The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area fell 0.6 percent from June to August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the food index rose 1.1 percent and the energy index fell 2.4 percent over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.7 percent from June to August. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were lower for recreation and public transportation, but higher for new and used motor vehicles. (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 2.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The food index and the energy index rose 1.6 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively, from August 2017 to August 2018. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.4 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 1.1 percent from June to August. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) rose 0.8 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 1.5 percent over the bi-monthly period.

Over the year, food prices in the Detroit area were up 1.6 percent. Prices for groceries increased 0.3 percent, while food away from home prices rose 3.2 percent from August 2017.

Energy

The energy index for Detroit was 2.4 percent lower from June to August, largely due to gasoline prices falling 2.0 percent and electricity costs decreasing 3.2 percent. Utility (piped) gas service costs were down 2.7 percent during the same period.

From August 2017 to August 2018, overall energy prices rose 9.8 percent. Gasoline prices increased 20.6 percent over the year. Utility (piped) gas service costs declined 4.9 percent, while electricity costs decreased 0.8 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.7 percent from June to August. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for recreation (-11.4 percent) and public transportation, but higher for new and used motor vehicles (1.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.4 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (2.4 percent) and other goods and services (7.1 percent) were contributing factors.

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

Month	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	1.1	0.7	-0.7	-1.8	0.3	0.9	0.9	3.0	0.3	2.1
April	1.3	2.0	1.2	-1.9	1.4	1.1	0.7	2.3	0.9	2.3
June	0.5	1.3	0.0	-2.4	1.2	2.3	0.0	1.1	1.3	3.6
August	-1.0	1.0	0.6	-0.9	-0.1	1.7	0.1	1.3	-0.6	2.8
October	-0.1	1.0	0.1	-0.7	0.2	1.7	0.9	2.0
December	-1.8	-0.1	-1.2	-0.1	-0.6	2.4	0.1	2.7

The October 2018 Consumer Price Index for Detroit is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 14, 2018.

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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 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-Warren-Dearborn, MI, Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, 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-Warren-Dearborn, MI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018	Aug. 2018	Aug. 2017	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018
Expenditure category
All items	234.695	-	233.221	2.8	-0.6	-
All items (1967=100)	697.611	-	693.231	-	-	-
Food and beverages	222.778	-	225.129	1.6	1.1	-
Food	221.892	-	224.313	1.6	1.1	-
Food at home	207.199	207.399	208.819	0.3	0.8	0.7
Cereals and bakery products	256.361	-	260.496	-	1.6	-
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	218.686	-	218.977	-	0.1	-
Dairy and related products	162.078	-	161.223	-	-0.5	-
Fruits and vegetables	224.326	-	225.974	-	0.7	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	193.822	-	193.401	-	-0.2	-
Other food at home	188.392	-	192.049	-	1.9	-
Food away from home	245.336	-	248.914	3.2	1.5	-
Alcoholic beverages	228.705	-	230.047	2.3	0.6	-
Housing	218.445	-	217.991	1.8	-0.2	-
Shelter	250.865	252.192	251.353	2.4	0.2	-0.3
Rent of primary residence(2)	255.940	256.277	258.565	4.0	1.0	0.9
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	249.178	249.165	249.827	2.4	0.3	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	249.178	249.165	249.827	2.4	0.3	0.3
Fuels and utilities	250.273	-	245.496	-0.2	-1.9	-
Household energy	193.151	191.641	187.707	-0.8	-2.8	-2.1
Energy services(2)	194.646	193.058	188.887	-2.6	-3.0	-2.2
Electricity(2)	232.895	232.873	225.557	-0.8	-3.2	-3.1
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	142.918	140.001	139.107	-4.9	-2.7	-0.6
Household furnishings and operations	117.332	-	115.940	-0.2	-1.2	-
Apparel	118.921	-	118.482	0.7	-0.4	-
Transportation	249.934	-	249.743	8.9	-0.1	-
Private transportation	251.522	-	252.453	9.9	0.4	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	108.481	-	109.978	-	1.4	-
New vehicles(1)	201.368	-	202.396	-	0.5	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	287.582	-	291.911	-	1.5	-
Motor fuel	270.629	266.663	265.193	20.6	-2.0	-0.6
Gasoline (all types)	269.285	265.307	263.838	20.6	-2.0	-0.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	271.298	267.084	265.715	21.0	-2.1	-0.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	315.223	311.329	309.218	19.2	-1.9	-0.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	276.095	274.246	271.529	16.2	-1.7	-1.0
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	1,808.449	-	1,833.492	-	1.4	-
Medical care	441.854	-	441.866	2.5	0.0	-
Recreation(4)	127.064	-	112.561	-5.1	-11.4	-
Education and communication(4)	143.634	-	144.646	3.0	0.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,281.090	-	1,290.200	-	0.7	-
Other goods and services	432.010	-	435.020	7.1	0.7	-
Commodity and service group
All items	234.695	-	233.221	2.8	-0.6	-
Commodities	179.463	-	179.174	3.7	-0.2	-
Commodities less food and beverages	156.474	-	155.019	5.1	-0.9	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	196.307	-	194.594	8.0	-0.9	-
Durables	112.020	-	110.866	0.3	-1.0	-
Services	291.177	-	288.573	2.4	-0.9	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	226.365	-	224.805	2.9	-0.7	-
All items less shelter	231.555	-	229.268	3.0	-1.0	-
Commodities less food	159.180	-	157.803	5.0	-0.9	-
Nondurables	210.039	-	210.220	4.7	0.1	-
Nondurables less food	198.582	-	197.038	7.6	-0.8	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	349.180	-	342.780	2.4	-1.8	-
Services less medical care services	281.965	-	279.132	2.5	-1.0	-
Energy	232.715	230.019	227.194	9.8	-2.4	-1.2
All items less energy	237.860	-	236.751	2.3	-0.5	-
All items less food and energy	241.359	-	239.609	2.4	-0.7	-
Footnotes (1) Index on a December 1977=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Index on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (6) Index on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.