The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington increased 0.5 percent from April to June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that the recent two-month rise reflected an 0.7-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index and a 0.3-percent rise in the food index, while the energy index decreased since April, down 1.3 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 increased 2.1 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 (2.5 percent). The food index also advanced since June 2018, up 2.1 percent, while the energy index declined 1.4 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.3 percent over the last two months. Prices for both food away from home and food at home increased since April, up 0.4 and 0.2 percent, respectively.

Over the year, the food index increased 2.1 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.0 percent, and those for food at home were up 1.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 1.3 percent since April. The 2-month decline was led by a 1.6-percent decrease in gasoline prices. Prices were also lower for utility (piped) gas service (-1.6 percent), while they were higher for electricity (0.8 percent).

Over the year, the energy index declined 1.4 percent, due to lower gasoline prices, down 5.6 percent. Prices were higher for utility (piped) gas service (9.7 percent) and electricity (1.0 percent) since June 2018.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.7 percent from April to June. Prices were higher for shelter (0.8 percent), household furnishings and operations (4.0 percent), and recreation (1.0 percent), among others.

Since June 2018, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.5 percent. Prices were higher for a number of items including shelter (3.2 percent), medical care (3.9 percent), and recreation (3.9 percent), while prices were lower for apparel, down 4.1 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	1.3	1.9
June	0.8	0.2	0.3	0.1	-0.3	0.7	0.2	1.9	0.5	2.1
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 August 2019 is scheduled to be released Thursday, September 12, 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	Apr. 2019	May 2019	Jun. 2019	Jun. 2018	Apr. 2019	May 2019
All items		256.528		257.709	2.1	0.5
All items (1967 = 100)		741.094		744.506
Food and beverages		236.304		237.368	1.9	0.5
Food		236.919		237.597	2.1	0.3
Food at home		240.148	241.410	240.573	1.4	0.2	-0.3
Cereals and bakery products		302.787		305.728	1.9	1.0
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		262.254		264.414	0.2	0.8
Dairy and related products		200.260		201.032	2.1	0.4
Fruits and vegetables		278.270		277.869	4.1	-0.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		157.701		156.562	-2.4	-0.7
Other food at home		220.611		220.025	1.7	-0.3
Food away from home		226.917		227.918	3.0	0.4
Alcoholic beverages		224.915		231.546	0.1	2.9
Housing		265.929		268.889	3.5	1.1
Shelter		330.829	331.137	333.598	3.2	0.8	0.7
Rent of primary residence		307.635	307.885	308.522	1.9	0.3	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		339.766	339.926	340.425	2.5	0.2	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		339.766	339.926	340.425	2.5	0.2	0.1
Fuels and utilities		215.093		217.154	4.5	1.0
Household energy		178.508	179.063	176.722	2.7	-1.0	-1.3
Energy services		188.038	188.699	187.752	4.2	-0.2	-0.5
Electricity		181.901	182.910	183.340	1.0	0.8	0.2
Utility (piped) gas service		185.581	185.670	182.679	9.7	-1.6	-1.6
Household furnishings and operations		114.774		119.365	5.2	4.0
Apparel		108.752		105.889	-4.1	-2.6
Transportation		215.394		215.335	-1.4	0.0
Private transportation		215.354		215.054	-1.2	-0.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)		98.846		99.597	1.5	0.8
New vehicles(1)		178.296		179.871	1.1	0.9
Used cars and trucks(1)		259.471		259.471	1.1	0.0
Motor fuel		261.622	269.330	257.235	-5.6	-1.7	-4.5
Gasoline (all types)		258.018	265.853	253.829	-5.6	-1.6	-4.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		255.036	263.052	250.667	-5.8	-1.7	-4.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		262.181	269.832	260.855	-4.3	-0.5	-3.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		258.470	264.273	255.531	-5.0	-1.1	-3.3
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		724.276		724.276	-1.2	0.0
Medical care		539.820		539.625	3.9	0.0
Recreation(3)		123.000		124.270	3.9	1.0
Education and communication(3)		131.900		131.718	0.6	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,038.607		1,042.846	1.1	0.4
Other goods and services		558.096		550.798	2.8	-1.3
Commodity and service group
Commodities		182.735		182.227	0.4	-0.3
Commodities less food and beverages		152.060		151.049	-0.4	-0.7
Nondurables less food and beverages		197.369		193.827	-2.0	-1.8
Durables		103.368		104.548	2.1	1.1
Services		331.490		334.171	2.9	0.8
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		232.159		232.751	1.5	0.3
All items less medical care		244.575		245.822	1.9	0.5
Commodities less food		154.873		154.021	-0.4	-0.6
Nondurables		218.903		217.253	-0.2	-0.8
Nondurables less food		199.208		196.112	-1.9	-1.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)		339.571		342.201	2.6	0.8
Services less medical care services		316.139		318.830	2.8	0.9
Energy		208.636	211.869	205.886	-1.4	-1.3	-2.8
All items less energy		263.697		265.351	2.4	0.6
All items less food and energy		270.859		272.678	2.5	0.7
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.