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

16-2343-ATL
Thursday, December 15, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Consumer Price Index, South Region – November 2016

Prices down 0.1 percent over the month; up 1.6 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South inched down 0.1 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The energy index declined 2.1 percent over the month. The food index inched down 0.1 percent, while the all items less food and energy index rose 0.1 percent in November. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U advanced 1.6 percent. The all items less food and energy index increased 2.0 percent over the year reflecting price increases for shelter and medical care. (See chart 1.)

Food

The food index inched down 0.1 percent in November, led by a decline in the food at home index (-0.2 percent). The food away from home index inched up 0.1 percent over the month.

The food index declined 0.5 percent over the year. The food at home index declined 2.2 percent since November 2015, while the food away from home index was up 1.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 2.1 percent in November, led by price decreases for motor fuel (-3.4 percent) and electricity (-1.7 percent). Prices for utility (piped) gas service advanced over-the-month, up 2.5 percent.

From November 2015—November 2016, energy prices rose 1.0 percent, reflecting price increases for motor fuel (2.7 percent), and utility (piped) gas service (7.9 percent). Since November 2015, prices for electricity declined 1.4 percent.

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index inched up 0.1 percent in November. Price increases for shelter (0.1 percent) and education and communication (0.3 percent) were largely offset by a seasonal price decline for apparel (-1.7 percent).

Since November 2015, the all items less food and energy index advanced 2.0 percent—led by increases in shelter (2.8 percent) and medical care (4.4 percent).

Table A. South region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20122013201420152016
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.53.20.41.60.31.7-0.7-0.40.01.2

February

0.63.30.91.80.41.20.5-0.30.10.7

March

0.72.80.31.50.61.50.6-0.30.60.7

April

0.42.5-0.20.90.52.30.3-0.60.40.9

May

-0.41.60.01.30.22.40.4-0.40.40.9

June

-0.21.70.41.90.22.30.5-0.10.40.8

July

-0.21.40.22.2-0.12.0-0.1-0.1-0.20.7

August

0.61.60.11.7-0.21.7-0.2-0.20.11.0

September

0.52.10.01.30.11.7-0.2-0.40.21.4

October

-0.22.1-0.21.3-0.31.60.0-0.10.11.5

November

-0.51.6-0.31.5-0.61.3-0.20.3-0.11.6

December

-0.11.70.11.8-0.60.6-0.40.5  

The Consumer Price Index for December 2016 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 18, 2017.


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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 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 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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 https://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 South region is comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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
South (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Indexes
 
Percent change from-
Sep.
2016
Oct.
2016
Nov.
2016
Nov.
2015
Sep.
2016
Oct.
2016

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

234.069234.337234.0291.60.0-0.1

All items (December 1977=100)

379.692380.128379.627---

Food and beverages

246.124246.050245.788-0.5-0.1-0.1

Food

247.447247.297247.037-0.5-0.2-0.1

Food at home

237.115236.767236.182-2.2-0.4-0.2

Food away from home

265.693265.836266.0571.70.10.1

Alcoholic beverages

227.177228.258227.9620.80.3-0.1

Housing

227.706227.449227.3372.1-0.20.0

Shelter

259.223260.226260.5712.80.50.1

Rent of primary residence(1)

267.808268.955269.8963.30.80.3

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

261.457262.428263.0602.70.60.2

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

261.447262.417263.0502.70.60.2

Fuels and utilities

235.682228.479226.8320.4-3.8-0.7

Household energy

192.583184.770182.759-0.3-5.1-1.1

Energy services(1)

193.282185.252183.105-0.3-5.3-1.2

Electricity(1)

193.321183.807180.696-1.4-6.5-1.7

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

176.981179.609184.1377.94.02.5

Household furnishings and operations

121.655121.665120.947-0.5-0.6-0.6

Apparel

135.785139.363136.9650.20.9-1.7

Transportation

195.556197.032196.2601.90.4-0.4

Private transportation

193.812195.115194.1582.00.2-0.5

New and used motor vehicles(3)

102.438101.834101.580-0.5-0.8-0.2

New vehicles

152.553152.471152.9130.20.20.3

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

103.834103.841104.1440.30.30.3

New cars(4)

152.288152.259152.9010.10.40.4

Used cars and trucks

143.055140.499138.408-3.5-3.2-1.5

Motor fuel

186.719192.419185.9172.7-0.4-3.4

Gasoline (all types)

185.815191.516184.9512.8-0.5-3.4

Unleaded regular(4)

181.138186.837180.1682.7-0.5-3.6

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

205.793211.713205.0613.0-0.4-3.1

Unleaded premium(4)

205.730210.816205.9843.50.1-2.3

Medical care

449.332448.472448.4054.4-0.20.0

Medical care commodities

365.160366.759364.9365.3-0.1-0.5

Medical care services

477.364475.525476.1654.2-0.30.1

Professional services

367.080366.426367.7242.50.20.4

Recreation(3)

116.218116.389116.4760.80.20.1

Education and communication(3)

136.917136.266136.608-0.4-0.20.3

Other goods and services

416.491416.906417.4331.80.20.1
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

234.069234.337234.0291.60.0-0.1

Commodities

180.284180.964179.728-0.3-0.3-0.7

Commodities less food and beverages

149.086150.048148.456-0.2-0.4-1.1

Nondurables less food and beverages

191.404194.275191.4161.50.0-1.5

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

226.285228.846225.6662.0-0.3-1.4

Durables

109.229108.745108.172-2.1-1.0-0.5

Services

288.208288.084288.6672.70.20.2

Rent of shelter(2)

266.051267.094267.4532.80.50.1

Transportation services

326.236329.382333.8715.22.31.4

Other services

338.969338.439339.5421.40.20.3
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

222.327222.646222.3291.30.0-0.1

All items less food

231.778232.111231.7951.90.0-0.1

All items less shelter

225.330225.297224.7161.0-0.3-0.3

Commodities less food

151.503152.471150.905-0.1-0.4-1.0

Nondurables

217.340218.802217.1860.4-0.1-0.7

Nondurables less food

193.211195.986193.2641.40.0-1.4

Nondurables less food and apparel

225.268227.699224.7661.9-0.2-1.3

Services less rent of shelter(2)

325.096323.480324.3662.6-0.20.3

Services less medical care services

271.211271.203271.7742.50.20.2

Energy

185.958184.284180.3291.0-3.0-2.1

All items less energy

240.219240.703240.7951.60.20.0

All items less food and energy

239.360239.956240.1092.00.30.1

Commodities less food and energy commodities

147.984148.302147.385-0.6-0.4-0.6

Energy commodities

189.972195.691189.3322.6-0.3-3.2

Services less energy services

298.150298.926299.8192.90.60.3

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 December 1982=100 base.
(3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
 

- Data not available.
Regions defined as the four Census regions. South includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, December 15, 2016