Prices in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.5 percent for the two months ending in August 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that food prices increased 1.4 percent, and the energy index rose 2.9 percent from June to August. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.1 percent over the past two months due to a rise in the categories for shelter and household furnishings and operations. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 3.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices jumped 25.8 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.9 percent over the year. Food prices rose 5.9 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 1.4 percent for the two months ending in August. Prices for food at home (groceries) rose 3.3 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) declined 0.9 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 5.9 percent. Prices for food at home rose 5.8 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home advanced 6.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 2.9 percent for the two months ending in August. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (5.1 percent). Prices for utility (piped) gas service increased 2.5 percent, while prices for electricity decreased 0.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 25.8 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (48.8 percent). Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service jumped 15.5 percent, and prices for electricity increased 4.2 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for shelter (0.8 percent) and household furnishings and operations (1.8 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-4.4 percent) and education and communication (-1.0 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.5 percent) and used cars and trucks (32.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in apparel (-13.1 percent).

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

Month	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	0.9	3.0	0.3	2.1	0.4	1.2	0.5	2.6	0.6	0.8
April	0.7	2.3	0.9	2.3	0.6	1.0	-2.7	-0.8	1.7	5.4
June	0.0	1.1	1.3	3.6	0.4	0.1	1.7	0.5	1.7	5.4
August	0.1	1.3	-0.6	2.8	0.6	1.4	1.9	1.8	0.5	3.9
October	0.9	2.0	0.0	1.9	1.0	2.4	-0.3	0.5
December	0.1	2.7	-0.6	1.2	-0.6	2.5	-0.3	0.7

The October 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 10, 2021.

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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 6,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods 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 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 individuals with sensory impairments 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-
	Jun. 2021	Jul. 2021	Aug. 2021	Aug. 2020	Jun. 2021	Jul. 2021
Expenditure category
All items	248.876	-	250.003	3.9	0.5	-
All items (1967=100)	739.763	-	743.113	-	-	-
Food and beverages	240.404	-	243.483	5.3	1.3	-
Food	240.856	-	244.283	5.9	1.4	-
Food at home	225.463	229.205	232.955	5.8	3.3	1.6
Cereals and bakery products	270.409	-	289.142	7.9	6.9	-
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	244.319	-	262.347	9.9	7.4	-
Dairy and related products	172.454	-	171.306	2.6	-0.7	-
Fruits and vegetables	244.324	-	245.231	8.4	0.4	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	218.584	-	217.515	4.3	-0.5	-
Other food at home	201.538	-	208.482	1.6	3.4	-
Food away from home	265.480	-	263.153	6.1	-0.9	-
Alcoholic beverages	229.759	-	228.698	-1.8	-0.5	-
Housing	237.997	-	240.190	4.7	0.9	-
Shelter	273.377	277.408	275.578	4.5	0.8	-0.7
Rent of primary residence(2)	283.488	288.820	289.910	5.7	2.3	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	273.192	276.879	275.587	4.2	0.9	-0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	273.192	276.879	275.587	4.2	0.9	-0.5
Fuels and utilities	280.047	-	282.042	7.2	0.7	-
Household energy	218.923	219.741	220.596	8.5	0.8	0.4
Energy services(2)	220.863	221.728	222.597	8.4	0.8	0.4
Electricity(2)	265.444	265.724	264.587	4.2	-0.3	-0.4
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	161.058	162.410	165.122	15.5	2.5	1.7
Household furnishings and operations	123.927	-	126.153	3.6	1.8	-
Apparel	97.955	-	93.615	-13.1	-4.4	-
Transportation	269.089	-	269.913	7.7	0.3	-
Private transportation	274.439	-	277.337	8.8	1.1	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	-	-	-	-	-	-
New vehicles(1)	-	-	-	-	-	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	413.485	-	411.267	32.4	-0.5	-
Motor fuel	278.779	289.460	292.960	48.7	5.1	1.2
Gasoline (all types)	277.362	288.138	291.572	48.8	5.1	1.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	279.674	290.741	294.140	50.0	5.2	1.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	328.039	339.611	344.645	46.1	5.1	1.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	279.578	288.296	292.340	37.1	4.6	1.4
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	1,972.631	-	1,959.608	-9.1	-0.7	-
Medical care	466.623	-	466.937	-1.2	0.1	-
Recreation(4)	113.083	-	113.512	1.6	0.4	-
Education and communication(4)	151.579	-	150.004	1.3	-1.0	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,340.550	-	1,342.395	1.0	0.1	-
Other goods and services	458.388	-	459.235	1.8	0.2	-
Commodity and service group
All items	248.876	-	250.003	3.9	0.5	-
Commodities	189.034	-	190.855	8.1	1.0	-
Commodities less food and beverages	162.013	-	163.274	9.7	0.8	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	186.921	-	187.114	7.1	0.1	-
Durables	128.307	-	130.055	-	1.4	-
Services	309.493	-	309.876	1.4	0.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	240.037	-	241.204	4.4	0.5	-
All items less shelter	242.495	-	243.238	3.7	0.3	-
Commodities less food	164.595	-	165.790	9.2	0.7	-
Nondurables	213.372	-	214.991	6.1	0.8	-
Nondurables less food	189.646	-	189.749	6.3	0.1	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	362.880	-	360.918	-1.4	-0.5	-
Services less medical care services	298.461	-	298.881	1.6	0.1	-
Energy	249.932	255.163	257.214	25.8	2.9	0.8
All items less energy	252.283	-	252.936	2.5	0.3	-
All items less food and energy	255.004	-	255.165	1.9	0.1	-
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.