The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South edged up 0.2 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The all items less food and energy index rose 0.2 percent over the month, and the energy index advanced 1.4 percent. The food index was unchanged in June. (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 1.5 percent since June 2016. The all items less food and energy index increased 1.6 percent over the last 12 months and the energy index increased 1.7 percent. The food index rose 0.9 percent over the year. (See chart 1.)

Food

The food index was unchanged in June. Over the month, prices for food at home edged down 0.2 percent, while prices for food away from home edged up 0.2 percent.

The food index rose 0.9 percent since June 2016, reflecting a 2.2 percent increase in prices for food away from home. Food at home prices were unchanged over the year.

Energy

The energy index rose 1.4 percent in June, reflecting a 5.6 percent increase in electricity prices. Prices for motor fuel and for utility (piped) gas service declined over-the-month, down 2.3 and 0.7 percent, respectively.

From June 2016—June 2017, energy prices advanced 1.7 percent, led by price increases for electricity (2.7 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (16.0 percent). Prices for motor fuel declined 1.3 percent since June 2016.  

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index edged up 0.2 percent in June. Increases in the shelter index (0.4 percent) and the medical care index (0.3 percent) were partially offset by a seasonal decline in the apparel index (-0.9 percent).

Since June 2016, the all items less food and energy index advanced 1.6 percent—led by increases in shelter (2.9 percent) and medical care (4.3 percent). In contrast, the education and communication index declined over-the-year, down 3.8 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	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	0.2	1.5
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 July 2017 is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 11, 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 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-
	Apr. 2017	May 2017	Jun. 2017	Jun. 2016	Apr. 2017	May 2017
Expenditure category
All Items	236.728	236.774	237.346	1.5	0.3	0.2
All items (December 1977=100)	384.006	384.080	385.008	-	-	-
Food and beverages	247.102	247.668	247.572	0.9	0.2	0.0
Food	248.291	248.979	248.914	0.9	0.3	0.0
Food at home	236.706	237.274	236.834	0.0	0.1	-0.2
Food away from home	268.415	269.289	269.782	2.2	0.5	0.2
Alcoholic beverages	230.191	228.905	228.330	0.0	-0.8	-0.3
Housing	230.099	230.654	232.397	2.7	1.0	0.8
Shelter	263.641	264.371	265.464	2.9	0.7	0.4
Rent of primary residence(1)	273.243	274.189	275.135	3.6	0.7	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	265.327	265.809	266.815	2.9	0.6	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	265.320	265.802	266.809	2.9	0.6	0.4
Fuels and utilities	231.872	232.475	240.686	4.0	3.8	3.5
Household energy	187.618	188.267	196.919	4.2	5.0	4.6
Energy services(1)	187.889	188.610	197.484	4.2	5.1	4.7
Electricity(1)	185.036	185.436	195.729	2.7	5.8	5.6
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	191.519	194.346	192.919	16.0	0.7	-0.7
Household furnishings and operations	121.141	121.058	120.720	-0.6	-0.3	-0.3
Apparel	137.268	135.390	134.145	-0.8	-2.3	-0.9
Transportation	203.409	202.445	201.440	0.9	-1.0	-0.5
Private transportation	201.411	200.230	199.315	1.2	-1.0	-0.5
New and used motor vehicles(3)	103.186	102.733	102.378	-1.1	-0.8	-0.3
New vehicles	155.629	154.601	154.076	0.6	-1.0	-0.3
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	105.986	105.268	104.905	0.6	-1.0	-0.3
New cars(4)	155.758	154.023	153.381	0.1	-1.5	-0.4
Used cars and trucks	141.427	141.631	140.826	-4.0	-0.4	-0.6
Motor fuel	205.030	199.909	195.365	-1.3	-4.7	-2.3
Gasoline (all types)	204.113	198.966	194.418	-1.4	-4.7	-2.3
Unleaded regular(4)	199.210	193.893	189.241	-1.8	-5.0	-2.4
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	225.496	221.109	216.813	0.4	-3.9	-1.9
Unleaded premium(4)	223.891	220.350	217.256	1.5	-3.0	-1.4
Medical care	455.471	455.545	457.102	4.3	0.4	0.3
Medical care commodities	359.613	359.628	364.320	4.0	1.3	1.3
Medical care services	488.128	488.225	488.499	4.4	0.1	0.1
Professional services	362.668	362.842	362.106	-0.2	-0.2	-0.2
Recreation(3)	117.681	117.944	118.069	-0.3	0.3	0.1
Education and communication(3)	131.698	131.549	131.495	-3.8	-0.2	0.0
Other goods and services	419.349	419.213	420.214	0.9	0.2	0.2
Commodity and service group
All Items	236.728	236.774	237.346	1.5	0.3	0.2
Commodities	182.288	181.519	180.943	-0.1	-0.7	-0.3
Commodities less food and beverages	151.446	150.164	149.412	-0.8	-1.3	-0.5
Nondurables less food and beverages	196.471	194.190	192.822	-0.2	-1.9	-0.7
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	233.415	230.858	229.390	0.0	-1.7	-0.6
Durables	109.477	109.000	108.742	-1.5	-0.7	-0.2
Services	291.525	292.359	294.044	2.5	0.9	0.6
Rent of shelter(2)	270.583	271.335	272.463	2.9	0.7	0.4
Transportation services	339.530	342.363	343.752	4.3	1.2	0.4
Other services	335.266	335.769	336.070	-1.3	0.2	0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	224.805	224.849	225.372	1.2	0.3	0.2
All items less food	234.714	234.661	235.331	1.6	0.3	0.3
All items less shelter	227.281	227.044	227.405	0.8	0.1	0.2
Commodities less food	153.887	152.600	151.850	-0.8	-1.3	-0.5
Nondurables	220.449	219.530	218.771	0.4	-0.8	-0.3
Nondurables less food	198.167	195.940	194.614	-0.2	-1.8	-0.7
Nondurables less food and apparel	232.033	229.591	228.201	0.0	-1.7	-0.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)	326.966	327.927	330.373	2.0	1.0	0.7
Services less medical care services	273.980	274.850	276.604	2.3	1.0	0.6
Energy	191.389	189.473	192.109	1.7	0.4	1.4
All items less energy	242.583	242.845	243.192	1.5	0.3	0.1
All items less food and energy	241.993	242.182	242.601	1.6	0.3	0.2
Commodities less food and energy commodities	148.140	147.377	147.147	-0.7	-0.7	-0.2
Energy commodities	208.558	203.397	198.845	-1.1	-4.7	-2.2
Services less energy services	302.449	303.293	304.154	2.4	0.6	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.