The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington was unchanged from August to October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that the energy index declined 0.6 percent, while the all items less food and energy index and the food index were unchanged over the last two months. (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 1.6 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 (1.1 percent) and the energy index (9.0 percent). Prices for food also increased since October 2017, up 0.6 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Following a 0.9 percent increase from June to August, the food index was unchanged over the last two months. Higher prices for food away from home (1.3 percent) were offset by lower prices for food at home (-0.8 percent). Within the food at home component, prices were lower for various items including citrus fruits and candy and chewing gum, while prices were higher for items including carbonated drinks and milk.

Over the year, the food index increased 0.6 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 2.1 percent, and those for food at home decreased 0.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 0.6 percent since August. Lower prices for electricity (-3.3 percent) led the decrease. Prices were also lower over the last two months for gasoline, down 1.6 percent, while those for utility (piped) gas service increased 1.0 percent.

Over the year, the energy index rose 9.0 percent, due almost entirely to a 14.7-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices were also higher for utility (piped) gas service (9.8 percent), while those for electricity declined 2.0 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged from August to October. Higher prices for shelter (0.5 percent), medical care (0.4 percent), and education and communication (0.2 percent) were offset by lower prices for apparel (-5.0 percent), among others.

Since October 2017, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.1 percent. Prices were higher for a number of items including shelter (2.2 percent), new and used motor vehicles (5.0 percent), and medical care (3.3 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	0.0	1.6
December	-0.8	0.6	-0.6	-0.2	-0.1	1.7	-0.1	0.8

The Consumer Price Index for December 2018 is scheduled to be released Friday, January 11, 2019 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	Aug. 2018	Sep. 2018	Oct. 2018	Oct. 2017	Aug. 2018	Sep. 2018
All items		253.085		253.040	1.6	0.0
All items (1967 = 100)		731.147		731.020
Food and beverages		234.853		234.970	0.5	0.0
Food		234.917		235.027	0.6	0.0
Food at home		239.823	238.794	237.833	-0.5	-0.8	-0.4
Cereals and bakery products		307.957		300.917		-2.3
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		265.954		264.789		-0.4
Dairy and related products		195.021		198.127		1.6
Fruits and vegetables		272.744		271.611		-0.4
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		159.088		156.917		-1.4
Other food at home		219.195		216.165		-1.4
Food away from home		222.705		225.639	2.1	1.3
Alcoholic beverages		231.435		231.652	0.3	0.1
Housing		260.806		262.087	2.4	0.5
Shelter		325.528	326.012	327.249	2.2	0.5	0.4
Rent of primary residence		303.350	303.997	304.156	2.2	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		332.923	333.592	333.824	2.0	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		332.923	333.592	333.824	2.0	0.3	0.1
Fuels and utilities		206.008		206.714	3.4	0.3
Household energy		170.174	169.105	170.467	3.9	0.2	0.8
Energy services		179.856	178.518	176.826	2.1	-1.7	-0.9
Electricity		180.705	178.589	174.678	-2.0	-3.3	-2.2
Utility (piped) gas service		167.240	167.175	168.980	9.8	1.0	1.1
Household furnishings and operations		112.966		113.362	2.1	0.4
Apparel		113.424		107.717	-5.1	-5.0
Transportation		216.532		215.768	3.6	-0.4
Private transportation		216.675		214.992	3.9	-0.8
New and used motor vehicles(3)		98.213		97.405		-0.8
New vehicles(1)		177.216		178.463		0.7
Used cars and trucks(1)		259.965		250.706		-3.6
Motor fuel		270.607	271.037	266.561	14.8	-1.5	-1.7
Gasoline (all types)		267.038	267.413	262.743	14.7	-1.6	-1.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		264.045	264.441	259.647	15.0	-1.7	-1.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		270.728	270.313	265.511	12.6	-1.9	-1.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		266.892	267.217	263.923	13.0	-1.1	-1.2
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		724.327		724.451		0.0
Medical care		524.371		526.709	3.3	0.4
Recreation(3)		119.693		117.734	-3.2	-1.6
Education and communication(3)		130.403		130.650	0.4	0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,020.832		1,028.013		0.7
Other goods and services		537.573		536.893	0.4	-0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		182.362		180.960	2.2	-0.8
Commodities less food and beverages		152.080		150.253	3.1	-1.2
Nondurables less food and beverages		198.979		196.100	4.1	-1.4
Durables		102.055		101.239	1.6	-0.8
Services		325.261		326.377	1.4	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		229.373		228.652	1.3	-0.3
All items less medical care		241.661		241.510	1.5	-0.1
Commodities less food		155.036		153.239	3.0	-1.2
Nondurables		219.238		217.575	2.4	-0.8
Nondurables less food		201.043		198.294	3.9	-1.4
Services less rent of shelter(2)		332.285		332.748	0.6	0.1
Services less medical care services		310.765		311.561	1.3	0.3
Energy		206.842	206.341	205.507	9.0	-0.6	-0.4
All items less energy		260.038		260.147	1.0	0.0
All items less food and energy		266.911		267.021	1.1	0.0
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.