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News Release Information

19-773-CHI
Friday, May 10, 2019

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

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

Local prices increased 1.0 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area increased 0.6 percent from February to April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the food and energy indexes rose 0.1 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively, over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.3 percent from February to April. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were lower for apparel and 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 1.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The food and energy indexes rose 0.2 percent each from April 2018 to April 2019. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

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

Food prices increased 0.1 percent from February to April. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) were unchanged and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.3 percent over the bi-monthly period.

Over the year, food prices in the Detroit area rose 0.2 percent. From April 2018 to April 2019, prices for groceries decreased 0.4 percent and prices for food away from home increased 0.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index for Detroit was 11.4 percent higher from February to April, largely due to gasoline prices rising 23.3 percent. Utility (piped) gas service costs were down 0.1 percent and electricity costs were unchanged during the same period.

From April 2018 to April 2019, overall energy prices rose 0.2 percent. Gasoline prices increased 4.3 percent over the year, while electricity costs decreased 7.2 percent and utility (piped) gas service costs were unchanged.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.3 percent from February to April. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for apparel (-4.7 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-2.1 percent), but higher for medical care (0.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (2.6 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (5.8 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 0.6 1.0

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 June 2019 Consumer Price Index for Detroit is scheduled to be released on Thursday, July 11, 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-
Feb.
2019
Mar.
2019
Apr.
2019
Apr.
2018
Feb.
2019
Mar.
2019

Expenditure category

All items

232.549 - 234.022 1.0 0.6 -

All items (1967=100)

691.232 - 695.611 - - -

Food and beverages

224.805 - 225.385 0.3 0.3 -

Food

224.151 - 224.485 0.2 0.1 -

Food at home

209.618 209.627 209.715 -0.4 0.0 0.0

Cereals and bakery products

263.467 - 264.422 1.1 0.4 -

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

220.845 - 216.750 -2.4 -1.9 -

Dairy and related products

158.691 - 159.226 -2.2 0.3 -

Fruits and vegetables

228.380 - 227.117 -0.9 -0.6 -

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

199.313 - 199.162 -0.2 -0.1 -

Other food at home

189.625 - 193.602 1.7 2.1 -

Food away from home

247.397 - 248.070 0.8 0.3 -

Alcoholic beverages

227.526 - 231.431 1.6 1.7 -

Housing

221.708 - 221.783 1.7 0.0 -

Shelter

256.738 257.264 256.702 2.6 0.0 -0.2

Rent of primary residence(2)

264.386 264.314 264.565 4.3 0.1 0.1

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

255.081 255.042 254.503 2.7 -0.2 -0.2

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

255.081 255.042 254.503 2.7 -0.2 -0.2

Fuels and utilities

240.249 - 240.152 -3.1 0.0 -

Household energy

182.799 181.752 182.705 -4.3 -0.1 0.5

Energy services(2)

183.846 182.638 183.711 -4.3 -0.1 0.6

Electricity(2)

212.655 212.611 212.571 -7.2 0.0 0.0

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

141.809 139.614 141.636 0.0 -0.1 1.4

Household furnishings and operations

119.298 - 119.857 0.6 0.5 -

Apparel

118.197 - 112.696 -5.4 -4.7 -

Transportation

238.098 - 246.999 3.5 3.7 -

Private transportation

239.033 - 248.512 3.8 4.0 -

New and used motor vehicles(4)

112.154 - 109.759 5.8 -2.1 -

New vehicles(1)

208.776 - 209.511 4.1 0.4 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

287.160 - 291.365 0.7 1.5 -

Motor fuel

207.142 231.953 254.468 4.2 22.8 9.7

Gasoline (all types)

205.384 230.365 253.298 4.3 23.3 10.0

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

205.807 231.583 255.030 4.4 23.9 10.1

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

246.808 272.342 296.899 5.0 20.3 9.0

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

221.611 241.220 261.548 3.3 18.0 8.4

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

1,814.124 - 1,794.289 -0.7 -1.1 -

Medical care

435.355 - 438.199 -0.8 0.7 -

Recreation(4)

111.945 - 112.707 -5.0 0.7 -

Education and communication(4)

144.688 - 144.157 1.8 -0.4 -

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,301.715 - 1,300.413 3.8 -0.1 -

Other goods and services

441.374 - 445.843 3.6 1.0 -

Commodity and service group

All items

232.549 - 234.022 1.0 0.6 -

Commodities

174.456 - 178.567 0.2 2.4 -

Commodities less food and beverages

148.451 - 154.042 0.2 3.8 -

Nondurables less food and beverages

180.234 - 191.190 0.3 6.1 -

Durables

112.339 - 112.365 0.2 0.0 -

Services

291.628 - 290.695 1.4 -0.3 -

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

224.418 - 225.835 1.1 0.6 -

All items less shelter

226.142 - 228.246 0.3 0.9 -

Commodities less food

151.331 - 156.893 0.3 3.7 -

Nondurables

202.344 - 208.509 0.3 3.0 -

Nondurables less food

183.316 - 193.897 0.4 5.8 -

Services less rent of shelter(3)

342.947 - 340.875 0.3 -0.6 -

Services less medical care services

282.676 - 281.514 1.6 -0.4 -

Energy

197.041 208.227 219.407 0.2 11.4 5.4

All items less energy

238.868 - 238.377 1.0 -0.2 -

All items less food and energy

242.143 - 241.502 1.2 -0.3 -

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: Friday, May 10, 2019