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News Release Information

17-616-ATL
Friday, May 12, 2017

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

Consumer Price Index, South Region – April 2017

Area prices up 0.2 percent over the month and 2.0 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South edged up 0.2 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, the energy index rose 2.7 percent and the food index inched up 0.1 percent. The all items less food and energy index was unchanged in April. (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 increased 2.0 percent since April 2016. The all items less food and energy index rose 1.6 percent over the last 12 months and the energy index advanced 10.1 percent. The food index edged up 0.2 percent over the past year. (See chart 1.)

Food

The food index inched up 0.1 percent in April, reflecting price increases for food at home and for food away from home, up 0.1 percent each over the month.

The food index edged up 0.2 percent over the year. A 1.9-percent increase in food away from home prices was largely offset by a 1.0-percent decline in food at home prices.

Energy

The energy index increased 2.7 percent in April, led by a 5.2-percent increase in motor fuel prices. Prices for electricity and utility (piped) gas service also advanced over-the-month, up 0.3 and 1.9 percent, respectively.

From April 2016—April 2017, energy prices advanced 10.1 percent, reflecting price increases for motor fuel (15.7 percent), electricity (3.7 percent), and utility (piped) gas service (17.6 percent).

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index was unchanged in April. An increase in the shelter index (0.2 percent) was largely offset by declines in the medical care, and education and communication indexes, down 0.5 percent each over the month.

Since April 2016, the all items less food and energy index advanced 1.6 percent, as several indexes saw increases, most notably shelter (2.9 percent). Medical care, fueled by an increase in medical care services (4.7 percent), rose 4.1 percent. The education and communication index declined 4.0 percent over the year.

Table A. South region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20132014201520162017
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.41.60.31.7-0.7-0.40.01.20.52.6

February

0.91.80.41.20.5-0.30.10.70.22.8

March

0.31.50.61.50.6-0.30.60.70.02.2

April

-0.20.90.52.30.3-0.60.40.90.22.0

May

0.01.30.22.40.4-0.40.40.9  

June

0.41.90.22.30.5-0.10.40.8  

July

0.22.2-0.12.0-0.1-0.1-0.20.7  

August

0.11.7-0.21.7-0.2-0.20.11.0  

September

0.01.30.11.7-0.2-0.40.21.4  

October

-0.21.3-0.31.60.0-0.10.11.5  

November

-0.31.5-0.61.3-0.20.3-0.11.6  

December

0.11.8-0.60.6-0.40.50.12.0  

The Consumer Price Index for May 2017 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 14, 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-
Feb.
2017
Mar.
2017
Apr.
2017
Apr.
2016
Feb.
2017
Mar.
2017

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

236.052236.154236.7282.00.30.2

All items (December 1977=100)

382.908383.075384.006---

Food and beverages

246.796246.783247.1020.30.10.1

Food

248.056247.977248.2910.20.10.1

Food at home

236.647236.434236.706-1.00.00.1

Food away from home

267.916268.034268.4151.90.20.1

Alcoholic beverages

228.805229.795230.1911.50.60.2

Housing

229.355229.760230.0992.80.30.1

Shelter

262.560263.164263.6412.90.40.2

Rent of primary residence(1)

272.144272.418273.2433.40.40.3

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

264.575265.005265.3272.80.30.1

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

264.566264.997265.3202.80.30.1

Fuels and utilities

231.397230.947231.8724.90.20.4

Household energy

187.268186.651187.6185.40.20.5

Energy services(1)

187.538186.891187.8895.40.20.5

Electricity(1)

184.826184.429185.0363.70.10.3

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

190.252187.970191.51917.60.71.9

Household furnishings and operations

121.403121.710121.141-0.1-0.2-0.5

Apparel

133.371136.803137.2680.32.90.3

Transportation

200.134200.798203.4094.41.61.3

Private transportation

198.310198.933201.4114.61.61.2

New and used motor vehicles(3)

102.557102.720103.186-1.10.60.5

New vehicles

155.457155.007155.6290.80.10.4

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

105.899105.597105.9860.80.10.4

New cars(4)

155.754155.418155.7580.70.00.2

Used cars and trucks

138.625140.126141.427-4.52.00.9

Motor fuel

194.500194.889205.03015.75.45.2

Gasoline (all types)

193.474193.873204.11315.75.55.3

Unleaded regular(4)

188.604188.910199.21015.85.65.5

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

214.617215.624225.49615.25.14.6

Unleaded premium(4)

214.032214.939223.89114.64.64.2

Medical care

458.149457.812455.4714.1-0.6-0.5

Medical care commodities

368.535366.357359.6132.3-2.4-1.8

Medical care services

488.257488.665488.1284.70.0-0.1

Professional services

368.344367.257362.6680.7-1.5-1.2

Recreation(3)

117.675117.628117.681-0.60.00.0

Education and communication(3)

135.664132.337131.698-4.0-2.9-0.5

Other goods and services

417.039417.968419.3491.70.60.3
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

236.052236.154236.7282.00.30.2

Commodities

180.946181.296182.2881.10.70.5

Commodities less food and beverages

149.726150.212151.4461.71.10.8

Nondurables less food and beverages

192.789193.873196.4714.51.91.3

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

229.755229.600233.4155.91.61.7

Durables

109.289109.310109.477-1.80.20.2

Services

291.485291.350291.5252.60.00.1

Rent of shelter(2)

269.510270.132270.5832.90.40.2

Transportation services

338.266340.274339.5304.50.4-0.2

Other services

340.022335.946335.266-1.3-1.4-0.2
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

223.978224.100224.8051.90.40.3

All items less food

233.970234.101234.7142.30.30.3

All items less shelter

226.767226.663227.2811.70.20.3

Commodities less food

152.169152.669153.8871.71.10.8

Nondurables

218.383218.942220.4492.20.90.7

Nondurables less food

194.608195.687198.1674.31.81.3

Nondurables less food and apparel

228.574228.512232.0335.61.51.5

Services less rent of shelter(2)

328.239327.135326.9662.3-0.4-0.1

Services less medical care services

273.929273.760273.9802.40.00.1

Energy

186.545186.386191.38910.12.62.7

All items less energy

242.363242.495242.5831.40.10.0

All items less food and energy

241.776241.945241.9931.60.10.0

Commodities less food and energy commodities

147.622148.141148.140-0.70.40.0

Energy commodities

198.078198.483208.55815.65.35.1

Services less energy services

302.444302.368302.4492.40.00.0

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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, May 12, 2017