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News Release Information

17-409-CHI
Friday, April 14, 2017

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

Consumer Price Index, Cleveland-Akron-Lorain — March 2017

Local prices increase 1.3 percent over the year

The Cleveland-Akron, Ohio, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent from January to March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that food prices increased 0.5 percent while energy costs were up 0.7 percent over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent over the past two months. Within this last category, costs were higher for apparel and recreation, but lower for household furnishings and operations. (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 rose 1.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index increased 7.5 percent over the year as prices increased for gasoline and utility (piped) gas service. The all items less food and energy index was 1.1 percent higher over the past 12 months. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices were up 0.5 percent from January to March following a 0.9-percent increase over the previous bi-monthly period. Between the food index’s two components, prices for food at home (groceries) increased 0.3 percent, while prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were up 0.7 percent over the recent two-month period.

Over the year, overall food prices were 0.4 percent lower. Prices for food at home fell 1.6 percent while food away from home prices rose 1.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 0.7 percent from January to March following a 5.4-percent increase over the previous bi-monthly period. From January to March, the 5.5-percent rise in electricity costs were partially offset by the declines in the indexes for gasoline (-2.3 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (-0.8 percent).

Over the year, the energy index rose 7.5 percent due to increases in the indexes for gasoline (15.2 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (27.6 percent). In contrast, the electricity index fell 9.2 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent from January to March. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for apparel (5.5 percent) and recreation (1.4 percent), but lower for household furnishings and operations (-2.8 percent) and education and communication (-1.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.1 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (2.0 percent), medical care (6.4 percent) and recreation (6.2 percent) were major contributing factors.

Table A. Cleveland CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20132014201520162017
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

0.21.50.31.1-0.70.5-0.10.10.71.6

March

0.91.01.61.90.9-0.20.5-0.20.31.3

May

0.41.50.21.70.4-0.10.90.3  

July

0.72.20.51.40.90.40.0-0.6  

September

-0.40.7-0.51.3-1.4-0.4-0.50.3  

November

-0.71.0-0.61.5-0.5-0.4-0.10.8  

The May 2017 Consumer Price Index for Cleveland is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 14, 2017.


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 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

 
IndexesPercent change from-
Jan.
2017
Feb.
2017
Mar.
2017
Mar.
2016
Jan.
2017
Feb.
2017

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

222.241-222.8491.30.3-

All items (1967=100)

712.164-714.113---

Food and beverages

249.229-250.214-0.20.4-

Food

253.402-254.614-0.40.5-

Food at home

240.233237.076240.982-1.60.31.6

Food away from home

277.362-279.3581.40.7-

Alcoholic beverages

200.503-199.3772.1-0.6-

Housing

207.518-207.6231.70.1-

Shelter

242.465239.754242.2352.0-0.11.0

Rent of primary residence(1)

240.434239.868240.7792.40.10.4

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

236.834236.585237.3182.50.20.3

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

236.834236.585237.3182.50.20.3

Fuels and utilities

188.261-194.5922.83.4-

Household energy

152.727156.747157.5722.13.20.5

Energy services(1)

151.106155.157155.7591.83.10.4

Electricity(1)

156.245156.245164.916-9.25.55.5

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

127.956136.786126.92227.6-0.8-7.2

Household furnishings and operations

118.288-114.921-2.0-2.8-

Apparel

129.834-136.930-4.25.5-

Transportation

190.852-191.0630.10.1-

Private transportation

191.448-190.969-0.1-0.3-

Motor fuel

233.516215.504228.18015.3-2.35.9

Gasoline (all types)

231.009213.132225.71715.2-2.35.9

Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)

217.266200.171212.65415.5-2.16.2

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

249.832232.823240.58313.4-3.73.3

Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)

255.020237.758246.47813.4-3.33.7

Medical care

445.069-445.1136.40.0-

Recreation(5)

118.715-120.3206.21.4-

Education and communication(5)

126.393-125.043-1.0-1.1-

Other goods and services

418.313-414.741-0.6-0.9-
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

222.241-222.8491.30.3-

Commodities

187.979-188.2440.50.1-

Commodities less food & beverages

157.192-157.1051.0-0.1-

Nondurables less food & beverages

205.396-205.8364.10.2-

Durables

106.316-105.859-2.9-0.4-

Services

256.936-257.8731.90.4-
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

212.006-212.6410.80.3-

All items less shelter

216.312-217.2291.00.4-

Commodities less food

158.921-158.7871.1-0.1-

Nondurables

227.272-227.9931.60.3-

Nondurables less food

204.639-204.9253.90.1-

Services less rent of shelter(2)

277.962-280.2111.60.8-

Services less medical care services

243.831-244.8091.70.4-

Energy

183.829179.999185.0887.50.72.8

All items less energy

228.068-228.6220.90.2-

All items less food and energy

223.853-224.2851.10.2-

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. Data not seasonally adjusted.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, April 14, 2017