Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

14-1542-KAN
Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (816) 285-7000

Consumer Price Index, St. Louis – First Half 2014

Prices increased 1.4 percent from the first half of 2013 to the first half of 2014

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the St. Louis, Mo.-Ill., metropolitan area rose 1.4 percent from the first half of 2013 to the first half of 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that the increase was led by higher prices for shelter and food. Costs for energy declined 0.4 percent, food prices advanced 4.1 percent, and the all items less food and energy index increased 1.2 percent.  

Food

Food prices rose 4.1 percent from the first half of 2013 to the first half of 2014. Costs for food at home were up 4.0 percent and prices for food away from home were 4.1 percent higher over the year. During the same period one year ago, these indexes rose 1.4 and 3.4 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index, which includes motor fuel and household fuels, was down 0.4 percent from the first half of 2013 to the first half of 2014. Motor fuel prices declined 2.0 percent with all of the decrease occurring in the first part of the period. Lower costs for electricity, down 1.2 percent, also contributed to the over-the-year decrease in the energy component. In contrast, prices for utility (piped) gas service advanced 2.8 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent from the first half of 2013 to the first half of 2014. Among the expenditure categories posting higher costs over the year were shelter (2.3 percent) and medical care (3.9 percent). In contrast, the index for apparel (-4.2 percent) was among the components registering lower prices from the first half of 2013 to the first half of 2014.

The St. Louis CPI-U stood at 220.440 for the first half of 2014. This means that a market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in 1982-84 cost $220.44 in the first half of 2014. Because metropolitan area CPI data are not adjusted for seasonal price variation, consumers and businesses should be cautious in drawing conclusions about long-term retail price trends from short-term changes in the metropolitan area indexes.

CPI-W

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the St. Louis, Mo.-Ill., metropolitan area for the first half of 2014 was 220.003. The CPI-W increased 1.0 percent from the first half of 2013 to the first half of 2014.


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 88 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 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/cpi/.

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 areas; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

The St. Louis, Mo.-Ill., area covered in this release includes Clinton, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair Counties in Illinois; and Crawford (part), Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis, and Warren Counties and St. Louis City in Missouri.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.

 

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods

St. Louis, MO-IL (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Semiannual average indexes
 
Percent change to
1st half 2014 from-
1st half
2013
2nd half
2013
1st half
2014
1st half
2013
2nd half
2013

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

217.431218.499220.4401.40.9

All items (1967=100)

645.805648.977654.744  

Food and beverages

234.273237.242243.8494.12.8

Food

233.097235.785242.6994.12.9

Food at home

221.413225.575230.2014.02.1

Food away from home

251.103252.933261.3714.13.3

Alcoholic beverages

223.910230.717232.5353.90.8

Housing

202.408204.757205.8961.70.6

Shelter

231.349233.797236.6972.31.2

Rent of primary residence (1)

208.875212.149214.5552.71.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

241.232242.977244.5291.40.6

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

241.232242.977244.5291.40.6

Fuels and utilities

205.817212.496207.0600.6-2.6

Household energy

181.507198.108184.9061.9-6.7

Energy services (1)

186.024203.365186.2310.1-8.4

Electricity (1)

188.766216.058186.446-1.2-13.7

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

154.152152.782158.4432.83.7

Household furnishings and operations

124.428123.852124.060-0.30.2

Apparel

161.184150.927154.377-4.22.3

Transportation

206.541203.499205.429-0.50.9

Private transportation

206.751203.352204.930-0.90.8

Motor fuel

331.913311.710325.137-2.04.3

Gasoline (all types)

326.948306.755319.708-2.24.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

318.545298.815311.496-2.24.2

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

375.087351.855366.468-2.34.2

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

314.080295.659307.870-2.04.1

Medical Care

378.404387.348393.1883.91.5

Recreation (5)

117.611117.155117.052-0.5-0.1

Education and communication (5)

138.477142.539139.3730.6-2.2

Other goods and services

309.246308.908310.6300.40.6
 

Commodity and Service Group

 
 

All Items

217.431218.499220.4401.40.9

Commodities

191.757190.130193.1810.71.6

Commodities less food & beverages

168.826165.234166.671-1.30.9

Nondurables less food & beverages

232.725225.053230.786-0.82.5

Durables

110.120110.219108.635-1.3-1.4

Services

245.285248.754249.6551.80.4
 

Special aggregate indexes:

 
 

All items less medical care

209.304210.050211.8651.20.9

All items less shelter

214.715215.361216.8171.00.7

Commodities less food

171.771168.429169.872-1.10.9

Nondurables

234.279231.689237.7261.52.6

Nondurables less food

233.865226.938232.375-0.62.4

Services less rent of shelter (2)

266.485271.393269.8351.3-0.6

Services less medical care services

232.915235.906236.5381.60.3

Energy

246.873247.814245.934-0.4-0.8

All items less energy

217.165218.712220.8691.71.0

All items less food and energy

214.721216.068217.3541.20.6

Footnotes
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(2) Index is on a November 1982=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
 

Table 2. Consumer Price Index for Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods

St. Louis, MO-IL (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Semiannual average indexes
 
Percent change to
1st half 2014 from-
1st half
2013
2nd half
2013
1st half
2014
1st half
2013
2nd half
2013

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

217.826218.549220.0031.00.7

All items (1967=100)

640.855642.983647.262  

Food and beverages

234.760237.810244.6284.22.9

Food

234.355237.224244.2064.22.9

Food at home

222.516226.991231.9074.22.2

Food away from home

251.782253.192261.8504.03.4

Alcoholic beverages

214.879220.227223.7884.11.6

Housing

205.559208.167208.5311.40.2

Shelter

232.232234.543237.3052.21.2

Rent of primary residence (1)

208.875212.149214.5552.71.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

221.002222.601224.0241.40.6

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

221.002222.601224.0241.40.6

Fuels and utilities

210.268217.586210.6330.2-3.2

Household energy

184.470202.136186.6501.2-7.7

Energy services (1)

189.618208.165189.5330.0-9.0

Electricity (1)

188.765216.057186.445-1.2-13.7

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

154.153152.783158.4442.83.7

Household furnishings and operations

117.681117.316116.720-0.8-0.5

Apparel

161.334149.447152.146-5.71.8

Transportation

212.362208.670209.914-1.20.6

Private transportation

211.577207.698208.694-1.40.5

Motor fuel

331.895311.725325.120-2.04.3

Gasoline (all types)

326.949306.755319.709-2.24.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

318.530298.801311.481-2.24.2

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

375.087351.855366.468-2.34.2

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

314.095295.674307.885-2.04.1

Medical Care

379.799389.590395.5454.11.5

Recreation (5)

120.181119.824119.941-0.20.1

Education and communication (5)

132.089135.634132.4320.3-2.4

Other goods and services

320.501320.208323.0760.80.9
 

Commodity and Service Group

 
 

All Items

217.826218.549220.0031.00.7

Commodities

197.475195.182197.6560.11.3

Commodities less food & beverages

177.001172.710173.455-2.00.4

Nondurables less food & beverages

237.180228.532233.828-1.42.3

Durables

119.267118.983116.813-2.1-1.8

Services

243.913247.505247.7901.60.1
 

Special aggregate indexes:

 
 

All items less medical care

210.975211.429212.7750.90.6

All items less shelter

214.716214.922215.8090.50.4

Commodities less food

179.199175.114175.908-1.80.5

Nondurables

236.451233.028238.5650.92.4

Nondurables less food

237.020229.035234.098-1.22.2

Services less rent of shelter (2)

245.548250.392248.0721.0-0.9

Services less medical care services

231.891235.038235.0901.40.0

Energy

250.288250.226248.343-0.8-0.8

All items less energy

215.974217.344219.1451.50.8

All items less food and energy

212.153213.262214.0090.90.4

Footnotes
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(2) Index is on a November 1984=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, August 19, 2014