations. Use: Del Monte.
Canned Peaches. Fifteen to 16 ounce can of peaches. Use: Del
Monte.
Canned Soup. Regular size (approx 10 ounce). Not hearty, reduced
fat or salt free varieties. Use: Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup.
Canned Tuna. Chunk light, packed in water (6.0 to 6.13 ounce).
Do not price fancy style or albacore. Use: Star Kist.
Cellular Phone Plan (300). Cellular phone service with a minimum
of 300 anytime minutes per month. Price via internet, all areas at
the same time. Call for fee information. Price CELLULARONE Clear
Across America 300 minute plan for Juneau and Fairbanks, Alaska. Use
Cingular home 300 for DC area. Itemize taxes and fees as percent of
rates or amounts and add to price. Use: CellularOne C.A.A. Plan 300
(AK), Cingular Home Plan 300 (DC area).
Cellular Phone Plan (450). Cellular phone service with a minimum
of 450 anytime minutes per month. Price via internet, all areas at
the same time. Call for fee information. Price GCI for Alaska.
Itemize taxes and fees as percent of rates or amounts and add to
price. Use: GCI Digital One Bronze (AK), AT&T Digital One Rate (DC
area).
Cellular Phone Plan (500). Cellular phone service with a minimum
of 500 anytime minutes per month. Price via internet, all areas at
the same time. Call for fee information. Sprint has no wireless
service in Alaska. Price ACS for Alaska. Itemize taxes and fees as
percent of rates or amounts and add to price. Use: ACS 500
Nationwide Minutes (AK), Sprint PCS Free & Clear (DC area).
Cereal. Twenty ounce box of raisin bran cereal. Use: Post Raisin
Bran.
[[Page 12028]]
Charcoal Grill. Charcoal grill, heavy gauge, porcelain-enameled,
steel lid, approximately 22.5 inches in diameter. Use: Weber 1 Touch
Silver 22\1/2\ (model 741001).
Cheese. Ten ounce package cheese. Price sharp cheddar if
available. Use: Kraft Cracker.
Chevrolet License, Registration, Taxes and Inspection. License,
registration, periodic taxes (e.g., road or personal property tax,
but not one-time taxes such as sales tax), and inspection (e.g.,
safety and emissions) on a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Regular
Cab, 4WD, 119.0 wheelbase, 2 door, 6\1/2\ ft. fleetside
bed, 4.3 Liter, V6, 5-speed manual transmission. Use: Specified
Chevrolet.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Purchase price of a 2003 Chevrolet
Silverado 1500, Regular Cab, short box, 4 wheel drive,
119.0 wheelbase, 2 door, 6\1/2\ ft. fleetside bed, 4.3
Liter, V6, 5-speed manual transmission. Please note the price of any
special option packages. Use: Chevrolet Silverado.
Chuck Roast. Price per pound, fresh (not frozen or previously
frozen) USDA Choice graded if available. If Choice not available,
note USDA grade in comments. Price average size package. Not family-
pack, value-pack, super-saver pack, or equivalent. Use: Chuck Roast
With Bone.
Chuck Roast, boneless. Price per pound, fresh (not frozen or
previously frozen) USDA Choice graded if available. If Choice not
available, note USDA grade in comments. Price average size package.
Not family-pack, value-pack, super-saver pack, or equivalent. Use:
Chuck Roast.
Cigarettes. One pack filter kings. Not generic. (In Alaska
tobacco tax is built-into price.) Use: Marlboro.
Clean and Check-Up. Current patient charge for routine exam,
including 2-bite wing x-rays and cleaning of teeth (light scaling
and polishing). No special treatment of gums or teeth. Not initial
visit. Not specialist or oral surgeon. Price for an adult. Use:
Dentist Check-Up.
Coffee, Ground. Thirteen ounce can. Do not price decaffeinated
or special roasts. Use: Folger's.
Compact Disc. Current best-selling CD. Do not price double CD's.
Use: Norah Jones, Come Away With Me; Avril Lavigne, Let Go.
Contact Lenses. One box of disposable contact lenses, 3 pairs in
the box, a pair lasts 2 weeks. Price of one box only. Use: Bausch &
Lomb, Aeuvue.
Cookies. Sixteen to 18 ounce package. Use: Nabisco Chips Ahoy!
Cooking Oil. Forty-eight fluid ounce plastic bottle. Not blends,
corn oil, olive oil, or canola oil. Use: Crisco.
Cordless Phone. Nine hundred MHz Analog cordless phone with
Caller ID and Digital Answering Machine. Use: Uniden 900 MHz
(EXA13781).
Credit Card Interest. Obtain credit card interest rate and apply
it to the national average balance ($8,562) plus any annual fees
charged by the bank. Do not use Gold or Platinum cards. Use: Total
Cost.
Cremation. Direct cremation. Includes removal of remains, local
transportation to crematory, necessary body care and minimal service
of the staff. Include crematory fee. Do not include price of urn.
Use: Cremation.
Cured Ham, not canned. Price per pound a bone-in cured ham. Do
not price honey glazed. If store brand cannot be determined, match
the lowest priced item to store brand and note in comments. All
other data, such as national brand, should be matched as a
substitute. Use: Store brand.
Day Care. One month of day care for a 3-year old child, 5 days a
week, about 10 hours per day. If monthly rate is not available, (1)
obtain weekly rate, and record in the comments section, and (2)
multiply weekly rate by 4.33 to obtain monthly rate. Use: Day Care.
Dental Crown. Cost of a full crown on a lower molar, porcelain
fused to a high noble metal. Price crown only. Do not include price
of preparation or restoration of tooth to accept crown. Price for an
adult. Use: Dental Crown.
Dental Filing. Lower molar, two surfaces resin-based composite
filling. Price for an adult. Use: Dental Filling.
Dining Table Set. Expandable, rectangular table, removable 18''
leaf, expands table from 60 to 78'' long. 40 x 30'' H. 4 chairs 19 x
19 x 37'' H. (Include sales tax and shipping and handling.) Use:
Normandy Dining Set (5-piece).
Dinner FS (Casual). Eight to 12 ounce steak, small side dish
(e.g., rich or potato), side salad or salad bar, and coffee. Meal
should not include dessert. If 8-12 oz unavailable, price closest
size and note in comments. (Check Sales Tax and include in price.)
Use: Steak Dinner.
Dinner FS (CH-type). Ten to 16 ounce steak, salad, rice or
potato, and coffee. Do not include tip. (Check Sales Tax and include
in price.) Use: Large Steak Dinner.
Dinner FS (PH-type). Eight to 12 ounce steak, small side dish
(e.g., rice or potato), side salad or salad bar, and coffee. Meal
should not include dessert. If 8-12 ounce unavailable, price closest
size and note in comments. (Check Sales Tax and include in price.)
Use: Steak Dinner.
Dish Set. Corelle Abundance pattern tableware 20-piece set.
Includes: four dinner plates, four luncheon plates, four bowls, four
cups, and four saucers. Pattern is beige with a fruit and flower
motif. Use: Corelle Impressions.
Disposable Diapers. Forty-eight count package, Stage 2 (child
12-18 lbs.) Not overnight or larger size diapers. Use: Pampers Stage
2.
Doctor Office Visit. Typical fee when medical advice or simple
treatment is needed. Not initial visit. Exclude regular physical
examination, injections, medications, or lab tests. Price general
practitioner not pediatrician or other specialist. Use: Doctor
Visit.
Drill, Cord. Half-inch reversible, variable speed, key-type
chuck, 5.5amp electric drill with cord. Use: Black & Decker DR500.
Drill, Cordless. Variable speed, reversible, \3/8\ in. keyless
ratcheting chuck, 14.4 volt, electric drill with fast recharge,with
battery charger. Use: DeWalt DW928K-2. (Sears Item
00926842000 Mfr. Model DW928K-2).
Dry Clean Man's Suit. Two-piece man's suit of typical fabric. Do
not price for silk, suede or other unusual materials. Use: Dry
Cleaning.
DVD Movie. Current best-selling DVD movie. Do not price double
DVDs. Use: Maid in Manhattan, Road to Perdition, 8 Mile.
DVD Player. Progressive scan 5-disc CD/DVD changer. Note: Model
numbers may vary by dealer. Use: Sony (DVP-NC655P).
Education, K-12 Private. Cost of tuition. Note if books and
uniforms are included. If price varies by grade, record in comments
price for each grade. Note any annual, recurring fees, i.e.,
registration, computer, activity, etc. Avoid pricing at church-
affiliated schools if possible. If not possible, note any rate
difference for church members versus others. Use: Ed, K-12 Private.
Education, K-8 Private. Cost of tuition. Note if books and
uniforms are included. If price varies by grade, record in comments
price for each grade. Note any annual, recurring fees, i.e.,
registration, computer, activity, etc. Avoid pricing at church-
affiliated schools if possible. If not possible, note any rate
differences for church members versus others. Use: Ed, K-8 Private.
Eggs (White, Large). One dozen large eggs. Not brown eggs. If
store brand cannot be determined, match the lowest priced item to
store brand and note is comments. All other data, such as national
brand, should be matched as a substitute. Use: Store brand.
Electric Broom. Electric broom style vacuum cleaner w/approx. 2-
6 amps, 120 volts. Electric bag-less broom, dirt cup. Use: Eureka
The Boss bag-less (96B).
Electric/Gas/Oil Bill. Total monthly utility cost for
electricity/gas/oil (as appropriate) from utility function model.
Use: Electric/gas/oil bill.
Fast Food Dinner Burger. Hamburger meal consisting of a Big Mac,
medium fries and medium soft drink. (Check sales tax and include in
price.). Use: Big Mac Value Meal.
Fast Food Dinner Pizza. Medium cheese pizza (without extra
cheese) with salad and small soft drink. (Check sales tax and
Include in price.). Use: Medium Cheese Pizza.
Fast food Lunch Burger. Hamburger meal consisting of a Big Mac,
medium fries and medium soft drink. (Check sales tax and include in
price.) Use: Use Big Mac Value Meal.
Fast Food Lunch Pizza. Personal size cheese pizza (without extra
cheese) or one slice of cheese pizza, and a small soft drink. Do not
include salad. (Check sales tax and include in price.) Use: Cheese
Pizza.
FEGLI (Life Insurance). Federal Life Insurance. Assumed to be
constant across all areas. Use: Fixed amount.
FEHB Insurance. Self only and family Federal Health Benefits
Insurance. Use: OPM data on enrollment data and premiums.
FERS/CSRS Contributions. Federal retirement contributions.
Assumed to be constant across all areas. Use: Fixed amount.
Filing Cabinet. Two-drawer metal vertical file cabinet, approx.
24 x 14 x 18, file drawer sides may
accommodate hanging files. [Changed post survey to Space Solutions-
Basic File, model 14543 only.]. Use: Space Solutions, work Org
brand.
Film Processing 1 Hour. One hour color film processing, in
store. 24 exposure, 35 mm, 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 single prints. Use: One
hour processing.
Ford Explorer. Purchase price of a 2003 Ford Explorer XLT, 4x4,
4 door, 4.0 liter, 6
[[Page 12029]]
cylinder, 5-speed automatic overdrive transmission. Please note the
price of any special option packages. Use: Ford Explorer XLT.
Ford License, Registration, Taxes, and Inspection. License,
registration, periodic taxes (e.g., road or personal property tax,
but NOT one-time taxes such as sales tax), and inspection (e.g.,
safety and emissions) on a 2003 Ford Explorer XLT, 4 x 4, 4 door,
4.0 liter, 6 cylinder, 5-speed automatic overdrive transmission.
Use: Ford as specified.
Fresh Halibut Filet. Price per pound of fresh halibut fillet. Do
not price previously frozen (PF) or specially prepared varieties. Do
not price family-pack value-pack, super-save pack, or equivalent.
Use: Fresh Halibut Filet.
Frozen Fish Fillet. Price of frozen ocean whitefish breaded
filets, Crunchy Lemon Herb, 10 count. Use: Gorton's breaded fish
fillets.
Frozen Orange Juice. Twelve fluid ounce orange juice concentrate
(makes 48 fl oz). Do not price calcium fortified, pulp free, country
style, etc. Use: Minute Maid.
Frozen Peas. Sixteen ounce package of frozen peas. Use: National
brand. (Bird's Eye) [Changed post survey to C&W Petite peas.]
Frozen Turkey, National Brand. Price per pound of USDA graded,
frozen turkey. Do not price fresh turkey. Try to price approximately
14-16 pound bird Use: Butterball Turkey.
Frozen Turkey, Store Brand. Price per pound of USDA graded,
frozen turkey. Do not price fresh turkey. Try to price approximately
10-13 pound bird. Use: Store brand.
Frozen TV Dinner. One 11 ounce (approximate) frozen dinner with
vegetable and/or other condiment. Do not price Hungry Man or
equivalent extra-portion sizes. Use: Swanson Turkey Breast, Swanson
Angus Salisbury Steak.
Frozen Waffles. Ten waffles per package. Use: Eggo.
Fruit Drink. One gallon (128 fl oz) bottle. Use: Hi-C, Hawaiian
Punch.
Fruit Juice. Forty-eight ounce glass or plastic bottle of juice.
Use: Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice.
Gas. Price per gallon for self-service unleaded regular
gasoline. Use: Major brand.
Gelatin. Three ounce box gelatin dessert. Use: JELLO-O.
General Admission Evening Film. Adult price for regular length,
current-release (currently advertised on television). Report weekend
evening price if different from weekday. Use: Movie.
Girl's Dress. Cotton blend short or long-sleeved dress
appropriate for school. Exclude extra ornamentation. Size range 7-14
(for ages 8-10). Do not price in Junior's section. Use: Zoey, Girl
Code.
Girl's Jeans, Levi's 514. Slim fit in the seat and thighs with
flared legs and traditional 5-pocket styling, for girls ages 8-10
(size 7-14). [Changed post-survey to Levi's 514 in place of 517].
Use: Levi's 514.
Girl's Jeans, Store brand. Girls regular fit, pre-washed, 5-
pocket jeans, for girls ages 8-10 (size 7-14). Use: Store brand, (JC
Penney's brand is Arizona.)
Girl's Polo Type Top. Girl's polo cotton blend, striped or solid
pattern. Sizes 7-14. May find sizes S, M, and L, which is
acceptable. Do not price in Junior's section. Note brand in
comments. Use: Available brand.
Gold Ball Earrings hollow (Dept). One pair 6mm, 14K hollow, gold
ball earrings for pierced ears. If not available, but 4, 5, 7 or 8mm
are available, record each separately as a substitute. Do not price
gold filled. Use: Store brand.
Ground Beef (15% fat). Price per pound, fresh (not frozen or
previously frozen) USDA Choice graded if available. If Choice not
available, note USDA grade in comments. Price average size package.
Not family-pack, value-pack, super-saver pack, or equivalent. Use:
15% fat.
Ground Chuck or 20% fat Ground Beef. Price per pound, fresh (not
frozen or previously frozen) USDA Choice graded if available. If
Choice not available, note USDA grade in comments. Use average size
package. Not family-pack, value-pack, super-saver pack, or
equivalent. Use: Ground chuck or 20% fat Ground beet.
Hamburger Bunds. Eight-count package of sliced enriched white
hamburger buns. Do not price store brand, lite, whole wheat, or
sesame seed buns. Use: Wonder.
Hand-Held Vacuum. Cordless, 7.2 volt, hand-held vacuum with
upholstery brush and crevice tool. Use: Black & Decker DustBuster.
Health Club Membership. One-year regular individual membership
for existing member. No special offers. If no yearly rate, price
month and prorate. Service must include free weights, cardiovascular
equipment, and aerobic classes. Note if pool, tennis, racquet ball,
or other service included. (Gold's Gym-type) Use: Health Club.
Honda Civic. Purchase price of a 2003 Honda Civic Sedan DX, 4
door, 1.7 liter, SOHC, 4 cylinder, automatic transmission, without
side airbags. Add A/C. Please note the price of any special option
packages. Use: Honda Civic DX.
Honda License, Registration, Taxes, & Inspection. License,
registration, periodic taxes (e.g., road or personal property tax,
but NOT one-time taxes such as sales tax), and inspection (e.g.,
safety and emissions) on a 2003 Honda Civic Sedan DX, 4 door, 1.7
liter, 4 cylinder, automatic transmission. Use: Honda as specified.
Hospital Room (Private). Daily charge for a private room only.
Include food and routine care. Exclude cost of operating room,
surgery, medicine, lab fees, etc. Do not price speciality rooms,
e.g. those in cardiac care units. Use: Private Room.
Hospital Room (Semi-Private). Daily charge for a semi-private
room only. Include food and routine care. Exclude cost of operating
room, surgery, medicine, lab fees, etc. Do not price speciality
rooms, e.g., those in cardiac care units, medicine, lab fees, etc.
Do not price speciality rooms, e.g., those in cardiac care units.
Use: Semi-Private Room.
Hot Dogs. Sixteen ounce package, all beef, USDA graded. Do not
price chicken, turkey, extra lean, or fat free frankfurters. Use:
Oscar Mayer Beef Franks.
Housekeeping (Hourly Wage). Local hourly wage for a housekeeper
or janitor. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) code 37-2012. Use: BLS
wage data.
Ice Cream Cone (Gourmet). Regular (one scoop) vanilla ice cream
cone. Not frozen yogurt or soft-service ice cream. Use: Ice Cream
Cone (Gourmet).
Ice Cream Cone. Regular (one scoop) vanilla ice cream cone. Not
frozen yogurt on soft-serve ice cream. Use: Ice Cream Cone.
Ice Cream. One-half gallon vanilla flavored. Not ice milk, fat
free, sugar free, or frozen yogurt. Use: Breyers.
Infant's Sleeper. One-piece sleeping garment with legs, covering
the body including the feet. Can be packaged or hanging. Use:
Carters.
Instant Rice--Long Grain. Instant white rice, long grain. Use:
Uncle Ben's Instant Rice.
Insurance, Chevrolet Regular. Annual premium for Chevrolet; 35-
year-old married male driver, currently insured, no accidents/
violations. Commuting 15 miles one-way/day, annual 15,000 miles. BI
100/300, PD 25, Med 15 or PIP 50, UM 100/300. Comp 100 deductible.
Col 250 deductible. If this level of coverage is not available,
price the policy with the closest coverage. Use: National company,
if available.
Insurance, Ford Regular. Annual premium for Ford; 35-year-old
married male driver, currently insured, no accidents/violations.
Commuting 15 miles one-way/day, annual 15,000 miles. BI 100/300, PD
25, Med 15 or PIP 50, UM 100/300. Comp 100 deductible. Col 250
deductible. If this level of coverage is not available, price the
policy with the closest coverage. Use: National company, if
available.
Insurance, Honda Regular. Annual premium for Honda; 35-year-old
married male, currently insured, no accidents/violations. Commuting
15 miles one-way/day, annual 15,000 miles. BI 100/300, PD 25, Med 15
or PIP 50, UM 100/300. Comp 100 deductible. Col 250 deductible. If
this level of coverage is not available, price the policy with the
closest coverage. Use: National company, if available.
Internet Service, High Speed. Monthly charge for unlimited High
Speed Internet access, 1.5M/128K with 20 gigabytes transfer
approximately, via DSL or Cable. Price via internet, all areas at
the same time. Call for fee information. Itemize taxes and fees as
percent of rates or amounts and add into price. Use: Local Provider.
Jelly. Eighteen ounce jar of grape jelly. Use: Welch's.
Ketchup. Twenty-four ounce plastic squeeze bottle. Use: Heinz.
Kitchen Range (Electric)--1. 4.65 cu ft, 30'' electric, free
standing, self-cleaning, smooth top range. Note: Model numbers may
vary by dealer. [Original electric range for survey not found in
Anchorage. This item was found in DC and AN. Added post survey.]
Use: Whirlpool RF368LXKQ.
Kitchen Range (Electric)--2. 4.65 cu ft, 30'' electric, free
standing, self-cleaning, smooth top range. Note: Model numbers may
vary by dealer. Use: Whirlpool (FR364PXKW).
Kitchen Range (Electric)--3. 5.0 cu ft, 30'' electric, free
standing, smooth top range. Note: Model Numbers may vary by dealer.
Use: GE Spectra (JBP64BBWH).
Kitchen Range (Gas)--1. Thirty inch free standing gas range.
Note: Model numbers may vary by dealer. Use: GE (JGBP30BEAW).
[[Page 12030]]
Kitchen Range (Gas)--2. Thirty inch free standing gas range.
Note: Model numbers may vary by dealer. [Original gas range for
survey not found in Juneau. This item was found in DC and JU. Added
post survey.] Use: Whirlpool SF357PEKQ.
Laptop Computer. Gateway laptop with Mobile Intel Pentium 4
processor, 2.4 GHz, 512 MB, 40GB Hard Drive, 3.5'' Diskette Drive,
24x/10x/24x CDRW and 8x DVD combo, 15'' monitor. Note: 600S package
includes a carrying case and an extended service plan. (Include tax
and shipping and handling, if applicable.) Use: Gateway Laptop 600S.
Laundry Soap. Eighty fluid ounce liquid household laundry
detergent: Use: Wisk Ultra Sport.
Lawn Care (Hourly Wage). Local wage for gardener/grounds keeper.
BLS code 37-3011. Use: BLS wage data.
Lawn Mower, Self Propelled. Twenty-one to 22 inch self-propelled
6.5 HP gas lawn mower. [Changed post survey to Toro brand only.]
Use: Craftsman (37844), Toro (20017).
Lawn Trimmer, Gas. Gas powered 25cc 2-cycle engine, 17-18'' wide
cut. Straight or curved shaft okay. Bump or automatic line feed.
Note: Model numbers may vary by dealer. Use: Craftsman 17'' Gas Line
Trimmer, Homelite (UT20778).
LD Call Chicago. Cost of a 10 minute long distance call using
regional carrier, received on a weekday in Chicago at 8 p.m.
(Chicago time); direct dial. Itemize taxes and fees as percent of
rates or amounts and add to price. Use: AT&T.
LD Call Los Angeles. Cost of a 10 minute long distance call
using regional carrier, received on a weekday in LA at 8 p.m. (LA
time); direct dial. Itemize taxes and fees as percent of rates or
amounts and add to price. Use: AT&T.
LD Call New York. Cost of a 10 minute long distance call using
regional carrier, received on a weekday in NY at 8 p.m. (NY time);
direct dial. Itemize taxes and fees as percent of rates or amounts
and add to price. Use: AT&T.
Lettuce. Price per pound of iceberg lettuce. If only sold by the
head, note weight of an average head in comments. Use: Available
brand.
Lipstick. One tube. Use: Revlon Super Lustrous, Revlon
Moondrops.
Living Room Chair. Padded rocker/recliner. Side-handle for
reclining. High arms and wide seat. Covered with a textured chenille
fabric. (Include sales tax and shipping and handling.) Use: Rocker/
Recliner.
Lunch FS (PH-type). Cheeseburger platter with fries and small
soft drink. (Check sales tax and include in price.) Record burger
weight in comments. Use: Cheeseburger Platter.
Lunch Full-Service (Casual). Cheeseburger platter with fries and
small soft drink. (Check sales tax and INCLUDE in price.) Record
burger weight in comments. Use: Cheeseburger.
Lunch Meat. Eight ounce package. Price All-Beef variety. Use:
Oscar Mayer Beef Bologna.
Magazine Subscription. One-year home delivery price of a
magazine. Use: Time.com.
Magazine. Store price (not publisher's list price unless that is
the store price) for a single copy. Use: Time.
Man's Athletic Shoe (Dept--1). Man's walking shoe, soft leather
upper. Full-length Phylon midsole with low-pressure Air-Sole units
in heel and forefoot. Composition rubber outsole. Use: Reebok
Classic.
Man's Athletic Shoe (Dept--2). Man's walking shoe. Full-grain
leather upper, reflective material, polyurethane removable sock
liner, DMX walk chamber. Composition rubber outsole. Use: Reebok
Men's Platinum DMX.
Man's Athletic Shoe (Shoe). Man's walking shoe, soft leather
upper. Full-length Phylon midsole with low-pressure Air-Sole units
in heel and forefoot. Composition rubber outsole. Use: Reebok
Classic.
Man's Boot. Man's boot, full-grain waterproof leather and
vulcanized rubber. Liner has an acrylic cuff. Liner also has Heat
Pack Pocket. Inside, a 13mm Texel[reg] liner. Use: Polar Cap Pac
Boot (SC-83-0147).
Man's Dress Shirt. White or solid color long sleeve button cuff
plain collar dress shirt. Approximately 35% cotton/65% polyester.
Use: Arrow, Van Heusen.
Man's Jeans. Levi's[reg] Red Tab 550 Relaxed-Fit Jeans. Use:
Levi's Red Tab 550.
Man's Khaki Pants. Man's casual khakis, any color, relaxed-fit
or classic fit, no wrinkle, flat-front or pleated, cotton twill.
Use: Dockers Flat Front, Dockers Pleated.
Man's Leather Dress Shoe. Full leather lining, oak tanned/buffed
leather outsoles, polished leather uppers, steel shank. Use:
Bostonian Akron.
Man's Leather Dress Shoe (Catalog). Leather oxford. Cushioned
insole and heel pad. Combination leather and rubber sole. (Can be a
wingtip). Use: Bostonian Barrie.
Man's Leather Dress Shoe (Dept). Leather oxford. Cushioned
insole and heel pad. Combination leather and rubber sole. (Can be a
wingtip). Use: Bostonian Barrie, Rockport.
Man's Parka. Man's goose down parka 65/35 polyester/cotton,
weatherproof Teflon[reg] finish. Waist drawstring, hand-warmer
pockets, button-flap cargo pockets, pockets secure with Velcro[reg],
Medium size. Price regular sizes, not tall. (Include sales tax and
shipping and handling.) Use: North Slope Goose Down Parka.
Man's Regular Haircut, Salon. Wash, regular haircut, and blow
dry for short to medium length hair. Price hair salons in major
department stores and malls. Use: Man's Regular.
Man's Sport Watch. Leather strap, plastic face, water-resistant
up to 100 meters, digital display, date feature, lap counter,
countdown timer, 12/24 hour time, 2nd time zone with date, 3 alarms,
strap/watch colors may vary. Additional models that could be matched
are 48001, 47871, and 48021. Different models represent different
color of face or strap. Use: Timex Expedition (48042).
Man's Suit. Double-breasted worsted wool suit coat, flap
pockets, chest pocket, dry clean. Regular size, full acetate lining.
Price as a separate, not combo. (Include sales tax and shipping and
handling.) Use: Stafford Suit Coat.
Man's Thermal Underwear. Thermax Medium Weight Crew--Regular.
Top has rib-knit cuffs. Machine washable. (Include tax and shipping
and handling. Standard Express shipping for order amount: $15.01-
$30.00 is $5.95.) Use: CABELA's Thermax (SC-900949).
Man's Undershirt. One package of three Men's t-shirts. V-neck.
White 100% cotton undershirts with short sleeves. Use: Jockey.
Margarine. One (4 sticks) regular margarine. Do not price
reduced fat variety. Use: Parkay.
Mattress and Foundation. Full-size mattress and foundation.
Quilted cotton/polyester blend layer, convoluted supersoft polyfoam.
Mattress thickness: 11\3/4\''. Shock absorber foundation. (Include
sales tax and shipping and handling.) Use: Sealy Premium Plush Full.
Mayonnaise. Thirty-two ounce jar of mayonnaise. Do not price
light or fat free. Use: Kraft.
Measuring Tape. Twenty-five foot tape measure with powerlock.
Use: Stanley (33-425D).
Milk, 2%. One gallon (128 FL oz) of 2% butterfat milk. If store
brand cannot be determined, match the lowest priced item to store
brand and note in comments. All others, such as national brand,
should be matched as a substitute. Use: Store brand.
Mover Driver (Hourly Wage). Local government hourly rate for
truck driver light. BLS code 53-3033. Use: BLS wage data.
Newspaper Subscription, Regional. One-year of home delivery of
the largest selling daily regional paper (including Sunday edition)
distributed in the area. Do not include tip. Fairbanks (Fairbanks
Daily News Miner); Anchorage and Juneau (Anchorage Daily News); DC
(The Washington Post). Use: Newspaper, home delivery.
Newspaper, Newsstand, National. Price of a USA Today newspaper
at a newsstand (in box). Use: USA Today (newsstand).
Newspaper, Newsstand, Regional. Price of a regional newspaper at
a newsstand (in box). Fairbanks (Fairbanks Daily News Miner);
Anchorage and Juneau (Anchorage Daily News); DC (The Washington
Post).Use: Newspaper (Newsstand, regional).
Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever. Sixty tablets of extra-strength
acetaminophen. Not caplets or gel caps. If number of tablets
differs, note and prorate. Use: Tylenol.
Oranges. Price per pound of loose, large, navel oranges. If only
bagged oranges are available, also report the weight of the bag.
Note quality in comments. Use: Navel.
Parcel Post to Chicago. Cost to mail a 5 pound package to
Chicago using regular mail delivery service. Use: Parcel Post to
Chicago.
Parcel Post to Los Angeles. Cost to mail a 5 pound package to
Los Angeles using regular mail delivery service. Use: Parcel Post to
Los Angeles.
Parcel Post to New York. Cost to mail a 5 pound package to New
York using regular mail delivery service. Use: Parcel Post to New
York.
Pen. Ten-pack round stick medium point pen. Not crystal or clear
type. Use: Paper Mate.
Pet Food. Twenty pound bag of adult dry dog food. Use: Iams
Chunks Dog Food.
Piano Lessons. Monthly fee (one lesson per week, half hour
beginner private lesson).
[[Page 12031]]
Price through a music studio if possible. If only 1 hour per week
lessons available, prorate. Use: Piano Lessons.
Plant Food. Twenty-four ounce (1.5 lb) container of granulated
indoor plant food. Use: Miracle Grow.
Pork Chops Boneless. Price per pound, fresh (not frozen or
previously frozen) USDA Choice graded if available. If Choice not
available, note USDA grade in comments, Price average size package.
Not family-pack, value-pack, super-saver pack, or equivalent. Use:
Center Cut.
Portable CD Player: Portable CD player with headphones, with
electronic skip protection, CD-R/RW compatible. Use: Sony Walkman
(D-E350), Sony D-EJ360.
Potato Chips. Twelve ounce bag of regular potato chips. Use:
Lay's 12 oz.
Potatoes. Price per pound of loose potatoes. If only bag
potatoes available, report smallest size as substitute and note
weight. (Russet is also known as a baking potato or an Idaho
potato). Use: Russet Baking.
Prescription Drug 1. Twenty mg of 30 capsules of non-generic
Prilosec. Use: Prilosec.
Prescription Drug 2. Two hundred and fifty mg of 30 capsules of
generic Amoxicil (survey Amoxicillin). Use: Amoxicillin.
Preserved, Low Sugar. Strawberry preserves, low sugar, 15.5 oz.
Use: Smuckers.
Preserves, Sugar Free. Strawberry preserves, sugar free, 12.75
oz. Do not price low sugar jelly or light sugar free jam. Use:
Smucker's Light Preserves.
Printer, Color. Color Inkjet printer, 5760 x 720 dpi, 14 ppm
black and white, 10 ppm color, USB and parallel connection. USB
cable is not included. (Include tax and shipping and handling.) Use:
Gateway, Epson Stylus C62.
Red Roses. One dozen long stemmed, fresh cut red roses wrapped
in floral paper. Purchased in store; not delivered. Not boxed or
arranged in vase. Use: Dozen red roses.
Refrigerator (Side-by-Side). 25.4 cu ft (approximately), side-
by-side refrigerator with ice and water dispenser, water filtration
system, adjustable glass shelves, crisper, meat pan, up-front
temperature controls. Note: Model numbers may vary by dealer. Use:
Whirlpool (ED5FTGXKQ).
Rental Data. Rental indexes times 10 averages from hedonic
regressions. Use: OPM rental analyses.
Renter Insurance 1. One month of renters insurance (HO-4)
coverage for $25,000 of contents. Policy must cover hurricane,
earthquake, and other catastrophic damage. Use: National carrier, if
available.
Renter Insurance 2. One month of renters insurance (HO-4)
coverage for $30,000 of contents. Policy must cover hurricane,
earthquake, and other catastrophic damage. Use: National carrier, if
available.
Renter Insurance 3. One month of renters insurance (HO-4)
coverage for $35,000 of contents. Policy must cover hurricane,
earthquake, and other catastrophic damage. Use: National carrier, if
available.
Rip Claw Hammer. Twenty ounce, rip claw jacketed graphite
hammer. Use: Stanley (51-508).
Round Roast. Price per pound, fresh (not frozen or previously
frozen) USDA Choice graded if available. If Choice not available,
note USDA grade in comments. Price average size package. Not family-
pack, value-pack, super-saver pack, or equivalent. Use: Eye Round
Roast.
Round Steak. Price per pound, fresh (not frozen or previously
frozen) USDA Choice graded if available. If Choice not available,
note USDA grade in comments. Price average size package. Not family-
pack, value-pack, super-saver pack, or equivalent. Use: Boneless Top
Round.
Salt. Twenty-six ounce box of iodized salt. Use: Morton.
Shampoo. Fifteen ounce bottle for normal hair. Use: VO5.
Sheets. Two hundred and thirty to 250 thread count cotton or
cotton polyester blend. Queen size fitted or flat sheet. Not a set.
[Changed post survey to Springmaid brand, 300 thread count.] Use:
Store brand.
Shop Rate (Chevrolet). Hourly shop rate for a mechanic at a
Chevrolet dealership. Use: Chevrolet dealer.
Shop Rate (Ford). Hourly shop rate for a mechanic at a Ford
dealership. Use: Ford dealer.
Shop Rate (Honda). Hourly shop rate for a mechanic at a Honda
dealership. Use: Honda dealer.
Sirloin Steak. Price per pound, fresh (not frozen or previously
frozen) USDA Choice graded if available. If Choice not availalbe,
note USDA grade in comments. Price average size package. Not family-
pack, value-pack, super-saver pack, or equivalent. Use: Boneles
sirloin.
Skiing. Lift ticket for downhill skiing. Day pass for Saturday.
(High or Peak season, non-holiday, locally determined). (Changed
from extended-day pass, post survey.) Use: Skiing (Lift Ticket).
Sliced Bacon. Sixteen ounce package USDA grade, regular slice.
Not Canadian bacon, extra thick sliced, or extra lean. Use: Oscar
Mayer.
Snack Cake. One box (10 to a box) cream-filled type cake
deserts. Not fresh desserts, individual servings, or larger family-
style containers. Use: Hostess Twinkees.
Snow tire (Chevrolet, AK). One snow tire, size (LT245/75R16) for
a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, regular cab, 4WD. Do not include
mounting, balancing, or road hazard warranty. Use: Bridgestone
Winter Dueler w/UNI/T.
Snowblower. Current year model, two stage, 6.5 HP, 196 CC, 24''
clearing, rubber track driven snowblower with 210 degree adjustable
discharge chute. Use: Honda.
Soft Drink. Twelve-pack of cola soda 12 ounce cans. Use: Coca-
Cola.
Spaghetti, Dry (National brand). Sixteen ounce box or bag of
pasta spaghetti. Use: Barilla.
Stamp. Cost of mailing a one ounce letter first class. Use:
First class stamp.
Studded Snow tire (Chevrolet, AK). One snow tire with studs,
size (LT245/75R16 load range C or E), for a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado
1500, regular cab, 4WD. Do not include mounting, balancing, or road
hazard warranty. Use: Cooper Discoverer M+S.
Studded Snow Tire (Ford, AK). One pre-studded snow tire, size
(P235/75R15) for a 2000 Ford Explorer XLT, 4-door. Do not include
mounting, balancing, or road hazard warranty. Use: Firestone
Winterfire, Cooper Weather-Master S/T.
Studded Snow Tire (Honda, AK). One pre-studded snow tire, size
(P185/65R14 service description 85T or 86T) for a 2000 Honda. Do not
include mounting, balancing, or road hazard warranty. Use: Firestone
Winterfire, Cooper Weather-Master S/T.
Sugar. Fiver pound bag of granulated cane or beet name brand
sugar. Do not price superfine, store brand, or generic. Use:
National brand (Domino).
Tax Preparation. Flat rate for preparing individual tax Federal
1040 (long form), Schedule A, plus State or local equivalents.
(Note: Some areas only have local income taxes.) Note number of
forms in comments. Assume typical itemized deductions. If only
hourly rate available, obtain estimate of the time necessary to
prepare forms, prorate, and report as a substitute. Use: Price at
H&R Block-type outlets.
Taxi Fare. Five mile cab fare, one way, from major airport.
Include fare for only one passenger with two suitcases. (In DC, use
Dulles, BWI and National.) Include applicable taxes and record in
comments. Use: Taxi fare.
Telephone Service. Monthly cost for unmeasured touchtone
service. Exclude options such as call waiting, call forwarding or
fees for equipment rental. Itemize taxes and fees as percent of
rates or amounts and add into price. Use: Local phone service.
Television 27'' flat-screen. Twenty-seven inch flat-screen,
stereo, color, WEGA TV, with remote. Note: Model numbers may vary by
dealer. Use: Sony Trinitron (KV-27FS100).
Tennis Balls. One can of three heavy-duty yellow felt. Not
special gas-filled or premium type. Use: Wilson, Penn.
Tire Regular (Chevrolet, DC area & AK Average). One tire, size
(LT245/75R16 load range C or E) ``original equipment'' quality, for
a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup 4x4 regular cab, short box.
Do not include mounting, balancing, or road hazard warranty. Use:
Goodyear Wrangler RT/S, Bridgestone Dueler A/T w/UNI-T, Cooper
Discoverer A/T.
Tire Regular (Ford, DC area & AK Average). One tire, size (P235/
75 R15 service description 105S) for the 2000 Ford Explorer XLT,
``original equipment'' quality, black sidewall. Do not include
mounting, balancing, or road hazard warranty. Use: Goodyear Wrangler
RT/S, Bridgestone Dueler A/T w/UNI-T, Cooper Discoverer A/T.
Tire Regular (Honda, DC area & AK Average). One tire, size
(P185/65 R14 service description 85S) for the 2000 Honda Civic DX,
``original equipment'' quality, black sidewall. Do not include
mounting, balancing, or road hazard warranty. Use: Goodyear
Integrity, Bridgestone Potenza RE92, Cooper Lifeliner Classic II.
Tire Regular (Chevrolet, AK). One tire, size (LT245/75 R16 load
range C or E) ``original equipment'' quality, for a 2000 Chevrolet
Silverado 1500 pickup 4x4 regular cab, short box. Do not include
mounting, balancing, or road hazard warranty. Use: Goodyear Wrangler
RT/S, Bridgestone Dueler A/T w/UNI-T, Cooper Discoverer A/T.
[[Page 12032]]
Tire Regular (Ford, AK). One tire, size (P235/75 R15 service
description 105S) for the 2000 Ford Explorer XLT, ``original
equipment'' quality, black sidewall. Do not include mounting,
balancing, or road hazard warranty. Use: Goodyear Wrangler RT/S,
Bridgestone Dueler A/T w/UNI-T, Cooper Discoverer A/T.
Tire Regular (Honda, AK). One tire, size (P185/65 R14 service
description 85S) for the 2000 Honda Civic DX, ``original equipment''
quality, black sidewall. Do not include mounting, balancing, or road
hazard warranty. Use: Goodyear Integrity, Bridgestone Potenza RE92,
Cooper Lifeliner Classic II.
Toilet Tissue. Twelve-count single-roll type. Use: Charmin.
Tomatoes. Price per pound of medium-size tomatoes. If only
available in celo pack, note price and weight of average size
package. Not organic, `hydro', plum, or extra fancy tomatoes. Note
quality in comments. Use: Available brand.
Two-Slice Toaster. Cool-touch exterior, auto shutoff, extra-wide
slots, slide-out front access crumb tray, rotary shade selector.
Use: Proctor Silex Bagel Smart 22415.
Veterinary Services. Routine annual exam for a small dog
(approx. 25 to 30 lbs.) No booster shots, medication, or other
extras such as nail clipping, ear cleaning, etc. Use: Vet.
Video Rental. One video tape, 1-day or minimum rental rate for
Saturday7 night. Do not price new releases, oldies or classics where
price is different from a regular rental. Use: Spiderman, if
available.
Wash (Front Load) Single Load. One load, regular size, Front
Loading washing machine. Exclude drying. Use: Coin laundry front-
load.
Wash, (top load) Single Load. One load, regular size, Top
Loading washing machine. Exclude drying. Use: Coin laundry top load.
Washing Machine. 12-cycle super capacity plus washer. Note:
Model numbers may vary by dealer. Use: (WBSE3120BW).
Water Bill. Average monthly consumption in gallons and dollars
(cost for first ---- gallons; cost for over ---- gallons), sewage
and related charges, and customer service charge. Use: Water bill.
Wedding Band Non-Comfort (Dept). Men's size 10, 14K yellow gold,
5mm plain wedding band. Non-comfort fit. Use: Store brand.
Will Preparation. Hourly Rate to prepare a simple will. Not
paralegal. If only flat fate available, record amount and divide by
average amount of hours it would take to prepare will. Note is
comments. Use: Legal service.
Wine at Home. Chardonnay wine, any vintage, 750 ml. Include
liquor tax: Fairbanks 5%, Juneau 3% plus applicable sales tax in
price. Use: Turning Leaf.
Wine Away (Casual). One glass of house wine at casual restaurant
where meal is also priced. (Check Sales Tax and include in price).
Use: House brand.
Wine Away (CH-type). One glass of house white wine at Chart
House type restaurant where meal is also priced. (Check Sales Tax
and include in price). Use: House wine.
Woman's Athletic Shoe (Dept-1). Woman's walking shoe, soft
leather upper. Full-length Phylon midsole with low-pressure Air-Sole
units in heel and forefoot. Composition rubber outsole. Use: Reebok
Classic.
Woman's Athletic Shoe (Dep-2). Woman's walking shoe. Full-grain
leather upper, beveled heel, DMX walk chamber, transition bridge,
composition rubber outsole. [Added post survey.] Use: Reebok Walk
Platinum DMX.
Woman's Athletic Shoe (Shoe). Woman's walking shoe, soft leather
upper. Full-length Phylon midsole with low-pressure Air-Sole units
in heel and forefoot. Composition rubber outsole. Use: Reebok
Classic.
Woman's Blouse (Polyester). One hundred percent polyester short
sleeve, button front blouse with minimum or no trim. Washable. May
or may not have shoulder pads. (Laura Scott is at Sears) (Notations
is at Macy's and Hecht's) (Liz Baker is at JCPenney). Price regular
size. Do not price in Woman's or Plus size. Note brand in comments.
Use: Available brand.
Woman's Blue Jeans. Blue jeans. Machine washable, five pocket
with zipper fly, loose fit, straight leg or tapered. Price regular
size. Do not price in Woman's or Plus size sections. Do not price
elastic waist. Use: Lee original relaxed fit.
Woman's Boot. Woman's waterproof insulated boot. 7\1/2\ ''shaft.
Full grain leather upper, insulation up to -45[deg]F, front zipper
for easy on-off. Price regular size. (Include sales tax and shipping
handling.) Use: Columbia Bugazip (SC-83-0063).
Woman's Casual Khakis. Woman's casual khakis, any color, flat-
front or pleated pant, machine washable. Price regular size. Do not
price in Woman's or Plus size sections. Use: Dockers Flat Front,
Dockers Pleated.
Woman's Cut and Style. Wash, cut, and styled blow dry for medium
length hair. Exclude curling iron if extra. Price hair salons in
major department stores and malls. Use: Woman's haircut.
Woman's Dress. Woman's reversible, sleeveless, 100% rayon or
rayon blend, long dress, length is past the knee, any print. Price
regular size. Do not price in Woman's or Plus size. Use: Sag Harbor.
Woman's Parka. Woman's down Parka, micro-fiber shell, removable
natural coyote fur ruff, suede leather piping across chest and back,
two-way YKK[reg] zipper, button storm flap, two cargo pockets,
zippered internal pocket, drawstring waist and adjustable cuffs.
Price regular sizes, not tall. (Include sales tax and shipping and
handling.) Use: Fairbanks Parka (SC-91-1577).
Woman's Pump Shoes. Plain pump (not open toed or open back
style), tapered approx. 2'' heel matches shoe (not stacked/wooden
type), leather uppers, the remaining parts are man-made materials.
No extra ornamentation, extra thick heels, and wedge-type heel. Do
not price leather sole shoe. (I Love Comfort, Allure, Caressa, 9.2.5
are known brands.) Use: Store brand.
Woman's Sweater. Short sleeve sweater, no buttons or collar.
100% cotton or cotton blend. Price regular size. Do not price in
Woman's or Plus size. Use: Sag Harbor.
Woman's Wallet. Clutch/checkbook style wallet. Split-grain,
cowhide leather. Not eel skin, snake skin or other varieties. Use:
Buxton, Mundi.
Appendix 4--COLA Rental Survey Data Collection Elements
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data element Description of data
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comparable identification code*... A five character code that is unique
to each comparable and structured
as follows: Position 1 is the
letter corresponding to the area in
which the comparable is located,
i.e., A, B, C, or D. Position 2 is
the letter corresponding to the
location as identified in which the
comparable is located. Position 3
is the letter corresponding to the
class of housing shown in Section
A.3.5.1. Positions 4 and 5 is a
sequence number 01 through 99 that
identifies the order in which that
comparable was collected relative
to other comparables of the same
class in the same location and
area.
Comparable's address*............. Complete location address of the
comparable, including ZIP code, NOT
Post Office Box, and name of multi-
family complex (as applicable).
How initially identified*......... Internet, broker, drive-by,
newspaper, published rental listing
(e.g., as often found in
supermarkets), other.
Person providing information, if Name and title of person providing
applicable. information about the comparable.
Examples of title: agent, landlord,
tenant.
Address, etc. of person providing Complete mailing address, phone
information. number(s), and email address, as
appropriate, of person providing
information about the comparable.
Community name, if applicable..... Name of community in which
comparable is located.
Year built........................ Year built or year of last
remodeling affecting 50% or more of
the structure.
Finished space*................... Total sq. ft. of finished space
(i.e., living-area).
Basement*......................... Yes/no.
Bedrooms*......................... Number of bedrooms.
Bathrooms*........................ Number of bathrooms (\1/2\ bath is
toilet and sink; full bath is
toilet, sink, shower, and/or tub).
Arctic entrance*.................. Yes/no.
Balcony*.......................... Covered, uncovered, none.
[[Page 12033]]
Deck*............................. Covered, uncovered, none.
Patio*............................ Covered, uncovered, none.
External condition*............... Excellent, good, poor. Excellent
condition means the unit is new or
like new condition (e.g., recently
remodeled, refurbished, or
restored). Good condition means the
unit shows signs of age but is in
good repair (e.g., the paint is not
peeling, there are no broken
windows, sagging fences, or missing
gutters; the yard is maintained;
and there are no disabled cars,
appliances, or other trash around
the property). Poor condition means
the unit is habitable but needs
repair and the property needs
maintenance and/or trash removal.
Neighborhood condition*........... Desirable, average, undesirable. A
desirable neighborhood generally
has homes in excellent or good
condition. Commercial services are
separate (e.g., clustered in strip
malls or business parks). There are
many parks and/or open public
spaces. Roads and parks are well-
maintained and clean. Other public
services, including schools, are
believed to be good; and the crime
rate is perceived to be low. An
average neighborhood generally has
homes in good condition with a
balance of homes in excellent and
poor condition. Commercial services
are separate. Roads and parks are
in good condition but may need
cleaning or maintenance. Other
public services are perceived to be
acceptable but not exceptional. An
undesirable neighborhood generally
has homes in poor condition.
Commercial units may be
intermingled with residential
units. Roads are often crowded and/
or poorly maintained and have
litter. There are few parks and
those are also poorly maintained.
Other public services are believed
to be marginal; and crime rate is
perceived to be high.
Heating fuel.*.................... Primary heating fuel (e.g.,
electricity, natural gas, propane,
fuel oil, wood, other).
Central air conditioning.*........ Yes/no. Central air is a ducted
system designed to cool all or
essentially all of a house or
apartment.
Multi-room air conditioning*...... Yes/no. If yes and if available,
report number of multi-room units.
Multi-room air conditioning is a
non-window unit designed to cool
more than one room but not all of a
house or apartment.
Window air conditioning*.......... Yes/no. If yes and if available,
report number of window-type air
conditioning units.
Exterior construction*............ Exterior construction materials
(e.g., brick, stone, cement, block,
wood, metal, or vinyl siding).
Garage*........................... Triple (or more), double, single,
non. Heated: Yes/no.
Carport*.......................... Yes/no.
Reserved parking.................. Yes/no.
Security*......................... Gated community, guard, alarm
system, none.
Type of unit*..................... Type of unit.
End Unit Townhouse*............... Yes/No (two attached single family
homes would be answered as No).
Lot size*......................... Approximate square footage (detached
single family units only).
Furnishings provided by landlord*. Yes/no.
Appliances provided by landlord*.. Yes/no. If yes and information is
available, report if refrigerator,
range, oven, dishwasher, clothes
washer, clothes dryer, and/or
freezer provided.
Services paid by landlord*........ Water, sewer (includes septic),
garbage collection, lawn care,
cable television, satellite dish,
electricity, heating fuel,
firewood, snow removal.
Water source...................... Public, well, cistern, none.
Sewer............................. Public, septic, none.
Fireplace......................... Yes/no.
Paved road*....................... Yes/no.
Sidewalks......................... Yes/no.
Streetlights*..................... Yes/no.
Complementary recreation Yes/no. If yes, note complementary
facilities*. (i.e., free) swimming pools, club
houses, tennis courts, or other
significant recreational facilities
available.
Pets.............................. Yes/no. Yes, if dogs, cats, or both
allowed; else no.
Exceptional view*................. Yes/no. A view of a park, ocean,
mountain, valley, golf course,
etc., that is unusually beautiful
for the area and may increase the
rental value of the property.
[Note: Properties with direct
access to such an amenity are not
comparable and must not be
surveyed.]
Vacant............................ Yes/no. If vacant and if known,
report how unit long has been on
market.
Rent*............................. Rental or lease amount per month.
Date of listing*.................. Date associated with rental rate
reported above.
Other fees and charges.*.......... Additional periodic fees or charges
that the tenant pays, e.g., parking
fees, condo fees, pet fees. Do not
include deposits, first/last
month's rent, utilities, tenant's
insurance, or discretionary fees
(e.g., cable TV, community pool
membership).
Comment........................... Additional information that helps
clarify above data elements as they
apply to the comparable.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Required.
BILLING CODE 6325-39-M
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[FR Doc. 04-5428 Filed 3-12-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-C