CWU Student Price Index (SPI) Project | Central Washington University

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CWU Student Price Index (SPI) Project

Central Washington University Student Price Index (SPI) Project

Overview

The Student Price Index (SPI) Project, launched in Fall 2019, is jointly led by the Economics Association and the Department of Economics at Central Washington University. The project seeks to capture the true cost of college living in Ellensburg, Washington. Currently, the project is overseen by Dr.Yurim Lee and serves as a practical, data-driven complement to national inflation measures by centering student experiences

Modeled to align with national standards from the Bureau of Labor Statistics while reflecting the distinctive spending patterns of CWU students, the SPI provides a locally relevant measure of inflation faced by students. Using data from a campus-wide expenditure survey, the project constructs a student-specific basket of goods and services, with weights that reflect how students actually spend their money.

Each month, students collect prices for items in this basket from a wide range of sources, including grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, housing platforms such as Zillow, local business websites, and on-campus partners such as the Wildcat Shop and Dining Services. These data are used to compute the monthly Student Price Index and student inflation rates, offering timely insights into price changes that directly affect student life in Ellensburg. The SPI Project is fundamentally student-centered and experiential. Students play a central role in survey design, data collection, analysis, and reporting, working closely with faculty in a collaborative, low-stakes research environment. Participants gain hands-on experience in economic analysis, data management, statistical software, and professional communication, while also developing presentation and networking skills. Students regularly share their findings with the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce and present at venues such as CWU Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE), the Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Conference, and the Economics Department’s Economic Outlook Conference. Through sustained engagement, the project not only enhances economic literacy and career readiness but also provides a meaningful opportunity for students to contribute to applied research with real-world impact.

Support us by following the project on Instagram at @cwuecon_drlee!

Project Reach and External Interest

Since its launch, the SPI Project has attracted interest from peer institutions seeking to develop similar, student-centered cost-of-living indices on their campuses. Several colleges and universities have reached out to learn more about the SPI’s methodology, survey design, and implementation. The project team has provided guidance on best practices, data collection strategies, and student engagement models to support these efforts.

Institutions that have expressed interest include:

Whitman College Logo Stephen F. Austin State University Logo

If you are interested or have any questions on the project, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Yurim Lee at yurim.lee@cwu.edu.

Are You a CWU Student and Interested in Participating?

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The CWU SPI has been presented at:

· 21st Annual Economic Outlook Conference 2025, Department of Economics, CWU. Presented by: Erdenetuya Batgerel, Amneet Pawar, Cole Smith. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Yurim Lee.

· 59th Pacific Northwest Regional Economics Conference (PNREC) 2025 in Bellingham, Washington. Presented by: Amneet Pawar and Cole Smith. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Yurim Lee.

· CWU Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE) 2025: Session award recipient.

"Central Washington University Student Price Index Project 2024." Presented by Amneet Pawar and Cole Smith. Project Mentor: Dr. Yurim Lee.
"Student Price Index: A Recalculation of Weights Using Updated Student Expenditure Data." Presented by Ryder Moss and Ian Seibel. Project Mentors: Dr. Yurim Lee and Dr. David Zuckerman.

· 20th Annual Economic Outlook Conference 2024, Department of Economics, CWU. Presented by: Caden McNair and James Gibson. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Yurim Lee.

· 58th Pacific Northwest Regional Economics Conference (PNREC) 2024 in Bend, Oregon. Presented by: Caden McNair and James Gibson. Faculty AdvisorL Dr. Yurim Lee.

· CWU Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE) 2024: Session award recipient. Presented by Caden McNair and James Gibson. Project Mentor: Dr. Yurim Lee.

· CWU Board of Trustees Meeting, Feb. 2024. Presented by: Dr. Yurim Lee and Landen Hashimura.

· 19th Annual Economic Outlook Conference 2023, Department of Economics, CWU. Presented by: Mia Young, Landen Hashimura, and Caden McNair. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Yurim Lee.

· CWU Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE) 2023.

"Student Price Index Project: An Overview." Presented by Mia Young, Sophia Apostolides, Landen Hashimura, Caden McNair, and Jeremy Rexus. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Yurim Lee.
"Student Price Indec Project: Analysis of Spending Data from a Fall 2022 Survey." Presented by: James Gibson and Kaleb Eskridge. Faculty Mentors: Dr. Yurim Lee and Dr. David Zuckerman.

· 57th Pacific Northwest Regional Economics Conference (PENREC) 2023 in Walla Walla, WA. Presented by: Mia Young, Landen Hashimura, and Caden McNair. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Yurim Lee.

· CWU Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE) 2022. Presented by: Kaylee Cooper, Landen Hashimura, Mia Young, Betty Mittelsteadt. Project Mentor: Dr. Tennecia Dacass.

· 56th Pacific Northwest Regional Economics Conference (PNREC) 2022 in Hood River, OR. Presented by: Kaylee Cooper. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tennecia Dacass.

· CWU Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE) 2021: Award recipient for the College of Business. Presented by Zachary Dowdy and Kaylee Cooper. Project Mentor: Dr. Tennecia Dacass.

· 56th Pacific Northwest Regional Economics Conference (PNREC) 2021. Presented by Zachary Dowdy. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tennecia Dacass.

The CWU SPI has been featured in:

· CWU Pulse Magazine, Winter 2023

· The Voyage Magazine by the College of Business, Summer 2023

The CWU SPI has received:

· CWU Career Services Funding, 2025 ($492.93)

· 2025-26 Faculty-Student Provost Research Grant ($3,000)

· SLICE Funds – Feb. 2025 ($600)

· CWU Career Services Funding, 2024 ($1,111)

· 2024-25 Faculty-Student Provost Research Grant ($3,000)

· SLICE Funds – May 2023 ($1,721)

· 2023-24 Faculty-Student Provost Research Grant ($1,500)

· 2022-23 Faculty-Student Provost Research Grant ($3,000)

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