The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Dallas-Fort Worth was little changed in June and July, edging up 0.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that a 2.1-percent increase in energy costs was nearly balanced by a 0.4-percent decline in food prices and no change in the index for all items less food and energy. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

During the 12 months ended in July 2015, the all items CPI-U fell 0.4 percent, the fourth consecutive period of annual declines for the overall index. (See chart 1.) In contrast, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.6 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices fell 0.4 percent in June and July, after remaining unchanged in the previous two-month period. Opposing movements were registered by the two components of the index as prices for food at home (grocery store prices) decreased 1.0 percent while prices for food away from home increased 0.4 percent.

From July 2014 to July 2015, the food index rose 0.9 percent, reflecting the combined effects of a 2.8-percent price rise for food away from home and a 0.6-percent price decline at grocery stores. This period marked the first annual decrease in grocery store prices since December 2010 (-0.1 percent).

Energy

The energy index rose 2.1 percent in June and July, following a 6.3-percent increase in April and May. The current advance was the result of a 5.3-percent increase in household energy costs as higher prices were recorded for both natural gas and electricity, up 25.7 and 2.9 percent, respectively. This was the first bimonthly increase in natural gas prices since June and July 2014. Offsetting a portion of these advances, motor fuel costs decreased 1.0 percent during the period.

Despite the bimonthly rise in overall energy costs, the index registered a 16.8-percent decrease during the year ended in July 2015, as prices fell for all three energy components. A 26.4-percent drop in motor fuel prices was the biggest factor in the decrease, but natural gas costs also fell, down 17.5 percent during the last 12 months, and electricity prices declined 1.9 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in June and July, reflecting opposing movements among the sub-components. Shelter prices advanced 0.5 percent during the period, with increases registered for both renters’ costs and owners’ equivalent rent. Education and communication prices also rose, as did the index for recreation, up 1.4 and 0.9 percent, respectively. Among the components balancing these advances, prices fell for apparel (-4.1 percent) and for other goods and services (-0.1 percent), while medical care costs remained unchanged. Lower prices were also noted for airline fares and household appliances during the period.

From July 2014 to July 2015, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.6 percent. The biggest factor in the annual increase was a 3.9-percent rise in shelter costs, as the indexes rose for both renters’ costs (4.6 percent) and owners’ equivalent rent (3.7 percent). Another large contributor was a 4.5-percent annual rise in medical care prices. Countering a portion of these advances, annual declines were registered for apparel (-2.5 percent), household furnishings and operations (-4.0 percent), and education and communication (-1.0 percent).

The September 2015 Consumer Price Index for All Items for Dallas-Fort Worth is scheduled to be released Thursday, October 15, 2015.

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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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/cpi/.

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, Texas, Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Henderson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant 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, TX (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from -
	May 2015	Jun. 2015	Jul. 2015	Jul. 2014	May 2015	Jun. 2015
All items	218.484		218.676	-0.4	0.1
All items (1967 = 100)	685.373		685.976
Food and beverages	249.029		247.956	0.9	-0.4
Food	243.509		242.552	0.9	-0.4
Food at home	219.630	220.331	217.495	-0.6	-1.0	-1.3
Food away from home	280.837		281.927	2.8	0.4
Alcoholic beverages	323.310		320.019	1.1	-1.0
Housing	198.139		200.056	2.1	1.0
Shelter	213.661	213.496	214.699	3.9	0.5	0.6
Rent of primary residence (1)	221.966	222.736	223.931	4.6	0.9	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)	227.777	228.295	229.696	3.7	0.8	0.6
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)	227.777	228.295	229.696	3.7	0.8	0.6
Fuels and utilities	222.581		231.923	-2.4	4.2
Household energy	210.417	215.789	221.598	-4.5	5.3	2.7
Energy services (1) (3)	206.872	212.204	218.059	-4.3	5.4	2.8
Electricity (1)	207.301	212.710	213.324	-1.9	2.9	0.3
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	149.600	153.073	187.973	-17.5	25.7	22.8
Household furnishings and operations	124.893		124.852	-4.0	0.0
Apparel	111.535		106.992	-2.5	-4.1
Transportation	207.953		205.342	-9.1	-1.3
Private transportation	209.345		208.044	-9.1	-0.6
Motor fuel	237.502	248.761	235.179	-26.4	-1.0	-5.5
Gasoline (all types)	236.642	248.249	234.513	-26.3	-0.9	-5.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)	230.735	242.217	227.537	-27.3	-1.4	-6.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)	244.778	255.907	244.914	-24.5	0.1	-4.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)	243.761	255.665	246.031	-22.7	0.9	-3.8
Medical care	411.996		412.078	4.5	0.0
Recreation (6)	112.492		113.474	2.0	0.9
Education and communication (6)	135.855		137.793	-1.0	1.4
Other goods and services	385.644		385.228	2.5	-0.1
COMMODITY AND SERVICE GROUP
Commodities	176.602		174.991	-5.1	-0.9
Commodities less food and beverages	143.482		141.749	-8.4	-1.2
Nondurables less food and beverages	174.294		171.898	-10.4	-1.4
Durables	115.939		114.801	-5.5	-1.0
Services	259.443		261.414	2.9	0.8
SPECIAL AGGREGATE INDEXES
All items less shelter	221.457		221.274	-2.1	-0.1
All items less medical care	209.044		209.240	-0.8	0.1
Commodities less food	148.201		146.420	-8.1	-1.2
Nondurables	208.594		206.743	-4.9	-0.9
Nondurables less food	181.502		179.047	-9.8	-1.4
Services less rent of shelter (2)	325.337		328.661	2.0	1.0
Services less medical care services	244.139		246.193	2.8	0.8
Energy	225.007	233.271	229.716	-16.8	2.1	-1.5
All items less energy	221.630		221.408	1.5	-0.1
All items less food and energy	218.065		217.967	1.6	0.0
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Prior to January 2011 this series was titled Gas (piped) and electricity. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (6) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.