The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South was unchanged in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, the all items less food and energy index inched up 0.1 percent and the food index edged up 0.3 percent. The energy index declined 1.0 percent in May. (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 1.7 percent since May 2016. The all items less food and energy index rose 1.5 percent over the last 12 months and the energy index advanced 4.7 percent. The food index increased 0.7 percent over the past year. (See chart 1.)

Food

The food index edged up 0.3 percent in May, reflecting price increases for food away from home and for food at home, up 0.3 and 0.2 percent, respectively.

The food index increased 0.7 percent over the year. A 2.1-percent increase in the food away from home index was partially offset by a 0.3-percent decline in the food at home index.

Energy

The energy index declined 1.0 percent in May, led by a 2.5-percent decrease in motor fuel prices. Prices for utility (piped) gas service and for electricity increased over-the-month, up 1.5 and 0.2 percent, respectively.

From May 2016—May 2017, energy prices rose 4.7 percent, reflecting price increases for motor fuel (5.0 percent), utility (piped) gas service (18.9 percent), and electricity (2.4 percent).

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index inched up 0.1 percent in May. Increases in the shelter and recreation indexes—up 0.3 and 0.2 percent, respectively—were largely offset by declines in the apparel index (-1.4 percent) and the education and communication index (-0.1 percent).

Since May 2016, the all items less food and energy index rose 1.5 percent, as several indexes saw increases, most notably shelter (2.8 percent). Medical care, fueled by an 4.5-percent increase in medical care services, advanced 4.2 percent. The education and communication index declined 3.8 percent over the year.

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	0.2	2.0
May	0.0	1.3	0.2	2.4	0.4	-0.4	0.4	0.9	0.0	1.7
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 June 2017 is scheduled to be released on Friday, July 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-
	Mar. 2017	Apr. 2017	May 2017	May 2016	Mar. 2017	Apr. 2017
Expenditure category
All Items	236.154	236.728	236.774	1.7	0.3	0.0
All items (December 1977=100)	383.075	384.006	384.080	-	-	-
Food and beverages	246.783	247.102	247.668	0.7	0.4	0.2
Food	247.977	248.291	248.979	0.7	0.4	0.3
Food at home	236.434	236.706	237.274	-0.3	0.4	0.2
Food away from home	268.034	268.415	269.289	2.1	0.5	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	229.795	230.191	228.905	0.2	-0.4	-0.6
Housing	229.760	230.099	230.654	2.7	0.4	0.2
Shelter	263.164	263.641	264.371	2.8	0.5	0.3
Rent of primary residence(1)	272.418	273.243	274.189	3.5	0.7	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	265.005	265.327	265.809	2.7	0.3	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	264.997	265.320	265.802	2.7	0.3	0.2
Fuels and utilities	230.947	231.872	232.475	4.1	0.7	0.3
Household energy	186.651	187.618	188.267	4.4	0.9	0.3
Energy services(1)	186.891	187.889	188.610	4.4	0.9	0.4
Electricity(1)	184.429	185.036	185.436	2.4	0.5	0.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	187.970	191.519	194.346	18.9	3.4	1.5
Household furnishings and operations	121.710	121.141	121.058	0.1	-0.5	-0.1
Apparel	136.803	137.268	135.390	-0.9	-1.0	-1.4
Transportation	200.798	203.409	202.445	2.1	0.8	-0.5
Private transportation	198.933	201.411	200.230	2.3	0.7	-0.6
New and used motor vehicles(3)	102.720	103.186	102.733	-1.2	0.0	-0.4
New vehicles	155.007	155.629	154.601	0.4	-0.3	-0.7
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	105.597	105.986	105.268	0.4	-0.3	-0.7
New cars(4)	155.418	155.758	154.023	-0.1	-0.9	-1.1
Used cars and trucks	140.126	141.427	141.631	-4.1	1.1	0.1
Motor fuel	194.889	205.030	199.909	5.0	2.6	-2.5
Gasoline (all types)	193.873	204.113	198.966	4.9	2.6	-2.5
Unleaded regular(4)	188.910	199.210	193.893	4.7	2.6	-2.7
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	215.624	225.496	221.109	5.9	2.5	-1.9
Unleaded premium(4)	214.939	223.891	220.350	6.5	2.5	-1.6
Medical care	457.812	455.471	455.545	4.2	-0.5	0.0
Medical care commodities	366.357	359.613	359.628	3.3	-1.8	0.0
Medical care services	488.665	488.128	488.225	4.5	-0.1	0.0
Professional services	367.257	362.668	362.842	0.3	-1.2	0.0
Recreation(3)	117.628	117.681	117.944	-0.4	0.3	0.2
Education and communication(3)	132.337	131.698	131.549	-3.8	-0.6	-0.1
Other goods and services	417.968	419.349	419.213	1.1	0.3	0.0
Commodity and service group
All Items	236.154	236.728	236.774	1.7	0.3	0.0
Commodities	181.296	182.288	181.519	0.3	0.1	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages	150.212	151.446	150.164	0.1	0.0	-0.8
Nondurables less food and beverages	193.873	196.471	194.190	1.6	0.2	-1.2
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	229.600	233.415	230.858	2.4	0.5	-1.1
Durables	109.310	109.477	109.000	-1.7	-0.3	-0.4
Services	291.350	291.525	292.359	2.5	0.3	0.3
Rent of shelter(2)	270.132	270.583	271.335	2.8	0.4	0.3
Transportation services	340.274	339.530	342.363	4.2	0.6	0.8
Other services	335.946	335.266	335.769	-1.3	-0.1	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	224.100	224.805	224.849	1.4	0.3	0.0
All items less food	234.101	234.714	234.661	1.8	0.2	0.0
All items less shelter	226.663	227.281	227.044	1.1	0.2	-0.1
Commodities less food	152.669	153.887	152.600	0.1	0.0	-0.8
Nondurables	218.942	220.449	219.530	1.1	0.3	-0.4
Nondurables less food	195.687	198.167	195.940	1.5	0.1	-1.1
Nondurables less food and apparel	228.512	232.033	229.591	2.2	0.5	-1.1
Services less rent of shelter(2)	327.135	326.966	327.927	2.1	0.2	0.3
Services less medical care services	273.760	273.980	274.850	2.2	0.4	0.3
Energy	186.386	191.389	189.473	4.7	1.7	-1.0
All items less energy	242.495	242.583	242.845	1.4	0.1	0.1
All items less food and energy	241.945	241.993	242.182	1.5	0.1	0.1
Commodities less food and energy commodities	148.141	148.140	147.377	-0.8	-0.5	-0.5
Energy commodities	198.483	208.558	203.397	5.1	2.5	-2.5
Services less energy services	302.368	302.449	303.293	2.3	0.3	0.3
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.