The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria decreased 0.7 percent from September to November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent decline was due almost entirely to a 0.8-percent decrease in the all items less food and energy index. The energy index also declined since September, down 1.4 percent, while the food index inched up 0.1 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 1.3 percent, primarily reflecting a 1.4-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. (See chart 1 and table A.) Since November 2017, the food index also advanced, up 0.8 percent, while the energy index was unchanged. (See table 1.)

Food

After a 0.2-percent increase from July to September, the food index inched up 0.1 percent over the last two months. Prices for food away from home were up 0.5 percent, while those for food at home were 0.3 percent lower. Within the food at home component, prices were lower for items such as carbonated drinks, uncooked beef steaks, and citrus fruits over the last two months.

Food prices increased 0.8 percent over the year. Prices were higher for both food away from home (1.5 percent) and food at home (0.1 percent) since November 2017.

Energy

Since September, the energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 1.4 percent, due mostly to a 6.9-percent decrease in gasoline prices. Prices also decreased for electricity (-5.9 percent). Meanwhile, prices for utility (piped) gas service were 75.8 percent higher.

Energy prices were unchanged since November 2017. Declines for both utility (piped) gas service prices (-13.3 percent) and electricity prices (-1.2 percent) were moderated by an increase in gasoline prices (3.7 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.8 percent since September. A seasonal decrease in apparel prices (-6.7 percent) and lower prices for shelter (-0.8 percent) led the decline in the all items less food and energy index. Prices were also lower for education and communication (-4.0 percent). Prices were higher in several categories, including new and used motor vehicles (1.3 percent) and medical care (1.0 percent), among others.

Since November 2017, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent. The advance was led by higher prices for shelter (1.5 percent); apparel (7.3 percent) and recreation (3.5 percent) were among the other indexes that had increases over the year.

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	-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	0.4	2.0
November	-0.3	1.1	-0.4	0.5	0.2	1.1	0.0	1.5	-0.7	1.3

The Consumer Price Index for January 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 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	Sep. 2018	Oct. 2018	Nov. 2018	Nov. 2017	Sep. 2018	Oct. 2018
All items		263.056		261.120	1.3	-0.7
Food and beverages		248.062		248.224	0.9	0.1
Food		252.779		252.996	0.8	0.1
Food at home		240.627	242.282	239.973	0.1	-0.3	-1.0
Cereals and bakery products		314.023		316.939	-0.3	0.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		259.563		255.519	0.5	-1.6
Dairy and related products		236.961		233.161	0.5	-1.6
Fruits and vegetables		261.176		263.213	-3.1	0.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		199.162		204.193	0.8	2.5
Other food at home		201.763		199.176	2.1	-1.3
Food away from home		269.106		270.445	1.5	0.5
Alcoholic beverages		202.540		202.159	2.1	-0.2
Housing		273.218		272.186	1.1	-0.4
Shelter		333.000	331.000	330.214	1.5	-0.8	-0.2
Rent of primary residence		360.382	360.902	361.400	1.9	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		337.187	337.319	337.752	1.7	0.2	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		337.187	337.319	337.752	1.7	0.2	0.1
Fuels and utilities		214.382		224.116	-2.6	4.5
Household energy		164.618	176.787	173.765	-4.2	5.6	-1.7
Energy services		168.369	180.938	177.675	-4.3	5.5	-1.8
Electricity		219.205	218.632	206.331	-1.2	-5.9	-5.6
Utility (piped) gas service		65.352	101.354	114.885	-13.3	75.8	13.4
Household furnishings and operations		103.605		103.211	1.7	-0.4
Apparel		177.968		165.956	7.3	-6.7
Transportation		217.636		216.747	1.8	-0.4
Private transportation		216.328		214.310	2.1	-0.9
New and used motor vehicles(3)		92.749		93.968	1.4	1.3
New vehicles(1)		197.043		196.752	0.1	-0.1
Used cars and trucks(1)		288.395		294.430	2.4	2.1
Motor fuel		261.727	262.519	244.078	3.8	-6.7	-7.0
Gasoline (all types)		258.900	259.606	241.155	3.7	-6.9	-7.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		253.169	253.788	235.161	3.7	-7.1	-7.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		255.897	257.301	243.624	5.0	-4.8	-5.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		271.674	272.929	258.124	3.7	-5.0	-5.4
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		852.769		862.279	0.3	1.1
Medical care		445.882		450.290	0.4	1.0
Recreation(3)		117.486		115.723	3.5	-1.5
Education and communication(3)		156.267		150.041	-3.2	-4.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,420.218		1,359.223	-0.9	-4.3
Other goods and services		406.715		411.772	2.7	1.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		182.283		179.184	1.5	-1.7
Commodities less food and beverages		148.259		143.972	1.9	-2.9
Nondurables less food and beverages		202.839		193.781	3.8	-4.5
Durables		99.424		98.751	-0.7	-0.7
Services		336.083		335.439	1.2	-0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		234.934		233.335	1.2	-0.7
All items less medical care		254.443		252.192	1.3	-0.9
Commodities less food		150.830		146.663	1.9	-2.8
Nondurables		224.769		220.189	2.2	-2.0
Nondurables less food		202.703		194.336	3.7	-4.1
Services less rent of shelter(2)		350.405		352.510	0.8	0.6
Services less medical care services		325.639		324.473	1.2	-0.4
Energy		211.437	218.636	208.559	0.0	-1.4	-4.6
All items less energy		270.377		268.494	1.3	-0.7
All items less food and energy		274.817		272.545	1.4	-0.8
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 1977=100 base. (2) Indexes on a November 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.