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

The all items CPI-U advanced 2.2 percent since March 2016. The all items less food and energy index increased 1.9 percent over the last 12 months and the energy index increased 10.6 percent. The food index rose 0.1 percent over the past year. (See chart 1.)

Food

The food index was unchanged in March. Prices for food at home inched down 0.1 percent over the month, while prices for food away from home were unchanged.

The food index rose 0.1 percent over the year. A 1.9-percent increase in food away from home prices was largely offset by a 1.2-percent decline in food at home prices.

Energy

The energy index declined 0.1 percent in March, led by decreases in the electricity index (-0.2 percent) and the utility (piped) gas service index (-1.2 percent). In contrast, the motor fuel index edged up 0.2 percent over the month.

From March 2016—March 2017, energy prices advanced 10.6 percent, reflecting price increases for motor fuel (19.0 percent), electricity (2.8 percent), and utility (piped) gas service (14.5 percent).

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index inched up 0.1 percent in March. Increases in the apparel index (2.6 percent) and the shelter index (0.2 percent) were largely offset by a decline in the education and communication index (-2.5 percent).

Since March 2016, the all items less food and energy index advanced 1.9 percent—led by increases in shelter (3.0 percent) and medical care (4.8 percent).

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

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.4	1.6	0.3	1.7	-0.7	-0.4	0.0	1.2	0.5	2.6
February	0.9	1.8	0.4	1.2	0.5	-0.3	0.1	0.7	0.2	2.8
March	0.3	1.5	0.6	1.5	0.6	-0.3	0.6	0.7	0.0	2.2
April	-0.2	0.9	0.5	2.3	0.3	-0.6	0.4	0.9
May	0.0	1.3	0.2	2.4	0.4	-0.4	0.4	0.9
June	0.4	1.9	0.2	2.3	0.5	-0.1	0.4	0.8
July	0.2	2.2	-0.1	2.0	-0.1	-0.1	-0.2	0.7
August	0.1	1.7	-0.2	1.7	-0.2	-0.2	0.1	1.0
September	0.0	1.3	0.1	1.7	-0.2	-0.4	0.2	1.4
October	-0.2	1.3	-0.3	1.6	0.0	-0.1	0.1	1.5
November	-0.3	1.5	-0.6	1.3	-0.2	0.3	-0.1	1.6
December	0.1	1.8	-0.6	0.6	-0.4	0.5	0.1	2.0

The Consumer Price Index for April 2017 is scheduled to be released on Friday, May 12, 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-
	Jan. 2017	Feb. 2017	Mar. 2017	Mar. 2016	Jan. 2017	Feb. 2017
Expenditure category
All Items	235.492	236.052	236.154	2.2	0.3	0.0
All items (December 1977=100)	382.001	382.908	383.075	-	-	-
Food and beverages	246.452	246.796	246.783	0.2	0.1	0.0
Food	247.693	248.056	247.977	0.1	0.1	0.0
Food at home	236.101	236.647	236.434	-1.2	0.1	-0.1
Food away from home	267.820	267.916	268.034	1.9	0.1	0.0
Alcoholic beverages	228.750	228.805	229.795	1.4	0.5	0.4
Housing	228.679	229.355	229.760	2.8	0.5	0.2
Shelter	261.775	262.560	263.164	3.0	0.5	0.2
Rent of primary residence(1)	271.433	272.144	272.418	3.4	0.4	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	264.106	264.575	265.005	3.0	0.3	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	264.095	264.566	264.997	3.0	0.3	0.2
Fuels and utilities	229.891	231.397	230.947	4.0	0.5	-0.2
Household energy	185.703	187.268	186.651	4.3	0.5	-0.3
Energy services(1)	185.954	187.538	186.891	4.2	0.5	-0.3
Electricity(1)	183.384	184.826	184.429	2.8	0.6	-0.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	187.842	190.252	187.970	14.5	0.1	-1.2
Household furnishings and operations	121.672	121.403	121.710	0.2	0.0	0.3
Apparel	131.261	133.371	136.803	0.1	4.2	2.6
Transportation	201.201	200.134	200.798	5.2	-0.2	0.3
Private transportation	199.549	198.310	198.933	5.5	-0.3	0.3
New and used motor vehicles(3)	102.490	102.557	102.720	-1.4	0.2	0.2
New vehicles	155.821	155.457	155.007	0.1	-0.5	-0.3
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	106.164	105.899	105.597	0.2	-0.5	-0.3
New cars(4)	156.147	155.754	155.418	0.1	-0.5	-0.2
Used cars and trucks	138.088	138.625	140.126	-4.6	1.5	1.1
Motor fuel	200.901	194.500	194.889	19.0	-3.0	0.2
Gasoline (all types)	199.933	193.474	193.873	18.9	-3.0	0.2
Unleaded regular(4)	195.212	188.604	188.910	19.2	-3.2	0.2
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	219.859	214.617	215.624	17.4	-1.9	0.5
Unleaded premium(4)	218.880	214.032	214.939	17.2	-1.8	0.4
Medical care	451.354	458.149	457.812	4.8	1.4	-0.1
Medical care commodities	367.199	368.535	366.357	4.7	-0.2	-0.6
Medical care services	479.353	488.257	488.665	4.9	1.9	0.1
Professional services	367.591	368.344	367.257	2.0	-0.1	-0.3
Recreation(3)	116.842	117.675	117.628	-0.4	0.7	0.0
Education and communication(3)	136.461	135.664	132.337	-3.5	-3.0	-2.5
Other goods and services	416.620	417.039	417.968	1.6	0.3	0.2
Commodity and service group
All Items	235.492	236.052	236.154	2.2	0.3	0.0
Commodities	181.182	180.946	181.296	1.4	0.1	0.2
Commodities less food and beverages	150.187	149.726	150.212	2.2	0.0	0.3
Nondurables less food and beverages	193.840	192.789	193.873	5.4	0.0	0.6
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	232.541	229.755	229.600	7.2	-1.3	-0.1
Durables	109.293	109.289	109.310	-1.7	0.0	0.0
Services	290.153	291.485	291.350	2.8	0.4	0.0
Rent of shelter(2)	268.694	269.510	270.132	3.0	0.5	0.2
Transportation services	336.274	338.266	340.274	5.9	1.2	0.6
Other services	339.880	340.022	335.946	-1.0	-1.2	-1.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	223.712	223.978	224.100	2.0	0.2	0.1
All items less food	233.381	233.970	234.101	2.6	0.3	0.1
All items less shelter	226.297	226.767	226.663	1.9	0.2	0.0
Commodities less food	152.619	152.169	152.669	2.1	0.0	0.3
Nondurables	218.767	218.383	218.942	2.5	0.1	0.3
Nondurables less food	195.601	194.608	195.687	5.1	0.0	0.6
Nondurables less food and apparel	231.118	228.574	228.512	6.7	-1.1	0.0
Services less rent of shelter(2)	326.209	328.239	327.135	2.5	0.3	-0.3
Services less medical care services	273.123	273.929	273.760	2.5	0.2	-0.1
Energy	188.535	186.545	186.386	10.6	-1.1	-0.1
All items less energy	241.521	242.363	242.495	1.6	0.4	0.1
All items less food and energy	240.848	241.776	241.945	1.9	0.5	0.1
Commodities less food and energy commodities	147.256	147.622	148.141	-0.5	0.6	0.4
Energy commodities	204.425	198.078	198.483	18.7	-2.9	0.2
Services less energy services	301.145	302.444	302.368	2.7	0.4	0.0
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.