The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City area was unchanged from June to August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that higher prices for all items less food and energy (0.3 percent) and food (0.4 percent) were offset by lower prices for energy (-3.1 percent) since June. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, two-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 1.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The rise was led by a 1.4-percent advance in the all items less food and energy index since August 2013. Prices for food also rose over the year, up 3.1 percent, while those for energy declined 1.7 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Following a 1.1-percent rise from April to June, food prices increased 0.4 percent over the last two months. Food at home prices advanced 0.7 percent since June. Within the food at home component, price increases for items such as beverage materials including coffee and tea, as well as pork, were moderated by several price declines including those for other fresh fruits. Food away from home prices also rose since June, inching up 0.1 percent.

Over the year, the food index increased 3.1 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 3.6 percent and those for food away from home rose 2.5 percent.

Energy

Due to a 6.3-percent decline in gasoline prices over the last two months, the energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, fell 3.1 percent. Moderating the bimonthly decrease were higher prices for electricity and utility (piped) gas service, up 0.5 and 0.3 percent, respectively.

The energy index declined 1.7 percent since last August, due largely to lower prices for gasoline (-4.1 percent). Electricity prices also declined, down 0.6 percent, while those for utility (piped) gas service rose 1.7 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.3 percent from June to August, led by higher prices for shelter (0.4 percent) and medical care (1.0 percent). Partially offsetting these and other bimonthly advances were price declines for household furnishings and operations (-1.7 percent) and recreation (-0.4 percent).

Over the last 12 months, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.4 percent. This was largely due to higher prices for shelter (2.5 percent). Prices also increased for medical care (3.4 percent) and other goods and services (3.6 percent). Moderating the over-the-year rise in the all items less food and energy index were lower prices for apparel and household furnishings and operations, down 5.3 and 1.8 percent, respectively.

Table A. Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index (not seasonally adjusted)

Month	2009		2010		2011		2012		2013		2014
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	1.0	-0.3	0.8	2.8	1.3	1.9	0.7	2.2	0.7	1.8	0.5	1.0
April	0.6	-0.9	0.4	2.6	1.0	2.5	0.8	2.0	0.1	1.1	0.5	1.4
June	1.0	-2.0	0.3	1.9	0.6	2.8	-0.2	1.3	0.3	1.5	0.6	1.8
August	1.0	-1.0	0.2	1.1	0.7	3.4	0.9	1.4	0.5	1.1	0.0	1.3
October	-0.6	-0.1	0.0	1.7	-0.3	3.0	0.4	2.2	-0.4	0.3
December	0.0	3.0	-0.2	1.4	-0.5	2.8	-0.9	1.8	0.1	1.2

The October 2014 Consumer Price Index for Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City is scheduled to be released November 20, 2014, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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 88 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 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/home.htm.

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 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md., Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area, includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service:  1-800-877-8339.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md. (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes			Percent change from-
	June 2014	July 2014	Aug. 2014	Aug. 2013	June 2014	July 2014
All items	245.247	-	245.303	1.3	0.0	-
Food and beverages	228.092	-	229.672	3.0	0.7	-
Food	228.173	-	229.181	3.1	0.4	-
Food at home	238.517	238.987	240.241	3.6	0.7	0.5
Food away from home	208.875	-	209.054	2.5	0.1	-
Alcoholic beverages	224.526	-	233.371	1.6	3.9	-
Housing	248.850	-	249.337	2.0	0.2	-
Shelter	302.613	304.362	303.751	2.5	0.4	-0.2
Rent of primary residence (1)	279.938	280.736	281.594	2.5	0.6	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)	308.370	309.070	309.394	2.3	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)	308.370	309.070	309.394	2.3	0.3	0.1
Fuels and utilities	217.435	-	218.312	1.5	0.4	-
Household energy	186.415	187.761	186.850	0.5	0.2	-0.5
Energy services (1)	191.998	193.819	192.895	0.2	0.5	-0.5
Electricity (1)	192.829	195.262	193.855	-0.6	0.5	-0.7
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	183.508	183.951	184.095	1.7	0.3	0.1
Household furnishings and operations	118.413	-	116.442	-1.8	-1.7	-
Apparel	109.606	-	110.000	-5.3	0.4	-
Transportation	226.026	-	221.429	-0.8	-2.0	-
Private transportation	224.538	-	220.855	0.1	-1.6	-
Motor fuel	325.112	323.090	304.525	-4.0	-6.3	-5.7
Gasoline (all types)	320.647	318.668	300.305	-4.1	-6.3	-5.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)	320.436	318.405	299.757	-4.2	-6.5	-5.9
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)	314.572	313.266	295.860	-3.7	-5.9	-5.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)	304.358	302.482	286.802	-3.3	-5.8	-5.2
Medical care	468.414	-	472.972	3.4	1.0	-
Recreation (5)	125.297	-	124.836	-0.2	-0.4	-
Education and communication (5)	131.665	-	132.464	-0.5	0.6	-
Other goods and services	473.510	-	476.921	3.6	0.7	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	185.133	-	183.613	-0.2	-0.8	-
Commodities less food and beverages	160.022	-	157.166	-2.1	-1.8	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	204.382	-	200.772	-1.5	-1.8	-
Durables	110.061	-	108.057	-2.9	-1.8	-
Services	307.322	-	308.821	2.1	0.5	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	235.796	-	235.677	1.2	-0.1	-
All items less shelter	227.401	-	227.018	0.6	-0.2	-
Commodities less food	162.432	-	159.939	-1.9	-1.5	-
Nondurables	218.176	-	216.953	0.6	-0.6	-
Nondurables less food	205.550	-	202.676	-1.3	-1.4	-
Services less rent of shelter (2)	319.354	-	321.307	1.5	0.6	-
Services less medical care services	294.127	-	295.460	1.9	0.5	-
Energy	237.470	237.578	230.176	-1.7	-3.1	-3.1
All items less energy	247.958	-	248.823	1.6	0.3	-
All items less food and energy	253.898	-	254.745	1.4	0.3	-
Footnotes (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) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.