The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington increased 0.5 percent from June to August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that the recent two-month rise reflected a 0.6-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index and a 0.7-percent rise in the food index, while the energy index decreased since June, down 1.5 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 2.3 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 (2.8 percent). The food index also advanced since August 2018, up 1.8 percent, while the energy index declined 2.0 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.7 percent over the last two months. Prices for both food away from home and food at home increased since June, up 0.8 and 0.6 percent, respectively. Within the food at home component, prices were higher for nonfrozen noncarbonated juices and drinks, and processed fish and seafood; while prices were lower for lettuce and bacon, breakfast sausage, and related products.

Over the year, the food index increased 1.8 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.2 percent, and those for food at home were up 0.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 1.5 percent since June. The 2-month decline was led by a 2.7-percent decrease in gasoline prices. Prices were also lower for electricity (-0.8 percent), while they were higher for utility (piped) gas service (0.1 percent).

Over the year, the energy index declined 2.0 percent, due to lower gasoline prices, down 7.5 percent. Prices were higher for utility (piped) gas service (9.4 percent) and electricity (0.6 percent) since August 2018.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.6 percent from June to August. Prices were higher for shelter (0.4 percent), apparel (4.6 percent), and medical care (1.1 percent), among others.

Since August 2018, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.8 percent. Prices were higher for a number of items including shelter (2.8 percent) and medical care (4.1 percent), while prices were lower for apparel, down 2.4 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	0.5	2.3
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 October 2019 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, November 13, 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	Jun. 2019	Jul. 2019	Aug. 2019	Aug. 2018	Jun. 2019	Jul. 2019
All items		257.709		258.877	2.3	0.5
All items (1967 = 100)		744.506		747.882
Food and beverages		237.368		238.496	1.6	0.5
Food		237.597		239.167	1.8	0.7
Food at home		240.573	242.498	241.908	0.9	0.6	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		305.728		309.777	0.6	1.3
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		264.414		264.805	-0.4	0.1
Dairy and related products		201.032		203.194	4.2	1.1
Fruits and vegetables		277.869		270.626	-0.8	-2.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		156.562		163.840	3.0	4.6
Other food at home		220.025		221.665	1.1	0.7
Food away from home		227.918		229.768	3.2	0.8
Alcoholic beverages		231.546		226.282	-2.2	-2.3
Housing		268.889		269.067	3.2	0.1
Shelter		333.598	335.165	334.788	2.8	0.4	-0.1
Rent of primary residence		308.522	309.969	311.523	2.7	1.0	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		340.425	341.823	343.261	3.1	0.8	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		340.425	341.823	343.261	3.1	0.8	0.4
Fuels and utilities		217.154		214.175	4.0	-1.4
Household energy		176.722	176.953	175.873	3.3	-0.5	-0.6
Energy services		187.752	187.661	186.898	3.9	-0.5	-0.4
Electricity		183.340	183.037	181.785	0.6	-0.8	-0.7
Utility (piped) gas service		182.679	182.917	182.949	9.4	0.1	0.0
Household furnishings and operations		119.365		118.730	5.1	-0.5
Apparel		105.889		110.743	-2.4	4.6
Transportation		215.335		215.590	-0.4	0.1
Private transportation		215.054		215.229	-0.7	0.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)		99.597		101.459	3.3	1.9
New vehicles(1)		179.871		178.580	0.8	-0.7
Used cars and trucks(1)		259.471		265.490	2.1	2.3
Motor fuel		257.235	260.067	250.194	-7.5	-2.7	-3.8
Gasoline (all types)		253.829	256.705	246.884	-7.5	-2.7	-3.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		250.667	253.494	243.571	-7.8	-2.8	-3.9
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		260.855	262.653	252.894	-6.6	-3.1	-3.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		255.531	258.736	250.554	-6.1	-1.9	-3.2
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		724.276		724.276	0.0	0.0
Medical care		539.625		545.806	4.1	1.1
Recreation(3)		124.270		125.525	4.9	1.0
Education and communication(3)		131.718		132.081	1.3	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,042.846		1,044.748	2.3	0.2
Other goods and services		550.798		558.271	3.9	1.4
Commodity and service group
Commodities		182.227		183.241	0.5	0.6
Commodities less food and beverages		151.049		151.955	-0.1	0.6
Nondurables less food and beverages		193.827		195.356	-1.8	0.8
Durables		104.548		104.869	2.8	0.3
Services		334.171		335.525	3.2	0.4
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		232.751		233.930	2.0	0.5
All items less medical care		245.822		246.768	2.1	0.4
Commodities less food		154.021		154.800	-0.2	0.5
Nondurables		217.253		218.647	-0.3	0.6
Nondurables less food		196.112		197.341	-1.8	0.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)		342.201		343.748	3.4	0.5
Services less medical care services		318.830		319.873	2.9	0.3
Energy		205.886	207.090	202.721	-2.0	-1.5	-2.1
All items less energy		265.351		267.041	2.7	0.6
All items less food and energy		272.678		274.405	2.8	0.6
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.