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News Release Information

20-397-CHI
Wednesday, March 11, 2020

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

Consumer Price Index, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn — February 2020

Local prices up 2.6 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area increased 0.5 percent from December to February, 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 rose 0.8 percent while the food index rose 0.3 percent. The energy index declined 3.8 percent over the bi-monthly period. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for motor vehicle insurance, apparel, 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 2.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.3 percent and the food index was up 2.6 percent from February 2019 to February 2020. The energy index rose 5.8 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

  Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, February 2017-February 2020
Food

Food prices were up 0.3 percent from December to February. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) increased 0.6 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged over the bi-monthly period.

Over the year, food prices in the Detroit area were up 2.6 percent. Prices for groceries increased 2.0 percent and prices for food away from home increased 3.3 percent.

Energy

The energy index for Detroit was down 3.8 percent from December to February. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for gasoline (-7.5 percent), electricity (-0.4 percent), and utility (piped) gas service (-0.2 percent).

From February 2019 to February 2020, overall energy prices increased 5.8 percent. Gasoline prices rose 3.8 percent, while the indexes for electricity and utility (piped) gas service increased 11.7 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.8 percent from December to February. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for motor vehicle insurance (5.9 percent), apparel (4.9 percent), and shelter (0.2 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.3 percent. Prices were higher for shelter (2.7 percent), medical care (6.6 percent), and motor vehicle insurance (7.7 percent).

Table A. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month

February

0.3 0.9 0.9 3.0 0.3 2.1 0.4 1.2 0.5 2.6

April

1.4 1.1 0.7 2.3 0.9 2.3 0.6 1.0

June

1.2 2.3 0.0 1.1 1.3 3.6 0.4 0.1

August

-0.1 1.7 0.1 1.3 -0.6 2.8 0.6 1.4

October

0.2 1.7 0.9 2.0 0.0 1.9 1.0 2.4

December

-0.6 2.4 0.1 2.7 -0.6 1.2 -0.6 2.5

The April 2020 Consumer Price Index for Detroit is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 12, 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-
Dec.
2019
Jan.
2020
Feb.
2020
Feb.
2019
Dec.
2019
Jan.
2020

Expenditure category

All items

237.514 - 238.634 2.6 0.5 -

All items (1967=100)

705.990 - 709.319 - - -

Food and beverages

229.883 - 230.694 2.6 0.4 -

Food

229.279 - 230.017 2.6 0.3 -

Food at home

212.517 213.826 213.829 2.0 0.6 0.0

Cereals and bakery products

265.105 - 272.912 3.6 2.9 -

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

229.050 - 227.151 2.9 -0.8 -

Dairy and related products

159.327 - 163.021 2.7 2.3 -

Fruits and vegetables

229.403 - 225.767 -1.1 -1.6 -

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

204.199 - 203.778 2.2 -0.2 -

Other food at home

189.755 - 193.504 2.0 2.0 -

Food away from home

255.727 - 255.654 3.3 0.0 -

Alcoholic beverages

231.776 - 233.435 2.6 0.7 -

Housing

227.581 - 227.986 2.8 0.2 -

Shelter

263.196 263.770 263.780 2.7 0.2 0.0

Rent of primary residence(2)

271.908 272.245 271.724 2.8 -0.1 -0.2

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

261.881 262.241 262.439 2.9 0.2 0.1

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

261.881 262.241 262.439 2.9 0.2 0.1

Fuels and utilities

255.982 - 255.301 6.3 -0.3 -

Household energy

197.171 196.894 196.513 7.5 -0.3 -0.2

Energy services(2)

198.826 198.615 198.224 7.8 -0.3 -0.2

Electricity(2)

238.532 236.765 237.626 11.7 -0.4 0.4

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

145.394 146.681 145.129 2.3 -0.2 -1.1

Household furnishings and operations

118.502 - 118.864 -0.4 0.3 -

Apparel

108.008 - 113.312 -4.1 4.9 -

Transportation

243.488 - 244.710 2.8 0.5 -

Private transportation

246.449 - 246.754 3.2 0.1 -

New and used motor vehicles(4)

111.177 - 111.874 -0.2 0.6 -

New vehicles(1)

216.556 - 216.113 3.5 -0.2 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

283.408 - 284.207 -1.0 0.3 -

Motor fuel

231.985 231.461 214.528 3.6 -7.5 -7.3

Gasoline (all types)

230.513 230.039 213.134 3.8 -7.5 -7.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

231.402 230.756 213.467 3.7 -7.8 -7.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

274.919 275.451 257.274 4.2 -6.4 -6.6

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

244.377 245.527 230.767 4.1 -5.6 -6.0

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

1,846.080 - 1,954.180 7.7 5.9 -

Medical care

463.222 - 464.056 6.6 0.2 -

Recreation(4)

113.728 - 113.504 1.4 -0.2 -

Education and communication(4)

144.829 - 145.567 0.6 0.5 -

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,322.723 - 1,323.608 1.7 0.1 -

Other goods and services

440.286 - 447.579 1.4 1.7 -

Commodity and service group

All items

237.514 - 238.634 2.6 0.5 -

Commodities

177.081 - 176.813 1.4 -0.2 -

Commodities less food and beverages

149.931 - 149.249 0.5 -0.5 -

Nondurables less food and beverages

182.244 - 180.023 -0.1 -1.2 -

Durables

113.245 - 113.556 1.1 0.3 -

Services

298.873 - 301.446 3.4 0.9 -

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

228.284 - 229.420 2.2 0.5 -

All items less shelter

230.576 - 231.905 2.5 0.6 -

Commodities less food

152.899 - 152.286 0.6 -0.4 -

Nondurables

205.806 - 205.083 1.4 -0.4 -

Nondurables less food

185.458 - 183.518 0.1 -1.0 -

Services less rent of shelter(3)

351.492 - 356.540 4.0 1.4 -

Services less medical care services

288.019 - 290.573 2.8 0.9 -

Energy

216.586 216.193 208.426 5.8 -3.8 -3.6

All items less energy

242.512 - 244.387 2.3 0.8 -

All items less food and energy

245.528 - 247.610 2.3 0.8 -

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: Wednesday, March 11, 2020