The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington increased 0.8 percent from December to February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that the recent two-month rise reflected a 0.9-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. The energy index also increased since December, up 0.7 percent, while the food index was unchanged. (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 1.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The over-the-year rise was led by an increase in the all items less food and energy index (2.0 percent); the food index also advanced (1.4 percent). Prices for energy decreased since February 2018, down 3.6 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index was unchanged over the last two months, with prices for both food at home and food away from home unchanged since December. Within the food at home component, higher prices for various items including snacks and citrus fruits were offset by lower prices for items including chicken and ice cream and related products.

Over the year, the food index increased 1.4 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 2.2 percent, and those for food at home were up 0.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 0.7 percent since December. Prices were higher over the last two months for electricity (3.4 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (2.1 percent), while those for gasoline declined 2.0 percent.

Over the year, the energy index declined 3.6 percent, due mostly to lower gasoline prices, down 11.0 percent. Prices were also lower for electricity (-0.1 percent), while they increased for utility (piped) gas service (8.4 percent) since February 2018.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.9 percent from December to February. Higher prices for shelter (0.9 percent) and medical care (1.4 percent) were moderated by lower prices for recreation (-0.6 percent).

Since February 2018, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.0 percent. Prices were higher for a number of items including shelter (2.7 percent), medical care (3.9 percent), and new and used motor vehicles (4.2 percent).

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

Month	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	-0.2	-0.1	0.3	0.3	0.7	2.1	0.4	0.5	0.8	1.5
April	0.5	0.0	0.9	0.6	0.0	1.3	0.9	1.4
June	0.8	0.2	0.3	0.1	-0.3	0.7	0.2	1.9
August	-0.5	-0.3	-0.2	0.4	0.5	1.4	0.3	1.7
October	-0.3	-0.5	0.6	1.3	0.0	0.8	0.0	1.6
December	-0.6	-0.2	-0.1	1.7	-0.1	0.8	-0.7	1.0

The Consumer Price Index for April 2019 is scheduled to be released Friday, May 10, 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	Dec. 2018	Jan. 2019	Feb. 2019	Feb. 2018	Dec. 2018	Jan. 2019
All items		251.148		253.218	1.5	0.8
All items (1967 = 100)		725.552		731.532
Food and beverages		235.294		235.043	1.0	-0.1
Food		235.718		235.749	1.4	0.0
Food at home		238.792	240.516	238.846	0.8	0.0	-0.7
Cereals and bakery products		304.754		304.584	3.1	-0.1
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		263.464		258.503	-1.0	-1.9
Dairy and related products		197.729		195.266	-1.5	-1.2
Fruits and vegetables		277.402		279.018	1.3	0.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		157.801		158.917	4.8	0.7
Other food at home		215.157		218.663	-0.3	1.6
Food away from home		225.953		225.953	2.2	0.0
Alcoholic beverages		226.670		222.365	-4.1	-1.9
Housing		261.330		264.275	2.9	1.1
Shelter		325.729	327.657	328.794	2.7	0.9	0.3
Rent of primary residence		306.115	305.866	306.506	2.5	0.1	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		335.753	336.170	337.223	2.6	0.4	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		335.753	336.170	337.223	2.6	0.4	0.3
Fuels and utilities		207.420		212.257	3.1	2.3
Household energy		170.747	151.848	175.639	2.8	2.9	15.7
Energy services		179.151	156.924	184.312	3.1	2.9	17.5
Electricity		175.825	138.193	181.789	-0.1	3.4	31.5
Utility (piped) gas service		172.959	175.672	176.566	8.4	2.1	0.5
Household furnishings and operations		113.897		115.193	4.5	1.1
Apparel		101.165		104.010	-8.2	2.8
Transportation		206.030		207.249	-1.8	0.6
Private transportation		206.321		206.467	-1.7	0.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)		98.082		98.734	4.2	0.7
New vehicles(1)		177.965		180.018	2.7	1.2
Used cars and trucks(1)		253.475		256.566	1.4	1.2
Motor fuel		229.111	220.362	224.619	-10.8	-2.0	1.9
Gasoline (all types)		225.441	216.729	220.864	-11.0	-2.0	1.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		221.855	213.306	217.573	-11.3	-1.9	2.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		232.831	224.528	227.762	-9.2	-2.2	1.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		232.905	223.592	226.463	-9.3	-2.8	1.3
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		724.451		727.508	-3.3	0.4
Medical care		531.533		539.094	3.9	1.4
Recreation(3)		120.886		120.123	2.2	-0.6
Education and communication(3)		130.622		131.333	0.9	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,035.649		1,038.607	0.9	0.3
Other goods and services		540.463		544.259	1.2	0.7
Commodity and service group
Commodities		176.534		177.728	-1.0	0.7
Commodities less food and beverages		144.501		146.109	-2.1	1.1
Nondurables less food and beverages		184.464		185.860	-4.7	0.8
Durables		100.821		102.493	2.3	1.7
Services		326.566		329.480	2.6	0.9
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		226.586		228.308	0.8	0.8
All items less medical care		239.310		241.139	1.2	0.8
Commodities less food		147.458		148.949	-2.1	1.0
Nondurables		210.792		211.515	-2.1	0.3
Nondurables less food		186.921		188.066	-4.7	0.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)		334.813		337.571	2.5	0.8
Services less medical care services		311.432		314.022	2.5	0.8
Energy		191.642	176.657	192.989	-3.6	0.7	9.2
All items less energy		259.665		261.833	1.9	0.8
All items less food and energy		266.360		268.870	2.0	0.9
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.