The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria increased 0.9 percent from November to January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent increase was due largely to a 1.0-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. The food index and energy index also increased since November, up 0.3 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively. (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 advanced 2.2 percent, mainly reflecting a 2.3-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. (See chart 1 and table A.) Since January 2017, the energy index and food index also increased, up 4.9 and 1.0 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 0.3 percent over the last two months. Prices for food at home rose 0.3 percent, and those for food away from home were up 0.4 percent. Within the food at home component, prices were higher for various items including snacks, uncooked beef steaks, and chicken.

Food prices increased 1.0 percent over the year. Prices were higher for food away from home (2.2 percent), while prices for food at home inched down 0.1 percent since last January.

Energy

Since November, the energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, rose 0.7 percent, mainly due to higher prices for gasoline, up 1.0 percent. Prices were also higher for electricity, up 0.5 percent, while prices for utility (piped) gas service decreased 1.1 percent.

Energy prices rose 4.9 percent over the year. The advance was led by a 7.3-percent increase in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for electricity (2.4 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (3.4 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.0 percent since November. Prices were higher for a number of items including recreation (6.7 percent), apparel (6.3 percent), and household furnishings and operations (2.6 percent), among others.

Since January 2017, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.3 percent. Higher prices for a number of items, including shelter (2.2 percent), recreation (5.8 percent), and apparel (8.2 percent), contributed to the 12-month increase in the all items less food and energy index.

Table A. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 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
January	0.2	1.7	-1.1	-0.2	-0.2	1.5	0.2	1.5	0.9	2.2
March	0.8	1.7	1.2	0.2	0.8	1.1	0.4	1.1
May	0.3	2.0	0.7	0.6	0.8	1.2	0.0	0.3
July	0.0	1.7	-0.3	0.3	-0.2	1.3	0.0	0.5
September	0.1	1.1	0.6	0.7	-0.3	0.5	0.9	1.7
November	-0.3	1.1	-0.4	0.5	0.2	1.1	0.0	1.5

The Consumer Price Index for March 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 94 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 28 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MA-WV, Core Based Statistical Area includes the District of Columbia; the counties of Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the county of Jefferson in West Virginia.

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, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Nov. 2017	Dec. 2017	Jan. 2018	Jan. 2017	Nov. 2017	Dec. 2017
All items		257.872		260.219	2.2	0.9
Food and beverages		246.085		247.174	1.0	0.4
Food		251.061		251.896	1.0	0.3
Food at home		239.673	238.777	240.404	-0.1	0.3	0.7
Cereals and bakery products		318.004		316.057		-0.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		254.312		255.860		0.6
Dairy and related products		231.916		238.316		2.8
Fruits and vegetables		271.765		268.441		-1.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		202.559		203.682		0.6
Other food at home		195.012		196.129		0.6
Food away from home		266.420		267.370	2.2	0.4
Alcoholic beverages		197.907		201.600	0.3	1.9
Housing		269.128		270.548	2.3	0.5
Shelter		325.485	324.935	326.513	2.2	0.3	0.5
Rent of primary residence(2)		354.752	356.302	357.181	3.4	0.7	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)(3)		332.198	333.605	333.814	2.0	0.5	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)(3)		332.198	333.605	333.814	2.0	0.5	0.1
Fuels and utilities		230.191		230.398	2.2	0.1
Household energy		181.293	181.263	181.471	2.6	0.1	0.1
Energy services(2)		185.635	185.735	185.896	2.6	0.1	0.1
Electricity(2)		208.910	209.869	209.977	2.4	0.5	0.1
Utility (piped) gas service(2)		132.486	130.797	131.044	3.4	-1.1	0.2
Household furnishings and operations		101.469		104.145	3.0	2.6
Apparel		154.720		164.464	8.2	6.3
Transportation		212.978		212.173	2.0	-0.4
Private transportation		209.962		211.267	2.2	0.6
New and used motor vehicles(4)		92.639		92.400		-0.3
New vehicles(1)		196.490		198.215		0.9
Used cars and trucks(1)		287.616		290.881		1.1
Motor fuel		235.101	231.847	237.532	7.4	1.0	2.5
Gasoline (all types)		232.518	229.284	234.870	7.3	1.0	2.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular		226.827	223.871	229.443	7.5	1.2	2.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)		231.914	228.957	233.174	7.1	0.5	1.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium		248.810	243.289	248.424	6.1	-0.2	2.1
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		859.836		866.413		0.8
Medical care		448.308		449.867	1.6	0.3
Recreation(4)		111.840		119.283	5.8	6.7
Education and communication(4)		155.031		155.486	-0.3	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,371.008		1,376.457		0.4
Other goods and services		401.098		404.909	1.8	1.0
Commodity and service group
Commodities		176.621		179.373	1.3	1.6
Commodities less food and beverages		141.353		144.653	1.6	2.3
Nondurables less food and beverages		186.684		192.921	4.5	3.3
Durables		99.476		100.445	-1.4	1.0
Services		331.613		333.440	2.7	0.6
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		230.673		233.520	2.3	1.2
All items less medical care		248.877		251.266	2.3	1.0
Commodities less food		143.975		147.303	1.6	2.3
Nondurables		215.501		219.237	2.5	1.7
Nondurables less food		187.471		193.500	4.2	3.2
Services less rent of shelter		349.708		352.585	3.1	0.8
Services less medical care services		320.588		322.420	2.8	0.6
Energy		208.555	207.216	209.916	4.9	0.7	1.3
All items less energy		264.947		267.400	2.1	0.9
All items less food and energy		268.698		271.447	2.3	1.0
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 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) This index series underwent a change in composition in January 2010. The expenditure class now includes weight from secondary residences, and has been re-titled "Owners' equivalent rent of residences." The item stratum "Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence" excludes secondary residences. (4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.