About the Event
The National Association for Business Economics (NABE), in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), convened a panel of experts to examine approaches for addressing missing Consumer Expenditure (CE) data from October and November 2025.
BLS staff outlined the issue and key operational considerations, followed by a discussion of potential data imputation methods—including carry-forward and interpolation—and their implications for CE estimates and the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Panelists explored the effects on spending weights, key CPI components (including rent and owners’ equivalent rent), price changes, seasonal adjustment, and upcoming publications.
Event Replay & Summary
Watch Full Replay
Event Summary:
The BLS/NABE meeting examined alternative methodologies the Bureau of Labor Statistics could use to produce Consumer Expenditure (CE) Survey estimates for data that were not collected during the government shutdown. The discussion brought together experts to assess potential approaches, their methodological implications, and the challenges of maintaining data quality and continuity. A detailed summary of the event is available for download.
Download Event Summary
Virtual Q&A
The NABE Connect app will be used for virtual audience questions. We encourage all virtual attendees who plan to submit questions to download the app in advance of the conference to allow ample time to troubleshoot any potential issues. The app is available on
Apple/iOS and
Google/Android. Once downloaded, use your NABE.com username and password to sign in, and
use this guide for instructions on how to submit a question.
Questions? Contact
[email protected] if you need assistance.
Schedule for the Day
9:15 am – 9:30 am
Arrival and coffee
9:30 am – 9:45 am
Panel convenes; introductions of panel members and BLS staff
9:45 am – 10:30 am
BLS presents proposed solutions for how CE and CPI will handle missing October and November 2025 Consumer Expenditure Survey data and discusses alternatives considered and discarded (20 minutes for CE, 25 minutes for CPI). The presentation includes a timeline for planned 2026 data releases.
10:30 am – 11:30 am
Panel and BLS staff discussion period with questions and answers. If time permits, questions from in-person and virtual attendees will also be addressed.
11:30 am – 12:45 pm
Break / lunch on your own
11:30 am – 12:45 pm
Panel meets separately over lunch to discuss opinions, develop feedback, and provide potential recommendations
12:45 pm – 1:45 pm
Panel presents opinions, pros and cons, and other observations regarding the approaches and impacts. If possible, the panel identifies consensus recommendations and any individual agreements or concerns. Time will be reserved for final questions and answers, and BLS will outline how it tentatively plans to proceed.