The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria was unchanged from September to November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Maureen McDevitt Greene, the Bureau’s acting regional commissioner, noted that the recent increase in the all items less food and energy index, up 0.3 percent, was offset by decreases in the food index and the energy index, down 0.9 and 2.0 percent, respectively. (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 1.4 percent, due largely to a 1.4-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index. (See chart 1 and table A.) Since November 2019, the food index also increased, up 4.0 percent, while the energy index decreased 7.4 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Following a 1.3-percent increase from July to September, the food index decreased 0.9 percent over the last two months. Prices for food at home declined 2.4 percent, while those for food away from home rose 0.6 percent. Within the food at home component, prices were lower for bacon, breakfast sausage, and related products, as well as citrus fruits, while prices were higher for bread, eggs, and breakfast cereal, among others.

Food prices increased 4.0 percent over the year. Prices were higher for both food away from home (6.0 percent) and for food at home (1.9 percent) since November 2019.

Energy

Since September, the energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, declined 2.0 percent, due largely to lower prices for electricity (-4.3 percent). Prices were also lower for gasoline (-1.9 percent), while those for utility (piped) gas were higher (3.4 percent) over the past two months.

Energy prices decreased 7.4 percent since November 2019, due mostly to a drop in gasoline prices, down 11.4 percent. Over the year, prices also declined for electricity, down 5.5 percent, while prices were higher for utility (piped) gas service, up 2.2 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.3 percent since September. The advance was led by higher prices for shelter (0.4 percent) and recreation (1.1 percent) over the last two months. Lower prices for several categories, including apparel (-3.7 percent), moderated the increase in the all items less food and energy index from September to November.

Since November 2019, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent. Prices were higher for shelter (2.2 percent) and medical care (7.1 percent), among others. Prices decreased for apparel (-8.1 percent) and recreation (-3.7 percent) since November 2019.

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	2016		2017		2018		2019		2020
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	-0.2	1.5	0.2	1.5	0.9	2.2	0.5	0.8	0.5	1.6
March	0.8	1.1	0.4	1.1	-0.1	1.8	0.7	1.6	-0.4	0.4
May	0.8	1.2	0.0	0.3	0.7	2.5	0.6	1.6	0.1	-0.1
July	-0.2	1.3	0.0	0.5	0.1	2.5	-0.3	1.2	0.6	0.8
September	-0.3	0.5	0.9	1.7	0.4	2.0	0.1	0.9	0.6	1.2
November	0.2	1.1	0.0	1.5	-0.7	1.3	-0.2	1.5	0.0	1.4

The Consumer Price Index for January 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 10, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 6,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods available on the internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.

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 individuals with sensory impairments 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. 2020	Oct. 2020	Nov. 2020	Nov. 2019	Sep. 2020	Oct. 2020
All items		268.788		268.700	1.4	0.0
Food and beverages		264.518		262.122	3.4	-0.9
Food		271.655		269.260	4.0	-0.9
Food at home		256.472	253.882	250.267	1.9	-2.4	-1.4
Cereals and bakery products		330.632		328.988	4.3	-0.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		276.737		274.381	0.5	-0.9
Dairy and related products		250.878		240.846	0.9	-4.0
Fruits and vegetables		267.089		252.036	-5.2	-5.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		222.330		216.482	2.4	-2.6
Other food at home		219.001		214.868	7.5	-1.9
Food away from home		291.645		293.464	6.0	0.6
Alcoholic beverages		197.647		195.339	-2.0	-1.2
Housing		283.829		283.762	1.9	0.0
Shelter		341.944	342.475	343.341	2.2	0.4	0.3
Rent of primary residence		380.032	380.030	378.448	2.1	-0.4	-0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		350.731	351.357	352.172	2.4	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		350.731	351.357	352.172	2.4	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities		236.399		232.302	-2.2	-1.7
Household energy		181.675	183.469	177.647	-3.6	-2.2	-3.2
Energy services		185.935	188.091	181.918	-3.5	-2.2	-3.3
Electricity		210.697	211.632	201.702	-5.5	-4.3	-4.7
Utility (piped) gas service		130.466	134.418	134.841	2.2	3.4	0.3
Household furnishings and operations		112.592		110.238	3.2	-2.1
Apparel		153.947		148.295	-8.1	-3.7
Transportation		208.563		210.196	-2.5	0.8
Private transportation		212.133		211.772	-1.3	-0.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)		96.380		97.236	4.7	0.9
New vehicles(1)		192.465		193.141	0.5	0.4
Used cars and trucks(1)		328.334		327.541	11.2	-0.2
Motor fuel		212.512	214.523	208.588	-11.4	-1.8	-2.8
Gasoline (all types)		210.211	212.235	206.155	-11.4	-1.9	-2.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		203.785	206.019	199.945	-11.7	-1.9	-2.9
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		223.073	224.743	219.730	-6.9	-1.5	-2.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		235.387	235.453	229.896	-9.1	-2.3	-2.4
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		810.380		820.365	-8.2	1.2
Medical care		494.879		496.340	7.1	0.3
Recreation(3)		111.468		112.653	-3.7	1.1
Education and communication(3)		155.960		156.041	2.7	0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,436.779		1,437.088	2.0	0.0
Other goods and services		428.164		434.781	4.6	1.5
Commodity and service group
Commodities		182.996		181.281	1.1	-0.9
Commodities less food and beverages		142.214		140.842	-0.9	-1.0
Nondurables less food and beverages		185.125		182.117	-4.2	-1.6
Durables		101.452		101.208	2.9	-0.2
Services		346.690		348.454	1.6	0.5
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		239.448		238.858	1.0	-0.2
All items less medical care		258.108		257.947	0.9	-0.1
Commodities less food		144.770		143.353	-1.0	-1.0
Nondurables		224.418		221.783	0.4	-1.2
Nondurables less food		186.133		183.216	-3.9	-1.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)		363.170		365.598	0.8	0.7
Services less medical care services		331.661		333.513	0.8	0.6
Energy		199.010	200.937	194.942	-7.4	-2.0	-3.0
All items less energy		277.434		277.608	1.8	0.1
All items less food and energy		279.564		280.272	1.4	0.3
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.