The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington edged up 0.3 percent from June to August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that the recent advance was led by an increase in the all items less food and energy index (0.3 percent). The food index also increased, up 0.9 percent, while the energy index declined, down 0.9 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 1.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The over-the-year rise was led by increases in the all items less food and energy index (1.0 percent) and the energy index (10.2 percent). Prices for food also increased since August 2017, up 0.8 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Following a 0.2-percent decrease from April to June, the food index increased 0.9 percent over the last two months. Prices were higher for both food at home (1.1 percent) and food away from home (0.7 percent) since June. Within the food at home component, prices were higher for various items including breakfast cereal and carbonated drinks, while prices were lower for items including frozen and freeze dried prepared foods.

Over the year, the food index increased 0.8 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 1.1 percent, and those for food at home increased 0.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 0.9 percent since June. Lower prices for gasoline (-0.7 percent) led the decrease. Prices were also lower over the last two months for electricity, down 0.5 percent, while those for utility (piped) gas service increased 0.4 percent.

Over the year, the energy index rose 10.2 percent, due almost entirely to a 20.7-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices were also higher for utility (piped) gas service (5.6 percent), while those for electricity declined 2.9 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 (0.7 percent), medical care (0.9 percent), and apparel (2.7 percent). Lower prices for education and communication (-0.4 percent), among others, moderated the increase in the all items less food and energy index since June.

Since August 2017, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.0 percent. Prices were higher for a number of items including shelter (1.8 percent), medical care (2.7 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (3.5 percent).

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

Month	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	0.5	1.0	-0.2	-0.1	0.3	0.3	0.7	2.1	0.4	0.5
April	0.5	1.4	0.5	0.0	0.9	0.6	0.0	1.3	0.9	1.4
June	0.6	1.8	0.8	0.2	0.3	0.1	-0.3	0.7	0.2	1.9
August	0.0	1.3	-0.5	-0.3	-0.2	0.4	0.5	1.4	0.3	1.7
October	-0.1	1.6	-0.3	-0.5	0.6	1.3	0.0	0.8
December	-0.8	0.6	-0.6	-0.2	-0.1	1.7	-0.1	0.8

The Consumer Price Index for September 2018 is scheduled to be released Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 8:30 am (ET).

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is published bi-monthly. 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Core Based Statistical Area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, 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: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018	Aug. 2018	Aug. 2017	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018
All items		252.386		253.085	1.7	0.3
All items (1967 = 100)		729.129		731.147
Food and beverages		232.867		234.853	0.7	0.9
Food		232.804		234.917	0.8	0.9
Food at home		237.299	237.074	239.823	0.6	1.1	1.2
Cereals and bakery products		300.000		307.957		2.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		263.866		265.954		0.8
Dairy and related products		196.813		195.021		-0.9
Fruits and vegetables		266.824		272.744		2.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		160.480		159.088		-0.9
Other food at home		216.334		219.195		1.3
Food away from home		221.195		222.705	1.1	0.7
Alcoholic beverages		231.310		231.435	-0.6	0.1
Housing		259.777		260.806	1.7	0.4
Shelter		323.316	325.324	325.528	1.8	0.7	0.1
Rent of primary residence		302.804	303.297	303.350	2.1	0.2	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		332.050	332.674	332.923	1.7	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		332.050	332.674	332.923	1.7	0.3	0.1
Fuels and utilities		207.838		206.008	2.2	-0.9
Household energy		172.026	170.473	170.174	1.9	-1.1	-0.2
Energy services		180.112	180.230	179.856	-0.1	-0.1	-0.2
Electricity		181.547	181.326	180.705	-2.9	-0.5	-0.3
Utility (piped) gas service		166.583	167.213	167.240	5.6	0.4	0.0
Household furnishings and operations		113.486		112.966	0.2	-0.5
Apparel		110.436		113.424	-0.1	2.7
Transportation		218.416		216.532	4.3	-0.9
Private transportation		217.592		216.675	4.8	-0.4
New and used motor vehicles(3)		98.127		98.213		0.1
New vehicles(1)		177.920		177.216		-0.4
Used cars and trucks(1)		256.560		259.965		1.3
Motor fuel		272.570	271.814	270.607	20.5	-0.7	-0.4
Gasoline (all types)		268.999	268.262	267.038	20.7	-0.7	-0.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		265.972	265.357	264.045	21.2	-0.7	-0.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		272.459	271.434	270.728	17.7	-0.6	-0.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		268.983	267.423	266.892	17.4	-0.8	-0.2
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		733.043		724.327		-1.2
Medical care		519.516		524.371	2.7	0.9
Recreation(3)		119.553		119.693	-2.5	0.1
Education and communication(3)		130.990		130.403	0.9	-0.4
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,031.999		1,020.832		-1.1
Other goods and services		535.731		537.573	1.4	0.3
Commodity and service group
Commodities		181.531		182.362	3.2	0.5
Commodities less food and beverages		151.701		152.080	4.6	0.2
Nondurables less food and beverages		197.765		198.979	7.3	0.6
Durables		102.402		102.055	0.5	-0.3
Services		324.644		325.261	0.9	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		229.244		229.373	1.6	0.1
All items less medical care		241.147		241.661	1.6	0.2
Commodities less food		154.659		155.036	4.4	0.2
Nondurables		217.663		219.238	4.2	0.7
Nondurables less food		199.874		201.043	6.8	0.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)		333.413		332.285	0.2	-0.3
Services less medical care services		310.095		310.765	0.9	0.2
Energy		208.725	207.479	206.842	10.2	-0.9	-0.3
All items less energy		259.029		260.038	1.0	0.4
All items less food and energy		266.052		266.911	1.0	0.3
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.