Prices in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.9 percent for the two months ending in February 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the energy index increased 2.3 percent and the food index rose 0.3 percent from December to February. The all items less food and energy index was up 2.2 percent due to increases in the shelter, apparel, and household furnishings and operations categories. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U advanced 7.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 6.8 percent over the year. Food prices increased 10.5 percent. Energy prices rose 3.1 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of utility (piped) gas service. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.3 percent for the two months ending in February. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home (groceries) increased 0.3 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.4 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 10.5 percent. Prices for food at home rose 10.5 percent since a year ago. All six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the year. The index for other food at home (includes sugar, sweets, fats, and oils, for example) rose 14.0 percent and the index for fruits and vegetables was up 11.2 percent over the year. Prices for food away from home advanced 10.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 2.3 percent for the two months ending in February. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (8.4 percent). Prices for utility (piped) gas service decreased 5.6 percent for the same period.

Energy prices rose 3.1 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for utility (piped) gas service (11.3 percent). Gasoline prices fell 0.3 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.2 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for shelter (2.9 percent), apparel (9.8 percent), and household furnishings and operations (4.0 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for recreation (-1.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 6.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (6.6 percent), household furnishings and operations (10.2 percent), and apparel (9.7 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a 13.5 percent decline in the index for used cars and trucks.

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

Month	2019		2020		2021		2022		2023
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	0.4	1.2	0.5	2.6	0.6	0.8	1.1	7.5	1.9	7.0
April	0.6	1.0	-2.7	-0.8	1.7	5.4	2.5	8.3
June	0.4	0.1	1.7	0.5	1.7	5.4	3.0	9.7
August	0.6	1.4	1.9	1.8	0.5	3.9	-0.5	8.6
October	1.0	2.4	-0.3	0.5	1.2	5.5	1.1	8.5
December	-0.6	2.5	-0.3	0.7	1.1	7.0	-1.0	6.2

The April 2023 Consumer Price Index for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area is scheduled to be released on May 10, 2023.

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 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 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/homch17_a.htm.

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 consolidated 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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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. 2022	Jan. 2023	Feb. 2023	Feb. 2022	Dec. 2022	Jan. 2023
Expenditure category
All items	271.647	-	276.741	7.0	1.9	-
All items (1967=100)	807.448	-	822.589	-	-	-
Food and beverages	280.403	-	281.277	10.4	0.3	-
Food	282.513	-	283.365	10.5	0.3	-
Food at home	269.876	272.519	270.561	10.5	0.3	-0.7
Cereals and bakery products	342.356	-	338.211	11.4	-1.2	-
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	281.331	-	283.408	4.2	0.7	-
Dairy and related products	209.209	-	211.891	13.3	1.3	-
Fruits and vegetables	271.864	-	273.915	11.2	0.8	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	252.876	-	255.651	10.0	1.1	-
Other food at home	256.231	-	255.216	14.0	-0.4	-
Food away from home	302.025	-	303.205	10.6	0.4	-
Alcoholic beverages	248.708	-	249.856	8.6	0.5	-
Housing	258.509	-	265.056	7.0	2.5	-
Shelter	293.691	297.323	302.315	6.6	2.9	1.7
Rent of primary residence(2)	311.762	314.870	317.087	7.0	1.7	0.7
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	292.011	294.299	299.068	6.2	2.4	1.6
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	292.011	294.299	299.068	6.2	2.4	1.6
Fuels and utilities	313.113	-	-	-	-	-
Household energy	249.361	-	-	-	-	-
Energy services(2)	250.804	-	-	-	-	-
Electricity(2)	260.624	-	-	-	-	-
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	221.565	220.763	209.114	11.3	-5.6	-5.3
Household furnishings and operations	140.198	-	145.849	10.2	4.0	-
Apparel	104.038	-	114.242	9.7	9.8	-
Transportation	294.423	-	302.411	8.0	2.7	-
Private transportation	302.403	-	308.506	7.1	2.0	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	140.070	-	140.681	-	0.4	-
New vehicles(1)	250.775	-	253.016	-	0.9	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	393.871	-	382.239	-13.5	-3.0	-
Motor fuel	278.511	299.482	300.873	0.1	8.0	0.5
Gasoline (all types)	274.995	296.370	297.960	-0.3	8.4	0.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	275.186	297.613	299.009	-0.8	8.7	0.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	342.661	358.503	362.223	3.2	5.7	1.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	301.828	314.288	318.105	6.7	5.4	1.2
Medical care	-	-	-	-	-	-
Recreation(4)	125.110	-	123.424	4.3	-1.3	-
Education and communication(4)	154.233	-	156.238	2.0	1.3	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,436.661	-	1,444.031	3.9	0.5	-
Other goods and services	494.019	-	501.437	2.3	1.5	-
Commodity and service group
All items	271.647	-	276.741	7.0	1.9	-
Commodities	207.967	-	211.359	5.8	1.6	-
Commodities less food and beverages	171.723	-	176.267	3.1	2.6	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	199.624	-	207.220	4.8	3.8	-
Durables	134.620	-	136.322	1.3	1.3	-
Services	336.080	-	342.928	7.7	2.0	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	262.768	-	267.889	7.0	1.9	-
All items less shelter	266.556	-	270.327	7.1	1.4	-
Commodities less food	174.597	-	179.044	3.3	2.5	-
Nondurables	239.252	-	243.460	7.7	1.8	-
Nondurables less food	202.675	-	209.840	5.0	3.5	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	397.803	-	402.223	8.6	1.1	-
Services less medical care services	325.320	-	332.364	7.8	2.2	-
Energy	267.645	280.139	273.922	3.1	2.3	-2.2
All items less energy	275.811	-	280.890	7.3	1.8	-
All items less food and energy	275.349	-	281.316	6.8	2.2	-
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.