The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington rose 0.6 percent in June and July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that a 0.8-percent increase in the index for all items less food and energy was the biggest contributor in the two-month rise, led primarily by a rise in the shelter index. The energy index declined by 0.8 percent, somewhat countering these increases, while food remained unchanged in June and July. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, short-term changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

During the year ending in July 2019, the all items CPI-U rose 2.3 percent, driven primarily by increases in all items less food and energy (+2.7 percent), but also by the food index (+2.4 percent). Declines in the index for energy continued for the second straight reporting period. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index remained unchanged in June and July after increasing 0.8 percent in April and May. The two sub-components balanced countering trends to the bimonthly food index as the index for food away from home increased 0.2 percent, while the index for food at home decreased 0.3 percent.

During the 12 months ending in July 2019, the food index was up 2.4 percent, the third consecutive reported increase over 2.0 percent. The gain reflected differing rates of increase among the sub-components. The index for food away from home climbed 4.7 percent over the year, while food at home (grocery prices) edged up slightly over the year (+0.2 percent).

Energy

The index for energy declined 0.8 percent in June and July, after climbing 6.1 percent in April and May. While motor fuel losses were the main contributor (-2.4 percent), increases in the index for natural gas (+11.9 percent) partially offset this decline.

The energy index fell 2.1 percent during the year ending in July 2019. This third consecutive annual decline was the result of lower prices for motor fuel and natural gas, down 2.9 and 8.9 percent, respectively. Partially countering this decrease, the electricity index edged up 0.2 percent during the previous 12 months.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent in June and July, after falling 0.2 percent in April and May. Advances in the index were led almost entirely by the rising costs of shelter, with owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence and rent of primary residence both experiencing gains, up 2.1 and 0.5 percent, respectively. Other contributors to the increase in the all items less food and energy index included medical care (+0.5 percent), education and communication (+0.7 percent), and other goods and services (+0.8 percent). Falling costs in recreation and transportation, with the exception of a 2.2-percent increase in the index for used cars and trucks, slightly offset these increases.

From July 2018 to July 2019, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.7 percent. Similar to the bimonthly trend, the index for shelter was up 4.1 percent, and was responsible for a majority of the annual rise. Increases in the index for medical care (+3.2 percent) also contributed, while apparel’s 6.7-percent increase, although relatively small in contribution, was its largest since September 2006.

The September 2019 Consumer Price Index for All Items for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is scheduled to be released Thursday, October 10, 2019.

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, Core Based Statistical Area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise Counties.

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,
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from -
	May 2019	Jun. 2019	Jul. 2019	Jul. 2018	May 2019	Jun. 2019
All items	237.485	-	238.891	2.3	0.6	-
All items (1967 = 100)	744.978	-	749.389
Food and beverages	257.955	-	258.538	2.6	0.2	-
Food	252.480	-	252.391	2.4	0.0	-
Food at home	212.370	211.021	211.830	0.2	-0.3	0.4
Cereals and bakery products	263.247	-	259.782	3.6	-1.3	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	243.236	-	236.796	-3.1	-2.6	-
Dairy and related products	191.188	-	189.667	3.7	-0.8	-
Fruits and vegetables	192.069	-	193.401	-4.9	0.7	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	182.188	-	184.898	3.8	1.5	-
Other food at home	200.702	-	202.821	2.0	1.1	-
Food away from home	312.850	-	313.411	4.7	0.2	-
Alcoholic beverages	321.877	-	341.438	8.5	6.1	-
Housing	228.109	-	231.993	3.1	1.7	-
Shelter	254.749	257.774	260.098	4.1	2.1	0.9
Rent of primary residence	273.876	274.742	275.319	2.8	0.5	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)	274.250	276.922	279.916	4.8	2.1	1.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)	274.250	276.922	279.916	4.8	2.1	1.1
Fuels and utilities	242.316	-	244.746	1.3	1.0	-
Household energy	214.057	214.515	217.260	-1.1	1.5	1.3
Energy services	210.442	210.986	213.667	-1.0	1.5	1.3
Electricity	206.343	206.635	206.634	0.2	0.1	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service	168.327	170.226	188.408	-8.9	11.9	10.7
Household furnishings and operations	118.406	-	117.747	-2.0	-0.6	-
Apparel	109.881	-	109.784	6.7	-0.1	-
Transportation	215.174	-	213.689	0.2	-0.7	-
Private transportation	218.007	-	217.458	-0.3	-0.3	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	108.645	-	109.512	0.5	0.8	-
New vehicles(1)	208.836	-	205.751	1.0	-1.5	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	326.043	-	333.369	0.9	2.2	-
Motor fuel	248.740	229.529	242.815	-2.9	-2.4	5.8
Gasoline (all types)	247.453	228.164	241.660	-2.8	-2.3	5.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	237.949	218.968	232.180	-2.9	-2.4	6.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	260.639	243.377	257.887	-2.2	-1.1	6.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	265.511	248.448	260.430	-1.9	-1.9	4.8
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	783.304	-	782.720	-2.2	-0.1	-
Medical care	451.533	-	453.839	3.2	0.5	-
Recreation(3)	123.646	-	120.154	1.2	-2.8	-
Education and communication(3)	131.659	-	132.533	-1.6	0.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,264.443	-	1,275.729	2.4	0.9	-
Other goods and services	414.747	-	417.921	3.6	0.8	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	178.699	-	178.318	1.7	-0.2	-
Commodities less food and beverages	142.850	-	142.212	1.2	-0.4	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	180.944	-	179.171	0.9	-1.0	-
Durables	110.667	-	110.908	1.5	0.2	-
Services	294.842	-	297.962	2.6	1.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	230.085	-	229.638	1.3	-0.2	-
All items less medical care	227.097	-	228.458	2.2	0.6	-
Commodities less food	147.698	-	147.252	1.3	-0.3	-
Nondurables	216.483	-	215.640	1.8	-0.4	-
Nondurables less food	188.079	-	186.759	1.2	-0.7	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	349.421	-	348.870	0.9	-0.2	-
Services less medical care services	278.688	-	281.819	2.4	1.1	-
Energy	234.155	223.850	232.378	-2.1	-0.8	3.8
All items less energy	241.921	-	243.642	2.7	0.7	-
All items less food and energy	240.006	-	241.988	2.7	0.8	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a February 1978=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) Index on a December 1993=100.
- Data not available.