The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington increased 1.9 percent from April to June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the recent increase was due largely to an identical increase in the all items less food and energy index (1.9 percent). The energy index and the food index also increased over the 2-month period, up 4.3 and 1.2 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 rose 4.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The over-the-year rise was due largely to an increase in the all items less food and energy index (4.5 percent). The energy index and the food index also increased since June 2020, up 19.8 and 0.9 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 1.2 percent over the last 2 months. Prices for food at home rose 2.2 percent since April, while those for food away from home inched down 0.1 percent. Within the food at home component, prices were higher for items such as uncooked ground beef and breakfast cereal, while prices were lower for rice, pasta, cornmeal as well as eggs.

Over the year, the food index increased 0.9 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.4 percent, while those for food at home were down 1.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 4.3 percent since April. The 2-month increase reflected a 7.2-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices were also higher for electricity, up 1.2 percent, while those for utility (piped) gas service were lower, down 0.5 percent since April.

Over the year, the energy index advanced 19.8 percent, led by a 40.0-percent jump in gasoline prices. Prices were also higher for electricity, up 0.6 percent, while those for utility (piped) gas service were lower, down 1.0 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.9 percent from April to June. Higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (14.3 percent), particularly those for used cars and trucks (18.1 percent), were moderated by lower prices for apparel (-2.4 percent) and medical care (-0.7 percent).

Since June 2020, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.5 percent. Prices were higher for new and used motor vehicles (27.0 percent), particularly those for used cars and trucks (45.3 percent), along with prices for household furnishings and operations (11.0 percent).

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

Month	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	0.7	2.1	0.4	0.5	0.8	1.5	1.0	2.6	0.8	1.0
April	0.0	1.3	0.9	1.4	1.3	1.9	-1.3	-0.1	1.2	3.5
June	-0.3	0.7	0.2	1.9	0.5	2.1	0.6	0.1	1.9	4.9
August	0.5	1.4	0.3	1.7	0.5	2.3	0.8	0.4
October	0.0	0.8	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.9	0.0	0.8
December	-0.1	0.8	-0.7	1.0	-0.3	2.4	0.0	1.1

The Consumer Price Index for July 2021 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, August 11, 2021 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 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 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; 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Core Based Statistical Area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, 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 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, 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. 2021	May 2021	Jun. 2021	Jun. 2020	Apr. 2021	May 2021
All items		265.355		270.499	4.9	1.9
All items (1967 = 100)		766.597		781.455
Food and beverages		248.347		251.504	0.9	1.3
Food		249.307		252.233	0.9	1.2
Food at home		246.590	246.725	252.121	-1.0	2.2	2.2
Cereals and bakery products		318.114		329.566	-1.0	3.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		276.816		295.828	-0.7	6.9
Dairy and related products		201.692		204.327	-3.1	1.3
Fruits and vegetables		281.062		275.783	-0.7	-1.9
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		163.550		170.638	2.0	4.3
Other food at home		221.319		221.028	-1.9	-0.1
Food away from home		246.449		246.195	3.4	-0.1
Alcoholic beverages		231.671		238.375	1.3	2.9
Housing		274.219		277.690	2.7	1.3
Shelter		340.666	343.549	344.373	1.1	1.1	0.2
Rent of primary residence		320.992	323.574	324.064	2.3	1.0	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		352.615	353.503	354.398	0.8	0.5	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		352.615	353.503	354.398	0.8	0.5	0.3
Fuels and utilities		209.987		212.873	4.9	1.4
Household energy		168.694	169.603	171.720	5.5	1.8	1.2
Energy services		178.982	178.200	180.200	0.1	0.7	1.1
Electricity		179.930	178.777	182.050	0.6	1.2	1.8
Utility (piped) gas service		165.061	165.121	164.267	-1.0	-0.5	-0.5
Household furnishings and operations		125.340		128.208	11.0	2.3
Apparel		110.576		107.951	6.9	-2.4
Transportation		220.407		238.189	18.9	8.1
Private transportation		223.341		243.756	20.9	9.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)		108.420		123.972	27.0	14.3
New vehicles(1)		189.466		207.562	18.7	9.6
Used cars and trucks(1)		311.505		367.957	45.3	18.1
Motor fuel		266.588	281.445	285.626	39.8	7.1	1.5
Gasoline (all types)		263.211	278.044	282.217	40.0	7.2	1.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		259.470	274.575	278.607	40.7	7.4	1.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		272.929	284.407	289.291	35.8	6.0	1.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		268.183	280.184	284.908	34.8	6.2	1.7
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		651.153		653.356	-5.6	0.3
Medical care		576.610		572.833	2.8	-0.7
Recreation(3)		125.476		128.137	2.3	2.1
Education and communication(3)		133.529		134.206	1.4	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,053.564		1,069.904	1.4	1.6
Other goods and services		590.414		586.000	6.1	-0.7
Commodity and service group
Commodities		191.134		197.900	10.4	3.5
Commodities less food and beverages		159.099		167.075	17.2	5.0
Nondurables less food and beverages		196.636		200.359	12.2	1.9
Durables		115.259		125.249	23.3	8.7
Services		340.100		343.547	1.8	1.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		240.563		246.213	6.7	2.3
All items less medical care		252.196		257.717	5.0	2.2
Commodities less food		161.923		169.919	16.6	4.9
Nondurables		223.601		227.075	5.8	1.6
Nondurables less food		198.772		202.663	11.5	2.0
Services less rent of shelter(2)		347.097		350.318	2.6	0.9
Services less medical care services		321.912		325.736	1.5	1.2
Energy		204.045	210.014	212.878	19.8	4.3	1.4
All items less energy		274.226		279.097	3.9	1.8
All items less food and energy		281.159		286.441	4.5	1.9
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.