Prices in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged for the 2 months ending in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A). Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that price changes were mixed throughout each major category. The energy index declined 1.0 percent and the all items less food and energy index declined 0.1 percent, counterbalancing an increase of 0.5 percent in the food index. (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 3.3 percent, led by the index for all items less food and energy, up 3.6 percent largely due to rising shelter prices. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices also rose, up 3.3 percent. The energy index decreased 0.3 percent, in part due to lower prices for gasoline. (See table 1). 

  

View Chart Data

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Apr 2024	4.1	4.6
Jun 2024	3.6	4.0
Aug 2024	3.4	4.0
Oct 2024	3.4	4.0
Dec 2024	3.3	3.6

In the two months ending in December, the food index advanced 0.5 percent, mostly due to the food away from home index as it rose 0.9 percent. The food at home index rose 0.2 percent in the same period. Leading the rise in grocery prices were nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials, up 5.0 percent; and cereals and bakery products, up 3.8 percent. Tempering the grocery index were decreased prices for fruits and vegetables and other food at home, down 4.1 and 1.1 percent respectively.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.3 percent as prices for food away from home were up 4.9 percent. Prices for food at home increased 2.3 percent. Mainly contributing to the increase for food at home was the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index, up 6.0 percent. Prices also rose for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials, up 4.6 percent. Declining prices for fruits and vegetables, down3.4 percent, slightly tempered the rise in the grocery index.

The energy index decreased 1.0 percent for the 2 months ending in December. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices in the gasoline index, down 3.3 percent. Electricity prices decreased 0.5 percent. For the same period, utility (piped) gas service prices increased 1.9 percent and fuel oil prices also rose.

From December 2023 to December 2024, energy prices declined 0.3 percent, led by a lower gasoline index, down 9.6 percent, and declining prices for fuel oil. Prices for electricity increased 9.2 percent and prices for natural gas service rose 5.8 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.1 percent in the latest 2-month period. The decrease was led by declines in prices for household furnishings and operations, down 1.7 percent; recreation, down 1.2 percent; and medical care, down 0.6 percent. Prices for other goods and services, down 1.3 percent, and apparel, down 1.0 percent, contributed to the decrease as well. Offsetting the decrease was the shelter index rising 0.3 percent due to its sub-components lodging away from home; owners' equivalent rent of residences, up 0.1 percent; and rent of primary residence, up 0.5 percent. The education and communication index increased 0.4 percent and public transportation prices also rose in the same 2-month period.

During the past year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.6 percent. The advance was primarily driven by a 4.8-percent increase in the shelter index. Within shelter, the indexes for owners’ equivalent rent of residences and rent of primary residence increased 4.8 and 5.5 percent, respectively, and lodging away from home also rose. The apparel index rose 6.9 percent over the year, while the education and communication index was up 3.4 percent for the same period. Slightly offsetting the overall index increase was a decrease in prices for household furnishings and operations, down 2.2 percent. The new and used motor vehicles index was down 0.9 percent for the same period, with prices for used cars and trucks continuing to decline as they have for every published month since December 2022, down 2.1 percent over the year in December 2024.

The February 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area is scheduled to be released on March 12, 2025.

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 Consumer Price Index for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is published bi-monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

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	Oct. 2024	Nov. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Oct. 2024	Nov. 2024
All items		316.617		316.543	3.3	0.0
All items (1967 = 100)		914.688		914.477
Food and beverages		305.216		306.734	3.2	0.5
Food		308.216		309.783	3.3	0.5
Food at home		312.062	308.730	312.761	2.3	0.2	1.3
Cereals and bakery products		407.787	403.826	423.192	3.4	3.8	4.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		351.756	342.368	351.056	6.0	-0.2	2.5
Dairy and related products		242.578	242.664	246.621	4.5	1.7	1.6
Fruits and vegetables		310.888	301.829	298.251	-3.4	-4.1	-1.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		218.853	226.886	229.835	4.6	5.0	1.3
Other food at home		296.911	293.384	293.734	0.8	-1.1	0.1
Food away from home		294.378		297.154	4.9	0.9
Alcoholic beverages		259.937		260.797	2.0	0.3
Housing		339.800		340.331	4.3	0.2
Shelter		422.024	421.150	423.488	4.8	0.3	0.6
Rent of primary residence		399.112	399.709	401.166	5.5	0.5	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		436.741	436.677	437.266	4.8	0.1	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		436.741	436.677	437.266	4.8	0.1	0.1
Fuels and utilities		278.431		279.508	6.6	0.4
Household energy		227.563	226.662	228.676	6.6	0.5	0.9
Energy services		240.138	238.269	240.418	8.3	0.1	0.9
Electricity		245.014	242.074	243.890	9.2	-0.5	0.8
Utility (piped) gas service		209.996	211.089	213.961	5.8	1.9	1.4
Household furnishings and operations		143.663		141.253	-2.2	-1.7
Apparel		111.690		110.617	6.9	-1.0
Transportation		275.615		275.180	2.6	-0.2
Private transportation		286.846		285.911	2.2	-0.3
New and used motor vehicles(3)		133.495		133.382	-0.9	-0.1
New vehicles(1)		238.162		238.195	-0.1	0.0
Used cars and trucks(1)		339.144		342.105	-2.1	0.9
Motor fuel		287.878	282.926	278.366	-9.6	-3.3	-1.6
Gasoline (all types)		284.235	279.338	274.844	-9.6	-3.3	-1.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		278.170	273.130	268.686	-9.8	-3.4	-1.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		303.112	299.010	294.541	-8.6	-2.8	-1.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		302.876	299.009	294.462	-8.2	-2.8	-1.5
Medical care		599.738		596.289	0.9	-0.6
Recreation(3)		138.866		137.140	-0.5	-1.2
Education and communication(3)		140.493		141.115	3.4	0.4
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,196.650		1,194.464	3.1	-0.2
Other goods and services		702.213		693.098	0.9	-1.3
Commodity and service group
Commodities		221.985		221.256	1.0	-0.3
Commodities less food and beverages		177.693		175.759	-1.0	-1.1
Nondurables less food and beverages		220.982		218.082	0.1	-1.3
Durables		127.502		126.530	-2.5	-0.8
Services		410.277		410.842	4.6	0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		280.323		279.656	2.5	-0.2
All items less medical care		304.539		304.606	3.5	0.0
Commodities less food		181.011		179.178	-0.8	-1.0
Nondurables		264.069		263.510	2.0	-0.2
Nondurables less food		223.488		220.875	0.3	-1.2
Services less rent of shelter(2)		405.297		404.779	4.3	-0.1
Services less medical care services		395.283		396.058	4.9	0.2
Energy		252.107	249.787	249.551	-0.3	-1.0	-0.1
All items less energy		326.125		326.236	3.5	0.0
All items less food and energy		332.492		332.295	3.6	-0.1
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.