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News Release Information

20-24-CHI
Tuesday, January 14, 2020

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

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

Local prices up 2.5 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area decreased 0.6 percent from October to December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the index for all items less food and energy fell 0.6 percent while the food index rose 0.8 percent. The energy index declined 2.6 percent over the bi-monthly period. 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 2.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.8 percent and the food index was up 3.3 percent from December 2018 to December 2019. The energy index rose 9.0 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

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

Food prices were up 0.8 percent from October to December. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) increased 0.4 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 1.3 percent over the bi-monthly period.

Over the year, food prices in the Detroit area were up 3.3 percent. Prices for groceries increased 2.3 percent and prices for food away from home increased 4.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index for Detroit was down 2.6 percent from October to December. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for gasoline (-2.4 percent), electricity (-3.8 percent), and utility (piped) gas service (-2.0 percent).

From December 2018 to December 2019, overall energy prices increased 9.0 percent. Gasoline prices rose 12.4 percent, while the indexes for electricity and for utility (piped) gas service increased 8.2 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.6 percent from October to December. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for apparel (-9.7 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-1.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.8 percent. Prices were higher for shelter (3.3 percent) and medical care (5.3 percent).

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 0.4 0.1

August

0.6 -0.9 -0.1 1.7 0.1 1.3 -0.6 2.8 0.6 1.4

October

0.1 -0.7 0.2 1.7 0.9 2.0 0.0 1.9 1.0 2.4

December

-1.2 -0.1 -0.6 2.4 0.1 2.7 -0.6 1.2 -0.6 2.5

The February 2020 Consumer Price Index for Detroit is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.


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-
Oct.
2019
Nov.
2019
Dec.
2019
Dec.
2018
Oct.
2019
Nov.
2019

Expenditure category

All items

238.838 - 237.514 2.5 -0.6 -

All items (1967=100)

709.927 - 705.990 - - -

Food and beverages

227.935 - 229.883 3.3 0.9 -

Food

227.518 - 229.279 3.3 0.8 -

Food at home

211.771 210.347 212.517 2.3 0.4 1.0

Cereals and bakery products

268.998 - 265.105 0.4 -1.4 -

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

223.789 - 229.050 4.8 2.4 -

Dairy and related products

163.370 - 159.327 4.7 -2.5 -

Fruits and vegetables

223.657 - 229.403 0.1 2.6 -

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

204.726 - 204.199 3.7 -0.3 -

Other food at home

191.189 - 189.755 0.9 -0.8 -

Food away from home

252.514 - 255.727 4.5 1.3 -

Alcoholic beverages

227.347 - 231.776 2.8 1.9 -

Housing

228.293 - 227.581 3.5 -0.3 -

Shelter

263.209 260.405 263.196 3.3 0.0 1.1

Rent of primary residence(2)

268.882 269.146 271.908 3.6 1.1 1.0

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

260.764 260.898 261.881 3.7 0.4 0.4

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

260.764 260.898 261.881 3.7 0.4 0.4

Fuels and utilities

261.295 - 255.982 4.9 -2.0 -

Household energy

203.119 201.647 197.171 6.1 -2.9 -2.2

Energy services(2)

205.190 203.486 198.826 6.2 -3.1 -2.3

Electricity(2)

248.008 248.364 238.532 8.2 -3.8 -4.0

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

148.331 144.849 145.394 3.2 -2.0 0.4

Household furnishings and operations

119.194 - 118.502 2.9 -0.6 -

Apparel

119.568 - 108.008 -8.6 -9.7 -

Transportation

247.876 - 243.488 2.9 -1.8 -

Private transportation

249.380 - 246.449 3.3 -1.2 -

New and used motor vehicles(4)

112.594 - 111.177 -1.3 -1.3 -

New vehicles(1)

214.232 - 216.556 6.8 1.1 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

287.067 - 283.408 -0.3 -1.3 -

Motor fuel

237.457 228.877 231.985 11.9 -2.3 1.4

Gasoline (all types)

236.114 227.414 230.513 12.4 -2.4 1.4

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

237.008 228.031 231.402 12.8 -2.4 1.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

282.199 273.070 274.919 10.2 -2.6 0.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

250.201 243.513 244.377 9.0 -2.3 0.4

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

1,875.582 - 1,846.080 3.7 -1.6 -

Medical care

458.758 - 463.222 5.3 1.0 -

Recreation(4)

113.768 - 113.728 1.1 0.0 -

Education and communication(4)

144.550 - 144.829 -0.9 0.2 -

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,322.723 - 1,322.723 2.0 0.0 -

Other goods and services

442.864 - 440.286 -0.5 -0.6 -

Commodity and service group

All items

238.838 - 237.514 2.5 -0.6 -

Commodities

178.928 - 177.081 2.0 -1.0 -

Commodities less food and beverages

153.424 - 149.931 1.1 -2.3 -

Nondurables less food and beverages

189.625 - 182.244 0.4 -3.9 -

Durables

112.719 - 113.245 2.3 0.5 -

Services

299.744 - 298.873 2.8 -0.3 -

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

229.908 - 228.284 2.2 -0.7 -

All items less shelter

232.449 - 230.576 2.1 -0.8 -

Commodities less food

156.169 - 152.899 1.2 -2.1 -

Nondurables

208.862 - 205.806 1.9 -1.5 -

Nondurables less food

192.186 - 185.458 0.6 -3.5 -

Services less rent of shelter(3)

353.445 - 351.492 2.4 -0.6 -

Services less medical care services

289.329 - 288.019 2.2 -0.5 -

Energy

222.397 217.536 216.586 9.0 -2.6 -0.4

All items less energy

243.428 - 242.512 2.0 -0.4 -

All items less food and energy

246.932 - 245.528 1.8 -0.6 -

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, January 14, 2020