The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area increased 0.4 percent from April to June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the food and energy indexes rose 0.2 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively, over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent from April to June. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for medical care; new and used motor vehicles; and motor vehicle insurance. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the past 12 months, the Detroit all items CPI-U increased 0.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The food index rose 1.3 percent, while the energy index fell 5.1 percent from June 2018 to June 2019. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.2 percent from April to June. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) increased 0.3 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged over the bi-monthly period.

Over the year, food prices in the Detroit area rose 1.3 percent. From June 2018 to June 2019, prices for groceries increased 1.6 percent and prices for food away from home increased 1.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index for Detroit was 0.7 percent higher from April to June. During the same period, gasoline prices declined 3.0 percent, while electricity costs and utility (piped) gas service costs rose 7.7 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively.

From June 2018 to June 2019, overall energy prices fell 5.1 percent. Over the year, gasoline prices and electricity costs decreased 8.8 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively, while utility (piped) gas service costs increased 1.2 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent from April to June. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for medical care (1.9 percent); new and used motor vehicles (1.4 percent); and motor vehicle insurance (2.3 percent), but lower for household furnishings and operations (-1.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent. Prices were higher in the indexes for shelter (2.4 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (2.6 percent), but lower for recreation (-10.7 percent).

Table A. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	-0.7	-1.8	0.3	0.9	0.9	3.0	0.3	2.1	0.4	1.2
April	1.2	-1.9	1.4	1.1	0.7	2.3	0.9	2.3	0.6	1.0
June	0.0	-2.4	1.2	2.3	0.0	1.1	1.3	3.6	0.4	0.1
August	0.6	-0.9	-0.1	1.7	0.1	1.3	-0.6	2.8
October	0.1	-0.7	0.2	1.7	0.9	2.0	0.0	1.9
December	-1.2	-0.1	-0.6	2.4	0.1	2.7	-0.6	1.2

The August 2019 Consumer Price Index for Detroit is scheduled to be released on Thursday, September 12, 2019.

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 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne Counties in Michigan.

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
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Apr. 2019	May 2019	Jun. 2019	Jun. 2018	Apr. 2019	May 2019
Expenditure category
All items	234.022	-	234.895	0.1	0.4	-
All items (1967=100)	695.611	-	698.207	-	-	-
Food and beverages	225.385	-	225.800	1.4	0.2	-
Food	224.485	-	224.852	1.3	0.2	-
Food at home	209.715	211.333	210.421	1.6	0.3	-0.4
Cereals and bakery products	264.422	-	266.555	4.0	0.8	-
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	216.750	-	219.975	0.6	1.5	-
Dairy and related products	159.226	-	161.593	-0.3	1.5	-
Fruits and vegetables	227.117	-	221.697	-1.2	-2.4	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	199.162	-	203.087	4.8	2.0	-
Other food at home	193.602	-	193.046	2.5	-0.3	-
Food away from home	248.070	-	247.963	1.1	0.0	-
Alcoholic beverages	231.431	-	232.494	1.7	0.5	-
Housing	221.783	-	222.668	1.9	0.4	-
Shelter	256.702	256.198	256.961	2.4	0.1	0.3
Rent of primary residence(2)	264.565	264.996	264.140	3.2	-0.2	-0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	254.503	254.983	255.424	2.5	0.4	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	254.503	254.983	255.424	2.5	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities	240.152	-	249.665	-0.2	4.0	-
Household energy	182.705	187.215	191.987	-0.6	5.1	2.5
Energy services(2)	183.711	188.408	193.536	-0.6	5.3	2.7
Electricity(2)	212.571	219.185	228.876	-1.7	7.7	4.4
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	141.636	144.159	144.611	1.2	2.1	0.3
Household furnishings and operations	119.857	-	118.284	0.8	-1.3	-
Apparel	112.696	-	111.707	-6.1	-0.9	-
Transportation	246.999	-	247.581	-0.9	0.2	-
Private transportation	248.512	-	249.054	-1.0	0.2	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	109.759	-	111.278	2.6	1.4	-
New vehicles(1)	209.511	-	209.755	4.2	0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	291.365	-	293.436	2.0	0.7	-
Motor fuel	254.468	256.117	246.974	-8.7	-2.9	-3.6
Gasoline (all types)	253.298	254.897	245.721	-8.8	-3.0	-3.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	255.030	256.670	247.148	-8.9	-3.1	-3.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	296.899	298.883	289.859	-8.0	-2.4	-3.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	261.548	262.767	255.977	-7.3	-2.1	-2.6
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	1,794.289	-	1,834.901	1.5	2.3	-
Medical care	438.199	-	446.553	1.1	1.9	-
Recreation(4)	112.707	-	113.436	-10.7	0.6	-
Education and communication(4)	144.157	-	143.941	0.2	-0.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,300.413	-	1,300.552	1.5	0.0	-
Other goods and services	445.843	-	443.275	2.6	-0.6	-
Commodity and service group
All items	234.022	-	234.895	0.1	0.4	-
Commodities	178.567	-	177.785	-0.9	-0.4	-
Commodities less food and beverages	154.042	-	152.744	-2.4	-0.8	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	191.190	-	188.554	-3.9	-1.4	-
Durables	112.365	-	112.452	0.4	0.1	-
Services	290.695	-	293.121	0.7	0.8	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	225.835	-	226.343	0.0	0.2	-
All items less shelter	228.246	-	229.379	-0.9	0.5	-
Commodities less food	156.893	-	155.660	-2.2	-0.8	-
Nondurables	208.509	-	207.286	-1.3	-0.6	-
Nondurables less food	193.897	-	191.465	-3.6	-1.3	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	340.875	-	346.201	-0.9	1.6	-
Services less medical care services	281.514	-	283.463	0.5	0.7	-
Energy	219.407	222.629	220.880	-5.1	0.7	-0.8
All items less energy	238.377	-	239.205	0.6	0.3	-
All items less food and energy	241.502	-	242.415	0.4	0.4	-
Footnotes (1) Index on a December 1977=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Index on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (6) Index on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.