The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington decreased 0.4 percent from August to October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that the recent two-month decline reflected a 0.2-percent decreased in the all items less food and energy index and a 2.3-percent decline in the energy index, while the food index rose since August, up 0.2 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 1.9 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 October 2018, up 2.0 percent, while the energy index declined 3.6 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index edged up 0.2 percent over the last two months. Prices for food away from home increased since August, up 0.8 percent, while those for food at home declined 0.2 percent. Within the food at home component, prices were lower for chicken and bacon, breakfast sausage, and related products; while prices were higher for breakfast cereal and fresh fish and seafood.

Over the year, the food index increased 2.0 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 2.6 percent, and those for food at home were up 1.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 2.3 percent since August. The two-month decline was led by a 4.0-percent decrease in gasoline prices. Prices were also lower for electricity and utility (piped) gas service, down 1.9 and 1.3 percent, respectively.

Over the year, the energy index declined 3.6 percent, due to lower gasoline prices, down 9.8 percent. Prices were higher for utility (piped) gas service (6.9 percent) and electricity (2.1 percent) since October 2018.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged down 0.2 percent from August to October. Prices were lower for new and used motor vehicles (-2.2 percent) and recreation (-2.6 percent) while prices were higher for shelter (0.4 percent) and education and communication (0.4 percent).

Since October 2018, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.5 percent. Prices were higher for a number of items including shelter (2.7 percent), medical care (3.7 percent), and recreation (3.9 percent), among others.

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	-0.4	1.9
December	-0.6	-0.2	-0.1	1.7	-0.1	0.8	-0.7	1.0

The Consumer Price Index for December 2019 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, January 14, 2020 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	Aug. 2019	Sep. 2019	Oct. 2019	Oct. 2018	Aug. 2019	Sep. 2019
All items		258.877		257.966	1.9	-0.4
All items (1967 = 100)		747.882		745.248
Food and beverages		238.496		239.360	1.9	0.4
Food		239.167		239.717	2.0	0.2
Food at home		241.908	242.112	241.510	1.5	-0.2	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		309.777		302.314	0.5	-2.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		264.805		269.248	1.7	1.7
Dairy and related products		203.194		208.657	5.3	2.7
Fruits and vegetables		270.626		276.035	1.6	2.0
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		163.840		159.807	1.8	-2.5
Other food at home		221.665		216.665	0.2	-2.3
Food away from home		229.768		231.582	2.6	0.8
Alcoholic beverages		226.282		231.661	0.0	2.4
Housing		269.067		269.076	2.7	0.0
Shelter		334.788	335.491	336.156	2.7	0.4	0.2
Rent of primary residence		311.523	312.432	312.856	2.9	0.4	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		343.261	344.312	344.573	3.2	0.4	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		343.261	344.312	344.573	3.2	0.4	0.1
Fuels and utilities		214.175		212.996	3.0	-0.6
Household energy		175.873	174.338	174.313	2.3	-0.9	0.0
Energy services		186.898	184.942	183.773	3.9	-1.7	-0.6
Electricity		181.785	181.246	178.283	2.1	-1.9	-1.6
Utility (piped) gas service		182.949	178.950	180.596	6.9	-1.3	0.9
Household furnishings and operations		118.730		115.167	1.6	-3.0
Apparel		110.743		109.944	2.1	-0.7
Transportation		215.590		211.840	-1.8	-1.7
Private transportation		215.229		210.394	-2.1	-2.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)		101.459		99.214	1.9	-2.2
New vehicles(1)		178.580		179.138	0.4	0.3
Used cars and trucks(1)		265.490		255.555	1.9	-3.7
Motor fuel		250.194	243.363	240.552	-9.8	-3.9	-1.2
Gasoline (all types)		246.884	239.890	237.105	-9.8	-4.0	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		243.571	236.572	233.767	-10.0	-4.0	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		252.894	246.692	243.922	-8.1	-3.5	-1.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		250.554	244.057	241.669	-8.4	-3.5	-1.0
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		724.276		712.845	-1.6	-1.6
Medical care		545.806		546.358	3.7	0.1
Recreation(3)		125.525		122.272	3.9	-2.6
Education and communication(3)		132.081		132.661	1.5	0.4
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,044.748		1,052.538	2.4	0.7
Other goods and services		558.271		554.639	3.3	-0.7
Commodity and service group
Commodities		183.241		181.587	0.3	-0.9
Commodities less food and beverages		151.955		149.551	-0.5	-1.6
Nondurables less food and beverages		195.356		192.922	-1.6	-1.2
Durables		104.869		102.660	1.4	-2.1
Services		335.525		335.207	2.7	-0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		233.930		232.130	1.5	-0.8
All items less medical care		246.768		245.788	1.8	-0.4
Commodities less food		154.800		152.547	-0.5	-1.5
Nondurables		218.647		217.570	0.0	-0.5
Nondurables less food		197.341		195.249	-1.5	-1.1
Services less rent of shelter(2)		343.748		341.577	2.7	-0.6
Services less medical care services		319.873		319.348	2.5	-0.2
Energy		202.721	199.209	198.140	-3.6	-2.3	-0.5
All items less energy		267.041		266.560	2.5	-0.2
All items less food and energy		274.405		273.766	2.5	-0.2
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.