The Cleveland-Akron, Ohio, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent from March to May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that food prices and energy costs rose 0.5 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent. Within this last category, costs were higher for recreation and airline fares over the two-month period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the past 12 months the Cleveland area all items CPI-U fell 0.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index declined 20.8 percent from its May 2014 level due to decreases in gasoline prices and utility (piped) gas service costs over the year. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.2 percent over the past 12 months. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.5 percent from March to May following a 0.4-percent decrease over the previous bi-monthly period. Between the food index’s two components, prices for food at home (groceries) and food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.7 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively, over the recent two-month period. Over the year, food at home prices were up 1.0 percent while prices for food away from home rose 3.3 percent. Overall food costs rose 1.9 percent from a year ago.

Energy

The energy index increased 0.4 percent from March to May following a 5.1-percent increase over the previous bi-monthly period. In the recent period, increases in costs for gasoline (7.9 percent) were partially offset by declines in utility (piped) gas service costs (-10.0 percent) and electricity prices (-3.5 percent).

Over the year, the energy index fell 20.8 percent. Annual increases in costs for electricity (4.6 percent), were more than offset by a drop in gasoline prices (-30.5 percent) and a decline in utility (piped) gas service costs (-26.6 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent from March to May. Among the index’s components, increases were recorded in costs for recreation (1.3 percent), and airline fares. Apparel prices declined 4.0 percent.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.2 percent mostly due to a 2.5-percent annual increase in the cost of shelter. Also contributing, but to a lesser extent, were annual gains in costs for medical care (5.2 percent) and apparel (4.8 percent).

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

Month	2011		2012		2013		2014		2015
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	0.7	2.2	0.4	2.1	0.2	1.5	0.3	1.1	-0.7	0.5
March	0.9	2.8	1.3	2.6	0.9	1.0	1.6	1.9	0.9	-0.2
May	1.3	4.0	-0.1	1.1	0.4	1.5	0.2	1.7	0.4	-0.1
July	-0.2	3.8	0.0	1.4	0.7	2.2	0.5	1.4
September	0.6	3.7	1.0	1.8	-0.4	0.7	-0.5	1.3
November	-0.8	2.5	-1.0	1.6	-0.7	1.0	-0.6	1.5

The July 2015 Consumer Price Index for Cleveland is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 19, 2015.

Technical Note

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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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/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 Cleveland-Akron, Ohio consolidated area covered in this release is comprised of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit Counties in Ohio.

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

Cleveland-Akron, OH (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Mar. 2015	Apr. 2015	May 2015	May 2014	Mar. 2015	Apr. 2015
Expenditure category
All items	220.444	-	221.277	-0.1	0.4	-
All items (1967=100)	706.407	-	709.076	-	-	-
Food and beverages	249.586	-	250.742	1.9	0.5	-
Food	254.798	-	255.980	1.9	0.5	-
Food at home	246.908	248.568	248.697	1.0	0.7	0.1
Food away from home	269.985	-	270.248	3.3	0.1	-
Alcoholic beverages	191.251	-	192.115	1.9	0.5	-
Housing	202.974	-	203.371	1.1	0.2	-
Shelter	233.624	233.440	235.938	2.5	1.0	1.1
Rent of primary residence (1)	230.833	231.637	232.147	2.1	0.6	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)	227.845	227.651	228.045	1.9	0.1	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)	227.845	227.651	228.045	1.9	0.1	0.2
Fuels and utilities	198.452	-	189.674	-5.3	-4.4	-
Household energy	164.916	160.194	155.418	-8.6	-5.8	-3.0
Energy services (1)	163.179	158.602	153.731	-8.6	-5.8	-3.1
Electricity (1)	177.425	171.258	171.258	4.6	-3.5	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	127.142	125.123	114.443	-26.6	-10.0	-8.5
Household furnishings and operations	116.963	-	117.525	-0.8	0.5	-
Apparel	138.962	-	133.465	4.8	-4.0	-
Transportation	197.701	-	202.337	-7.7	2.3	-
Private transportation	198.987	-	203.113	-7.7	2.1	-
Motor fuel	242.729	239.651	261.809	-30.5	7.9	9.2
Gasoline (all types)	240.018	236.983	258.914	-30.5	7.9	9.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)	230.223	227.402	249.390	-31.2	8.3	9.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)	250.919	247.371	268.065	-29.3	6.8	8.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)	244.336	241.149	259.876	-27.6	6.4	7.8
Medical care	417.493	-	414.176	5.2	-0.8	-
Recreation (5)	115.674	-	117.148	0.7	1.3	-
Education and communication (5)	125.219	-	124.916	-0.3	-0.2	-
Other goods and services	409.557	-	409.363	0.3	0.0	-
Commodity and service group
All items	220.444	-	221.277	-0.1	0.4	-
Commodities	190.348	-	191.880	-2.5	0.8	-
Commodities less food & beverages	159.984	-	161.618	-5.0	1.0	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	206.968	-	208.818	-9.0	0.9	-
Durables	109.692	-	111.003	1.0	1.2	-
Services	251.302	-	251.524	1.6	0.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	211.423	-	212.432	-0.5	0.5	-
All items less shelter	217.180	-	217.410	-1.2	0.1	-
Commodities less food	161.293	-	162.907	-4.8	1.0	-
Nondurables	229.003	-	230.534	-3.6	0.7	-
Nondurables less food	205.654	-	207.436	-8.4	0.9	-
Services less rent of shelter (2)	276.003	-	273.626	0.7	-0.9	-
Services less medical care services	238.991	-	239.556	1.4	0.2	-
Energy	195.276	191.096	196.079	-20.8	0.4	2.6
All items less energy	224.912	-	225.756	2.2	0.4	-
All items less food and energy	219.806	-	220.593	2.2	0.4	-
Footnotes (1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (2) Index is on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.