The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington increased 0.8 percent from June to August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that the recent two-month increase reflected a 0.8-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index. The energy index also increased since June, up 2.9 percent, while the food index declined 0.5 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 0.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The over-the-year rise was due to increases in the all items less food and energy (0.8 percent) and the food index (3.9 percent). The energy index declined since August 2019, down 9.8 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index decreased 0.5 percent over the last two months. Prices for food at home decreased since June, down 2.0 percent, while those for food away from home rose 1.3 percent. Within the food at home component, prices were lower for items such as breakfast cereal and cheese and related products, while prices were higher for carbonated drinks and processed fish and seafood.

Over the year, the food index increased 3.9 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 4.9 percent, and those for food at home were up 3.2 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, rose 2.9 percent since June. The two-month rise was due to a 5.6-percent increase in gasoline prices. Prices were lower for electricity, down 0.4 percent, while those for utility (piped) gas service were unchanged.

Over the year, the energy index decreased 9.8 percent, led by a drop in gasoline prices, down 13.7 percent. Prices were also lower for utility (piped) gas service and electricity, down 9.3 and 0.8 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.8 percent from June to August. Higher prices were led by apparel (6.2 percent), medical care (1.3 percent), and shelter (0.2 percent), among others.

Since August 2019, the index for all items less food and energy increased 0.8 percent. Prices were higher for a number of items including shelter (1.9 percent) and medical care (3.4 percent), among others.

Table A. Philadelphia CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2016		2017		2018		2019		2020
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	0.3	0.3	0.7	2.1	0.4	0.5	0.8	1.5	1.0	2.6
April	0.9	0.6	0.0	1.3	0.9	1.4	1.3	1.9	-1.3	-0.1
June	0.3	0.1	-0.3	0.7	0.2	1.9	0.5	2.1	0.6	0.1
August	-0.2	0.4	0.5	1.4	0.3	1.7	0.5	2.3	0.8	0.4
October	0.6	1.3	0.0	0.8	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.9
December	-0.1	1.7	-0.1	0.8	-0.7	1.0	-0.3	2.4

The Consumer Price Index for October 2020 is scheduled to be released Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 8:30 am (ET).

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is published bi-monthly. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed market basket of goods and services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: (1) a CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) which covers approximately 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total population. The CPI-U includes, in addition to wage earners and clerical workers, groups such as professional, managerial, and technical workers, the self-employed, short-term workers, the unemployed, and retirees and others not in the labor force.

The CPI is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, and fuels, transportation fares, charges for doctors' and dentists' services, drugs, and the other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. Each month, prices are collected in 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 retail establishments--department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other types of stores and service establishments. All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included in the index.

The index measures price changes from a designated reference date (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period "market basket" of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch17.pdf.

In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each location are averaged together with weights that represent their importance in the spending of the appropriate population group. Local data are then combined to obtain a U.S. city average. Because the sample size of a local area is smaller, the local area index is subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error than the national index. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although their long-term trends are quite similar. Note: Area indexes do not measure differences in the level of prices between cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Core Based Statistical Area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Jun. 2020	Jul. 2020	Aug. 2020	Aug. 2019	Jun. 2020	Jul. 2020
All items		257.983		259.965	0.4	0.8
All items (1967 = 100)		745.298		751.024
Food and beverages		249.143		247.708	3.9	-0.6
Food		249.912		248.538	3.9	-0.5
Food at home		254.671	251.468	249.641	3.2	-2.0	-0.7
Cereals and bakery products		333.041		326.923	5.5	-1.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		297.807		276.408	4.4	-7.2
Dairy and related products		210.964		206.977	1.9	-1.9
Fruits and vegetables		277.844		272.037	0.5	-2.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		167.259		170.459	4.0	1.9
Other food at home		225.407		228.318	3.0	1.3
Food away from home		238.118		241.139	4.9	1.3
Alcoholic beverages		235.409		233.059	3.0	-1.0
Housing		270.497		271.400	0.9	0.3
Shelter		340.467	341.176	341.300	1.9	0.2	0.0
Rent of primary residence		316.667	317.276	318.309	2.2	0.5	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		351.601	352.352	353.144	2.9	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		351.601	352.352	353.144	2.9	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities		202.892		204.899	-4.3	1.0
Household energy		162.727	164.592	164.402	-6.5	1.0	-0.1
Energy services		180.030	180.563	179.562	-3.9	-0.3	-0.6
Electricity		181.037	181.809	180.376	-0.8	-0.4	-0.8
Utility (piped) gas service		165.909	165.896	165.887	-9.3	0.0	0.0
Household furnishings and operations		115.511		115.948	-2.3	0.4
Apparel		100.976		107.278	-3.1	6.2
Transportation		200.284		203.815	-5.5	1.8
Private transportation		201.663		206.790	-3.9	2.5
New and used motor vehicles(3)		97.625		100.092	-1.3	2.5
New vehicles(1)		174.854		175.581	-1.7	0.4
Used cars and trucks(1)		253.189		277.154	4.4	9.5
Motor fuel		204.322	215.591	215.549	-13.8	5.5	0.0
Gasoline (all types)		201.645	212.913	212.971	-13.7	5.6	0.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		197.968	209.372	209.552	-14.0	5.9	0.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		212.952	223.761	222.765	-11.9	4.6	-0.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		211.291	220.515	219.771	-12.3	4.0	-0.3
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		692.479		709.881	-2.0	2.5
Medical care		556.977		564.443	3.4	1.3
Recreation(3)		125.300		126.137	0.5	0.7
Education and communication(3)		132.397		133.349	1.0	0.7
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,055.577		1,048.279	0.3	-0.7
Other goods and services		552.226		564.057	1.0	2.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		179.290		182.043	-0.7	1.5
Commodities less food and beverages		142.508		146.884	-3.3	3.1
Nondurables less food and beverages		178.514		185.195	-5.2	3.7
Durables		101.604		103.901	-0.9	2.3
Services		337.363		338.541	0.9	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		230.722		233.102	-0.4	1.0
All items less medical care		245.342		247.092	0.1	0.7
Commodities less food		145.734		149.970	-3.1	2.9
Nondurables		214.641		217.383	-0.6	1.3
Nondurables less food		181.836		188.026	-4.7	3.4
Services less rent of shelter(2)		341.586		343.142	-0.2	0.5
Services less medical care services		320.882		321.440	0.5	0.2
Energy		177.655	182.930	182.794	-9.8	2.9	-0.1
All items less energy		268.496		270.214	1.2	0.6
All items less food and energy		274.171		276.495	0.8	0.8
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.