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.)

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 Genesee, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, 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.