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Friday, August 10, 2018
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria inched up 0.1 percent from May to July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent rise was due mainly to a 0.2-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. The energy index also rose since May, up 0.6 percent, while the food index declined 0.6 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 advanced 2.5 percent, primarily reflecting an increase in the all items less food and energy index, also up 2.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Since July 2017, the energy index and the food index advanced, up 6.2 and 1.1 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)
FoodAfter a 0.8-percent increase from March to May, the food index declined 0.6 percent over the last two months. Prices for food at home were down 1.4 percent, while those for food away from home were 0.3 percent higher. Within the food at home component, prices were lower for items such as citrus fruits over the last two months.
Food prices increased 1.1 percent over the year. Prices were higher for both the food away from home and food at home components, up 1.7 and 0.6 percent, respectively, since July 2017.
EnergySince May, the energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, advanced 0.6 percent, due to a 4.2-percent increase in electricity prices and a 0.5-percent rise in gasoline prices. Meanwhile, prices for utility (piped) gas were 9.3 percent lower.
Energy prices rose 6.2 percent since July 2017. The advance was due to a 24.1-percent increase in gasoline prices. Prices were lower over the year for utility (piped) gas service, down 23.1 percent—the index’s largest 12-month decline in nearly 9 years. Electricity prices also declined since July 2017, down 2.6 percent.
All items less food and energyThe index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent since May. Prices were higher for several categories including shelter (0.4 percent), recreation (2.5 percent), and new and used motor vehicles (1.9 percent). A seasonal decline in apparel prices (-4.0 percent) and lower prices for medical care (-1.3 percent) moderated the rise in the all items less food and energy index from May to July.
Since July 2017, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.5 percent. The advance was led by higher prices for shelter (2.8 percent); recreation (3.8 percent), household furnishings and operations (4.1 percent), and apparel (5.2 percent) were among the other indexes that had increases over the year.
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 | -0.1 | 1.8 |
May | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.5 |
July | 0.0 | 1.7 | -0.3 | 0.3 | -0.2 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2.5 |
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 September 2018 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 11, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).
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.
Expenditure category | Indexes | Percent change from | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Historical data | May 2018 | Jun. 2018 | Jul. 2018 | Jul. 2017 | May 2018 | Jun. 2018 | |
All items | 261.770 | 262.016 | 2.5 | 0.1 | |||
Food and beverages | 248.848 | 247.626 | 1.2 | -0.5 | |||
Food | 253.749 | 252.150 | 1.1 | -0.6 | |||
Food at home | 243.487 | 241.408 | 239.976 | 0.6 | -1.4 | -0.6 | |
Cereals and bakery products | 320.241 | 319.019 | -0.4 | ||||
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs | 259.952 | 258.224 | -0.7 | ||||
Dairy and related products | 236.950 | 236.186 | -0.3 | ||||
Fruits and vegetables | 272.643 | 256.990 | -5.7 | ||||
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1) | 204.853 | 202.099 | -1.3 | ||||
Other food at home | 199.769 | 200.214 | 0.2 | ||||
Food away from home | 267.640 | 268.502 | 1.7 | 0.3 | |||
Alcoholic beverages | 201.507 | 204.039 | 2.0 | 1.3 | |||
Housing | 271.918 | 273.153 | 2.1 | 0.5 | |||
Shelter | 328.186 | 329.151 | 329.436 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | |
Rent of primary residence(2) | 357.886 | 359.060 | 359.621 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | |
334.592 | 336.151 | 336.761 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | ||
334.592 | 336.151 | 336.761 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | ||
Fuels and utilities | 229.869 | 232.025 | -5.6 | 0.9 | |||
Household energy | 180.951 | 184.560 | 182.395 | -7.5 | 0.8 | -1.2 | |
Energy services(2) | 185.412 | 189.053 | 186.778 | -8.0 | 0.7 | -1.2 | |
Electricity(2) | 208.407 | 216.021 | 217.194 | -2.6 | 4.2 | 0.5 | |
Utility (piped) gas service(2) | 132.585 | 128.716 | 120.234 | -23.1 | -9.3 | -6.6 | |
Household furnishings and operations | 105.247 | 105.929 | 4.1 | 0.6 | |||
Apparel | 163.558 | 156.946 | 5.2 | -4.0 | |||
Transportation | 219.936 | 220.684 | 6.1 | 0.3 | |||
Private transportation | 218.387 | 219.382 | 7.0 | 0.5 | |||
New and used motor vehicles(4) | 93.354 | 95.113 | 1.9 | ||||
New vehicles(1) | 198.041 | 197.667 | -0.2 | ||||
Used cars and trucks(1) | 295.915 | 301.137 | 1.8 | ||||
Motor fuel | 262.687 | 268.915 | 263.976 | 24.1 | 0.5 | -1.8 | |
Gasoline (all types) | 259.884 | 266.063 | 261.170 | 24.1 | 0.5 | -1.8 | |
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5) | 254.184 | 260.277 | 255.274 | 24.6 | 0.4 | -1.9 | |
255.406 | 262.452 | 258.437 | 21.0 | 1.2 | -1.5 | ||
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5) | 272.588 | 278.319 | 275.104 | 20.1 | 0.9 | -1.2 | |
Motor vehicle insurance(1) | 857.600 | 857.600 | 0.0 | ||||
Medical care | 452.584 | 446.580 | -0.1 | -1.3 | |||
Recreation(4) | 114.574 | 117.464 | 3.8 | 2.5 | |||
Education and communication(4) | 153.398 | 154.600 | 1.1 | 0.8 | |||
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1) | 1,383.049 | 1,404.995 | 1.6 | ||||
Other goods and services | 406.817 | 407.724 | 2.1 | 0.2 | |||
Commodity and service group | |||||||
Commodities | 181.680 | 180.740 | 3.5 | -0.5 | |||
Commodities less food and beverages | 147.121 | 146.333 | 5.1 | -0.5 | |||
Nondurables less food and beverages | 198.288 | 195.494 | 7.8 | -1.4 | |||
Durables | 100.727 | 101.382 | 2.1 | 0.7 | |||
Services | 334.141 | 335.612 | 2.0 | 0.4 | |||
Special aggregate indexes | |||||||
All items less shelter | 235.018 | 234.875 | 2.4 | -0.1 | |||
All items less medical care | 252.762 | 253.317 | 2.8 | 0.2 | |||
Commodities less food | 149.691 | 149.017 | 5.0 | -0.5 | |||
Nondurables | 222.810 | 220.780 | 4.1 | -0.9 | |||
Nondurables less food | 198.433 | 196.061 | 7.4 | -1.2 | |||
Services less rent of shelter(3) | 352.057 | 353.882 | 1.2 | 0.5 | |||
Services less medical care services | 322.976 | 325.100 | 2.3 | 0.7 | |||
Energy | 221.053 | 225.911 | 222.450 | 6.2 | 0.6 | -1.5 | |
All items less energy | 268.202 | 268.359 | 2.3 | 0.1 | |||
All items less food and energy | 272.062 | 272.538 | 2.5 | 0.2 | |||
Footnotes | |||||||
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. |
Last Modified Date: Friday, August 10, 2018