But the CPI targets a generic US consumer. I would argue that poor people have a different priority list than the rich. The US economy is increasingly polarized with a widening gap between rich and poor.

I am curious as to whether the CPI targets the average person or the average consumer. Rich people spend more. They consumer more and are therefore overrepresented in most consumer-related measurements. Is the CPI meant as a measure of the cost of living or a tool for the calculation of available spending power?