Prices in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.6 percent for the 2 months ending in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A). Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that February’s rise was mainly due to an increase in the all items less food and energy index (1.7 percent), influenced by higher prices for shelter and apparel. The food index and energy index were up 0.7 percent and 1.9 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 3.4 percent, led by the index for all items less food and energy, up 4.2 percent largely due to rising shelter prices. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices also rose, up 2.3 percent. The energy index continued to decline, with a 3.5-percent decrease. (See table 1). 

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, February 2021–February 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Feb 2021	1.0	0.6
Apr 2021	3.5	3.1
Jun 2021	4.9	4.5
Aug 2021	4.6	4.1
Oct 2021	5.6	4.6
Dec 2021	6.6	5.6
Feb 2022	7.3	5.9
Apr 2022	8.4	6.3
Jun 2022	8.8	5.6
Aug 2022	8.1	5.8
Oct 2022	7.8	5.8
Dec 2022	6.4	5.2
Feb 2023	6.9	6.3
Apr 2023	4.7	5.0
Jun 2023	3.1	4.6
Aug 2023	3.9	4.6
Oct 2023	3.5	4.4
Dec 2023	3.9	4.7
Feb 2024	3.4	4.2

In the two months ending in February, the food index advanced 0.7 percent with increases in the food away from home index (up 0.9 percent). The food at home index rose 0.6 percent, led by higher prices for cereals and bakery products (up 3.5 percent); and dairy and related products (up 3.7 percent)— both seeing the largest increases since August 2022. Most of the grocery categories saw increases, however declines in the nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (-2.1 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-0.4 percent) indexes tempered the advance.

Over the year, food prices rose 2.3 percent. For the same period, prices for food away from home increased 4.2 percent and prices for food at home were up 1.2 percent. A majority of the grocery categories saw higher prices as well. Leading the increase was the nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials index (up 5.2 percent—well below December’s peak 17.4-percent high) as well as the cereal and bakery products index, up 4.4 percent. Declining for the fifth consecutive published month, prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs were down 2.9 percent over-the-year. Also reporting lower prices was the other food at home index, down 0.2 percent.

The energy index increased 1.9 percent for the 2 months ending in February. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for electricity, up 5.5 percent, after three consecutive published months of bi-monthly declines. Prices paid for natural gas service rose 1.1 percent, while prices paid for gasoline decreased 1.0 percent for the same period.

Energy prices were down 3.5 percent over the year, largely due to a lower natural gas service index. Prices for natural gas service were down 16.7 percent, which was the largest decline since November 2009. The gasoline index was down 3.6 percent, making it nearly a year of bi-monthly over-the-year declines. The electricity index increased 2.0 percent, the smallest rise since August 2021.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.7 percent in the latest 2-month period. The rise was led by higher prices for apparel (12.8 percent—the largest bi-monthly rise since February 2009) and shelter (1.8 percent). Within the shelter index, prices for lodging away from home rose; owners’ equivalent rent of residences was up 0.8 percent; and rent of primary residence increased 1.1 percent. The index for education and communication rose 1.8 percent, the largest bi-monthly advance since August 2013. Other major categories in the all items less food and energy index also increased, whereas prices for medical care remained unchanged. Slightly offsetting the rises were lower prices for new and used motor vehicles, down 0.8 percent, led by used cars and trucks (-3.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.2 percent, mainly driven by a 6.5-percent increase in the shelter index. Within shelter, the indexes owners’ equivalent rent of residences advanced 6.4 percent, rent of primary residence rose 6.7 percent and lodging away from home increased. Other categories also had increases such as recreation up 4.4 percent, prices for apparel advanced 1.7 percent, and prices for education and communication rose 1.8 percent. Within the education and communication index, prices for tuition, other school fees, and childcare continued to advance at 4.5 percent over-the-year for the third consecutive publishing month.  Partially tempering the overall increase was the decrease in the medical care index, down 1.8 percent, and a decline in prices for public transportation.

The April 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area is scheduled to be released on May 15, 2024.

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 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, 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 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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	Dec. 2023	Jan. 2024	Feb. 2024	Feb. 2023	Dec. 2023	Jan. 2024
All items		306.386		311.227	3.4	1.6
All items (1967 = 100)		885.133		899.117
Food and beverages		297.129		299.224	2.3	0.7
Food		299.842		301.941	2.3	0.7
Food at home		305.691	307.361	307.428	1.2	0.6	0.0
Cereals and bakery products		409.270	407.432	423.500	4.4	3.5	3.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		331.090	338.615	329.907	-2.9	-0.4	-2.6
Dairy and related products		235.968	239.013	244.772	3.7	3.7	2.4
Fruits and vegetables		308.844	322.207	309.358	0.9	0.2	-4.0
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		219.832	210.230	215.273	5.2	-2.1	2.4
Other food at home		291.448	288.436	292.541	-0.2	0.4	1.4
Food away from home		283.337		285.902	4.2	0.9
Alcoholic beverages		255.743		257.737	1.4	0.8
Housing		326.394		332.272	4.9	1.8
Shelter		404.011	407.205	411.157	6.5	1.8	1.0
Rent of primary residence		380.329	381.974	384.693	6.7	1.1	0.7
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		417.246	418.055	420.585	6.4	0.8	0.6
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		417.246	418.055	420.585	6.4	0.8	0.6
Fuels and utilities		262.231		270.348	-2.6	3.1
Household energy		214.554	221.815	223.270	-3.2	4.1	0.7
Energy services		221.904	231.177	231.664	-3.8	4.4	0.2
Electricity		223.302	235.150	235.682	2.0	5.5	0.2
Utility (piped) gas service		202.255	204.065	204.396	-16.7	1.1	0.2
Household furnishings and operations		144.493		145.796	0.9	0.9
Apparel		103.515		116.760	1.7	12.8
Transportation		268.086		267.752	3.2	-0.1
Private transportation		279.668		280.386	4.5	0.3
New and used motor vehicles(3)		134.562		133.543	1.4	-0.8
New vehicles(1)		238.372		239.207	1.3	0.4
Used cars and trucks(1)		349.301		338.359	-1.2	-3.1
Motor fuel		307.964	298.761	304.734	-3.6	-1.0	2.0
Gasoline (all types)		303.929	294.871	300.759	-3.6	-1.0	2.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		297.994	289.004	295.166	-3.8	-0.9	2.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		322.393	312.822	317.325	-2.8	-1.6	1.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		320.831	311.894	316.025	-2.2	-1.5	1.3
Medical care		590.775		590.637	-1.8	0.0
Recreation(3)		137.882		139.497	4.4	1.2
Education and communication(3)		136.416		138.809	1.8	1.8
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,158.191		1,158.191	4.5	0.0
Other goods and services		686.615		701.676	1.3	2.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		219.042		222.901	0.6	1.8
Commodities less food and beverages		177.500		182.307	-0.4	2.7
Nondurables less food and beverages		217.796		226.961	0.7	4.2
Durables		129.835		130.612	-2.0	0.6
Services		392.907		398.727	4.8	1.5
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		272.956		276.974	1.6	1.5
All items less medical care		294.269		299.310	3.9	1.7
Commodities less food		180.669		185.379	-0.3	2.6
Nondurables		258.323		263.717	1.4	2.1
Nondurables less food		220.233		228.846	0.7	3.9
Services less rent of shelter(2)		388.261		392.568	2.7	1.1
Services less medical care services		377.437		383.699	5.5	1.7
Energy		250.376	252.039	255.086	-3.5	1.9	1.2
All items less energy		315.111		320.033	3.9	1.6
All items less food and energy		320.832		326.390	4.2	1.7
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.