Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

19-380-CHI
Tuesday, March 12, 2019

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

Consumer Price Index, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn — February 2019

Local prices rose 1.2 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area increased 0.4 percent from December to February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the food index rose 1.0 percent and the energy index fell 0.9 percent over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent from December to February. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for shelter and household furnishings and operations, but lower for medical care and education and communication. (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 1.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The food index rose 0.3 percent and the energy index fell 7.4 percent from February 2018 to February 2019. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.3 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

  Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, February 2016-February 2019
Food

Food prices increased 1.0 percent from December to February. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) rose 0.9 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 1.1 percent over the bi-monthly period.

Over the year, food prices in the Detroit area rose 0.3 percent. From February 2018 to February 2019, prices for groceries edged up 0.1 percent and prices for food away from home increased 0.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index for Detroit was 0.9 percent lower from December to February, largely due to electricity costs falling 3.5 percent. Utility (piped) gas service costs were up 0.6 percent and gasoline prices edged up 0.1 percent during the same period.

From February 2018 to February 2019, overall energy prices declined 7.4 percent. Gasoline prices decreased 9.7 percent over the year. Over the year, electricity costs decreased 6.7 percent and utility (piped) gas service costs fell 3.1 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent from December to February. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (0.8 percent) and household furnishings and operations (3.6 percent), but lower for medical care (-1.0 percent) and education and communication (-1.0 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.3 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (4.0 percent), new and used motor vehicles (8.1 percent), and other goods and services (5.1 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 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month

February

-0.7 -1.8 0.3 0.9 0.9 3.0 0.3 2.1 0.4 1.2

April

1.2 -1.9 1.4 1.1 0.7 2.3 0.9 2.3

June

0.0 -2.4 1.2 2.3 0.0 1.1 1.3 3.6

August

0.6 -0.9 -0.1 1.7 0.1 1.3 -0.6 2.8

October

0.1 -0.7 0.2 1.7 0.9 2.0 0.0 1.9

December

-1.2 -0.1 -0.6 2.4 0.1 2.7 -0.6 1.2

The April 2019 Consumer Price Index for Detroit is scheduled to be released on Friday, May 10, 2019.


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-
Dec.
2018
Jan.
2019
Feb.
2019
Feb.
2018
Dec.
2018
Jan.
2019

Expenditure category

All items

231.696 - 232.549 1.2 0.4 -

All items (1967=100)

688.697 - 691.232 - - -

Food and beverages

222.616 - 224.805 0.3 1.0 -

Food

221.962 - 224.151 0.3 1.0 -

Food at home

207.765 207.841 209.618 0.1 0.9 0.9

Cereals and bakery products

264.073 - 263.467 3.1 -0.2 -

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

218.572 - 220.845 1.0 1.0 -

Dairy and related products

152.224 - 158.691 -4.5 4.2 -

Fruits and vegetables

229.263 - 228.380 0.3 -0.4 -

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

196.832 - 199.313 0.2 1.3 -

Other food at home

188.032 - 189.625 -0.6 0.8 -

Food away from home

244.709 - 247.397 0.6 1.1 -

Alcoholic beverages

225.399 - 227.526 0.0 0.9 -

Housing

219.960 - 221.708 2.8 0.8 -

Shelter

254.725 254.910 256.738 4.0 0.8 0.7

Rent of primary residence(2)

262.566 263.313 264.386 4.6 0.7 0.4

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)

252.465 253.504 255.081 3.6 1.0 0.6

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)

252.465 253.504 255.081 3.6 1.0 0.6

Fuels and utilities

244.132 - 240.249 -3.8 -1.6 -

Household energy

185.855 183.203 182.799 -5.2 -1.6 -0.2

Energy services(2)

187.290 184.538 183.846 -5.2 -1.8 -0.4

Electricity(2)

220.413 212.707 212.655 -6.7 -3.5 0.0

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

140.947 143.040 141.809 -3.1 0.6 -0.9

Household furnishings and operations

115.149 - 119.298 2.5 3.6 -

Apparel

118.151 - 118.197 -0.8 0.0 -

Transportation

236.666 - 238.098 1.3 0.6 -

Private transportation

238.514 - 239.033 1.4 0.2 -

New and used motor vehicles(4)

112.632 - 112.154 8.1 -0.4 -

New vehicles(1)

202.787 - 208.776 4.2 3.0 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

284.236 - 287.160 0.3 1.0 -

Motor fuel

207.267 183.385 207.142 -9.6 -0.1 13.0

Gasoline (all types)

205.081 181.478 205.384 -9.7 0.1 13.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

205.162 181.137 205.807 -9.9 0.3 13.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

249.457 222.589 246.808 -8.5 -1.1 10.9

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

224.245 203.107 221.611 -8.1 -1.2 9.1

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

1,781.011 - 1,814.124 0.2 1.9 -

Medical care

439.729 - 435.355 -1.6 -1.0 -

Recreation(4)

112.511 - 111.945 -4.6 -0.5 -

Education and communication(4)

146.104 - 144.688 1.7 -1.0 -

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,296.794 - 1,301.715 3.6 0.4 -

Other goods and services

442.503 - 441.374 5.1 -0.3 -

Commodity and service group

All items

231.696 - 232.549 1.2 0.4 -

Commodities

173.645 - 174.456 -0.9 0.5 -

Commodities less food and beverages

148.267 - 148.451 -1.7 0.1 -

Nondurables less food and beverages

181.540 - 180.234 -3.5 -0.7 -

Durables

110.657 - 112.339 1.5 1.5 -

Services

290.718 - 291.628 2.4 0.3 -

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

223.297 - 224.418 1.5 0.5 -

All items less shelter

225.745 - 226.142 0.0 0.2 -

Commodities less food

151.089 - 151.331 -1.6 0.2 -

Nondurables

202.020 - 202.344 -1.6 0.2 -

Nondurables less food

184.431 - 183.316 -3.3 -0.6 -

Services less rent of shelter(3)

343.413 - 342.947 1.1 -0.1 -

Services less medical care services

281.789 - 282.676 2.9 0.3 -

Energy

198.754 186.007 197.041 -7.4 -0.9 5.9

All items less energy

237.760 - 238.868 2.0 0.5 -

All items less food and energy

241.229 - 242.143 2.3 0.4 -

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, March 12, 2019