The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater increased 1.0 percent from May to July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent since May, while the energy index advanced 9.2 percent. The food index declined 0.8 percent over the bi-monthly period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The all items CPI-U rose 1.8 percent from July 2019 to July 2020. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.5 percent over the past 12 months, while the food index jumped 6.9 percent. The energy index fell 15.9 percent over the past year. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index declined 0.8 percent from May to July, led by a 1.2-percent decline in the food at home index. The food away from home index edged down 0.2 percent over the bi-monthly period.

The food index jumped 6.9 percent for the 12 months ending in July, reflecting increases in the food at home (10.0 percent) and food away from home (3.2 percent) indexes.  

Energy

The energy index advanced 9.2 percent from May to July, influenced by gains in the gasoline (14.1 percent) and electricity (6.0 percent) indexes. The utility (piped) gas service index declined 5.1 percent over the bi-monthly period.   

The energy index declined 15.9 percent for the 12 months ending in July. The gasoline index fell 22.9 percent over the past year, while the electricity and utility (piped) gas service indexes each declined 8.6 percent. 

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent from May to July. Several indexes increased since May, including shelter (1.1 percent), medical care (3.8 percent), and motor vehicle insurance (17.8 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.5 percent for the 12 months ending in July. Increases in the shelter (4.1 percent) and medical care (7.4 percent) indexes contributed to the over-the-year increase. In contrast, the apparel index fell 13.5 percent over the past year.

Table A. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2018		2019		2020
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	0.8		-1.1	0.4	0.7	3.8
March	0.6		1.9	1.7	0.2	2.1
May	0.4		0.9	2.2	-0.3	0.9
July	0.3		0.1	2.1	1.0	1.8
September	0.6		-0.1	1.5
November	-0.3	2.3	0.2	2.0

The Consumer Price Index for August 2020 is scheduled to be released on Friday, September 11, 2020.

Technical Note

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 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Core Based Statistical Area includes Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas 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,
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (1987=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	May 2020	Jun. 2020	Jul. 2020	Jul. 2019	May 2020	Jun. 2020
Expenditure category
All Items	231.032	-	233.447	1.8	1.0	-
Food and beverages	250.021	-	248.510	6.8	-0.6	-
Food	251.072	-	249.110	6.9	-0.8	-
Food at home	260.268	262.124	257.105	10.0	-1.2	-1.9
Cereals and bakery products	269.189	-	263.333	-1.7	-2.2	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	263.993	-	254.695	13.0	-3.5	-
Dairy and related products	243.186	-	244.883	15.3	0.7	-
Fruits and vegetables	355.141	-	352.840	6.9	-0.6	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	205.096	-	193.772	13.3	-5.5	-
Other food at home	202.743	-	208.960	10.4	3.1	-
Food away from home	239.002	-	238.469	3.2	-0.2	-
Alcoholic beverages	221.862	-	225.400	6.6	1.6	-
Housing	238.420	-	241.631	3.2	1.3	-
Shelter	276.830	279.519	279.814	4.1	1.1	0.1
Rent of primary residence	282.675	285.096	286.238	5.4	1.3	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences	291.935	292.860	293.865	4.0	0.7	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence	291.935	292.860	293.865	4.0	0.7	0.3
Fuels and utilities	192.331	-	199.939	-5.7	4.0	-
Household energy	144.401	153.048	152.545	-8.7	5.6	-0.3
Energy Services	142.340	150.848	150.322	-8.6	5.6	-0.3
Electricity	139.330	148.217	147.683	-8.6	6.0	-0.4
Utility (piped) gas service	231.843	219.980	219.991	-8.6	-5.1	0.0
Household furnishings and operations	126.732	-	128.304	4.7	1.2	-
Apparel	119.978	-	119.506	-13.5	-0.4	-
Transportation	187.336	-	188.984	-7.1	0.9	-
Private transportation	191.642	-	198.200	-5.3	3.4	-
New and used motor vehicles(1)	109.457	-	107.104	-1.5	-2.1	-
New vehicles	125.963	-	120.685	-2.1	-4.2	-
Used cars and trucks	132.858	-	135.583	-0.7	2.1	-
Motor fuel	193.325	212.266	219.852	-22.6	13.7	3.6
Gasoline (all types)	188.124	206.980	214.605	-22.9	14.1	3.7
Unleaded regular(2)	179.423	198.533	205.868	-24.2	14.7	3.7
Unleaded midgrade(2)(3)	194.473	215.035	224.605	-7.4	15.5	4.5
Unleaded premium(2)	232.215	244.833	253.343	-12.2	9.1	3.5
Motor vehicle insurance	491.160	-	578.782	1.1	17.8	-
Medical Care	409.320	-	424.896	7.4	3.8	-
Recreation(1)	125.310	-	125.154	2.8	-0.1	-
Education and communication(1)	130.620	-	132.838	0.1	1.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care	631.160	-	640.109	1.9	1.4	-
Other goods and services	300.914	-	297.601	-1.6	-1.1	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	231.032	-	233.447	1.8	1.0	-
Commodities	173.468	-	173.922	-0.8	0.3	-
Commodities less food & beverages	135.780	-	137.084	-5.9	1.0	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	181.017	-	187.638	-10.9	3.7	-
Durables	92.115	-	90.689	-0.6	-1.5	-
Services	282.134	-	286.189	3.2	1.4	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	221.455	-	223.223	1.3	0.8	-
All items less shelter	211.716	-	213.886	0.4	1.0	-
Commodities less food	139.712	-	141.103	-5.4	1.0	-
Nondurables	217.556	-	219.710	-0.8	1.0	-
Nondurables less food	184.598	-	190.927	-9.4	3.4	-
Services less rent of shelter	283.147	-	288.559	1.8	1.9	-
Services less medical care services	268.192	-	271.042	2.4	1.1	-
Energy	164.034	176.639	179.189	-15.9	9.2	1.4
All items less energy	236.218	-	237.608	3.1	0.6	-
All items less food and energy	234.091	-	236.014	2.5	0.8	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (2) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (3) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available.