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News Release Information

16-63-CHI
Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Consumer Price Index, Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint — December 2015

Local prices edged down 0.1 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area decreased 1.2 percent from October to December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that the energy index decreased 12.0 percent while the food index edged down 0.1 percent over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.2 percent from October to December. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were lower for apparel. (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 Detroit all items CPI-U edged down 0.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index decreased 14.5 percent over the year due to declines in gasoline prices and utility (piped) gas service costs. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.7 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices edged down 0.1 percent from October to December following a 0.6 percent increase over the previous bi-monthly period. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) rose 0.7 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) decreased 1.2 percent.

On an annual basis, food prices in the Detroit area fell 0.6 percent. Prices for food away from home edged down 0.1 percent while grocery prices declined 0.9 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index for Detroit fell 12.0 percent from October to December. Prices declined for gasoline (-24.6 percent), electricity (-1.1 percent), and utility (piped) gas service (-0.4 percent).

From December 2014 to December 2015, overall energy prices decreased 14.5 percent. Gasoline prices fell 25.8 percent and utility (piped) gas service costs were 16.0 percent lower. In contrast, electricity costs rose 5.5 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.2 percent from October to December. Among the index’s components, prices were 9.7 percent lower for apparel.  

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.7 percent. Among the index’s components, shelter (1.9 percent), medical care (1.9 percent), and education and communication (1.6 percent) recorded annual increases. In contrast, the index for household furnishings and operations was 1.5 percent lower compared to a year ago.

Table A. Detroit CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20112012201320142015
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

February

0.21.70.63.91.11.91.10.7-0.7-1.8

April

2.33.10.62.10.01.31.32.01.2-1.9

June

0.94.2-0.80.41.23.30.51.30.0-2.4

August

0.24.11.21.5-0.71.3-1.01.00.6-0.9

October

-0.53.50.52.4-0.10.7-0.11.00.1-0.7

December

0.33.5-0.71.4-0.70.8-1.8-0.1-1.2-0.1

The February 2016 Consumer Price Index for Detroit is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 16, 2016.


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/pdf/homch17.pdf.

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 Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, Mich. consolidated area covered in this release is comprised of Genesee, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties in Michigan.

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
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Indexes
 
Percent change from-
Oct.
2015
Nov.
2015
Dec.
2015
Dec.
2014
Oct.
2015
Nov.
2015

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

220.506-217.764-0.1-1.2-

All items (1967=100)

655.435-647.286---

Food and beverages

221.154-221.047-0.30.0-

Food

220.863-220.721-0.6-0.1-

Food at home

210.805210.371212.315-0.90.70.9

Food away from home

236.714-233.846-0.1-1.2-

Alcoholic beverages

218.894-219.2583.60.2-

Housing

201.695-202.0690.90.2-

Shelter

228.067228.741228.2251.90.1-0.2

Rent of primary residence (1)

233.979235.015235.5543.20.70.2

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

225.346226.237226.6031.80.60.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

225.346226.237226.6031.80.60.2

Fuels and utilities

238.922-239.769-2.70.4-

Household energy

188.019186.472186.509-4.5-0.80.0

Energy services (1)

191.286189.708189.773-3.9-0.80.0

Electricity (1)

222.378218.476220.0385.5-1.10.7

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

146.249147.248145.712-16.0-0.4-1.0

Household furnishings and operations

115.860-116.849-1.50.9-

Apparel

122.713-110.8202.4-9.7-

Transportation

231.377-217.477-5.4-6.0-

Private transportation

230.469-215.591-5.7-6.5-

Motor fuel

220.032204.488166.120-25.8-24.5-18.8

Gasoline (all types)

218.651203.069164.856-25.8-24.6-18.8

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

220.798204.108164.388-27.4-25.5-19.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

255.676241.138200.052-21.2-21.8-17.0

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

226.353214.716182.028-16.7-19.6-15.2

Medical care

405.702-405.5191.90.0-

Recreation (5)

112.060-112.9061.60.8-

Education and communication (5)

146.236-146.4671.60.2-

Other goods and services

400.893-397.5351.3-0.8-
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

220.506-217.764-0.1-1.2-

Commodities

174.614-168.077-3.1-3.7-

Commodities less food & beverages

150.633-141.108-5.1-6.3-

Nondurables less food & beverages

179.717-161.547-8.4-10.1-

Durables

115.623-114.878-0.2-0.6-

Services

267.835-268.7171.70.3-
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

213.097-210.225-0.3-1.3-

All items less shelter

220.588-216.569-1.0-1.8-

Commodities less food

153.131-143.912-4.7-6.0-

Nondurables

200.206-190.798-4.0-4.7-

Nondurables less food

182.155-165.151-7.5-9.3-

Services less rent of shelter (2)

324.142-326.0191.60.6-

Services less medical care services

258.491-259.4021.80.4-

Energy

206.491198.679181.623-14.5-12.0-8.6

All items less energy

224.541-224.1231.3-0.2-

All items less food and energy

225.775-225.3011.7-0.2-

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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2016