The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area rose 0.1 percent from June to August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the energy and food indexes increased 0.6 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively, over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent from June to August. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for other goods and services, recreation, and shelter. (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 increased 1.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The food index decreased 0.2 percent, while the energy index rose 4.0 percent over the year, primarily due to increases in gasoline prices. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.1 percent from June to August. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) fell 0.8 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 1.4 percent.

Over the year, food prices in the Detroit area declined 0.2 percent. Grocery prices fell 1.7 percent, while prices for food away from home rose 2.2 percent from August 2016.

Energy

The energy index for Detroit increased 0.6 percent from June to August, primarily due to gasoline prices rising 1.7 percent. In contrast, utility (piped) gas service costs and electricity costs fell 0.6 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.

From August 2016 to August 2017, overall energy prices rose 4.0 percent. Gasoline prices increased 9.1 percent over the year. The utility (piped) gas service index rose 4.6 percent, while the electricity index fell 3.0 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent from June to August. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for other goods and services (2.6 percent), recreation (1.3 percent), and shelter (0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (5.2 percent) and medical care (2.5 percent) were major contributing factors.

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

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	1.1	1.9	1.1	0.7	-0.7	-1.8	0.3	0.9	0.9	3.0
April	0.0	1.3	1.3	2.0	1.2	-1.9	1.4	1.1	0.7	2.3
June	1.2	3.3	0.5	1.3	0.0	-2.4	1.2	2.3	0.0	1.1
August	-0.7	1.3	-1.0	1.0	0.6	-0.9	-0.1	1.7	0.1	1.3
October	-0.1	0.7	-0.1	1.0	0.1	-0.7	0.2	1.7
December	-0.7	0.8	-1.8	-0.1	-1.2	-0.1	-0.6	2.4

The October 2017 Consumer Price Index for Detroit is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 15, 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 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-
	Jun. 2017	Jul. 2017	Aug. 2017	Aug. 2016	Jun. 2017	Jul. 2017
Expenditure category
All items	226.525	-	226.759	1.3	0.1	-
All items (1967=100)	673.326	-	674.021	-	-	-
Food and beverages	221.185	-	221.553	0.0	0.2	-
Food	220.676	-	220.873	-0.2	0.1	-
Food at home	209.914	207.676	208.218	-1.7	-0.8	0.3
Food away from home	237.816	-	241.236	2.2	1.4	-
Alcoholic beverages	222.058	-	224.931	2.1	1.3	-
Housing	214.142	-	214.194	4.0	0.0	-
Shelter	244.774	245.352	245.391	5.2	0.3	0.0
Rent of primary residence(1)	247.805	248.480	248.535	3.1	0.3	0.0
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	241.982	243.453	243.951	5.6	0.8	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	241.982	243.453	243.951	5.6	0.8	0.2
Fuels and utilities	245.937	-	246.004	0.5	0.0	-
Household energy	190.092	189.056	189.274	-0.1	-0.4	0.1
Energy services(1)	194.513	193.736	193.934	-0.3	-0.3	0.1
Electricity(1)	227.531	227.481	227.297	-3.0	-0.1	-0.1
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	147.213	145.706	146.300	4.6	-0.6	0.4
Household furnishings and operations	118.368	-	116.220	0.1	-1.8	-
Apparel	116.800	-	117.696	1.3	0.8	-
Transportation	230.768	-	229.303	0.4	-0.6	-
Private transportation	230.658	-	229.797	1.1	-0.4	-
Motor fuel	216.224	216.064	219.966	9.1	1.7	1.8
Gasoline (all types)	215.008	214.864	218.738	9.1	1.7	1.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)	215.696	215.188	219.676	9.3	1.8	2.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)	255.866	257.708	259.349	7.8	1.4	0.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)	230.847	231.617	233.730	8.6	1.2	0.9
Medical care	434.355	-	431.096	2.5	-0.8	-
Recreation(5)	117.029	-	118.552	-3.4	1.3	-
Education and communication(5)	139.189	-	140.468	-5.0	0.9	-
Other goods and services	395.771	-	406.125	0.8	2.6	-
Commodity and service group
All items	226.525	-	226.759	1.3	0.1	-
Commodities	173.142	-	172.744	0.1	-0.2	-
Commodities less food & beverages	148.192	-	147.471	0.2	-0.5	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	178.992	-	180.136	3.1	0.6	-
Durables	112.749	-	110.495	-3.6	-2.0	-
Services	281.115	-	281.944	2.0	0.3	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	218.093	-	218.493	1.2	0.2	-
All items less shelter	222.425	-	222.513	-0.3	0.0	-
Commodities less food	150.914	-	150.287	0.2	-0.4	-
Nondurables	200.015	-	200.792	1.4	0.4	-
Nondurables less food	181.828	-	183.070	3.0	0.7	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	333.700	-	334.878	-0.7	0.4	-
Services less medical care services	271.495	-	272.379	2.0	0.3	-
Energy	205.794	205.123	206.972	4.0	0.6	0.9
All items less energy	231.374	-	231.512	1.0	0.1	-
All items less food and energy	233.902	-	234.030	1.2	0.1	-
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.