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 0.6 percent and the food index edged down 0.2 percent over the month. The all items less food and energy index was unchanged in November. (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 2.1 percent since November 2016. The all items less food and energy index moved up 1.6 percent over the last 12 months, and the energy index advanced 8.4 percent. The food index rose 1.1 percent over the year. (See chart 1.)

Food

The food index edged down 0.2 percent in November, reflecting a 0.5-percent decline in the food at home index. The food away from home index was up 0.2 percent over the month.

The food index rose 1.1 percent since November 2016, led by a 2.0-percent increase in food away from home prices. Over the year, prices for food at home rose 0.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 0.6 percent in November, fueled by a 1.3-percent seasonal decline in electricity prices. Prices for utility (piped) gas service edged up 0.3 percent in November, while motor fuel prices were unchanged over the month.

From November 2016—November 2017, the energy index advanced 8.4 percent, reflecting a 14.1-percent increase for motor fuel prices. Prices for electricity and for utility (piped) gas service also increased over the year, up 3.3 and 4.4 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index was unchanged in November. Price declines for apparel (-2.1 percent) and medical care (-0.4 percent) were largely offset by price increases for shelter (0.2 percent) and education and communication (0.2 percent).

Since November 2016, the all items less food and energy index advanced 1.6 percent, led by an increase in the shelter index (3.3 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	-0.2	1.6
August	0.1	1.7	-0.2	1.7	-0.2	-0.2	0.1	1.0	0.4	1.9
September	0.0	1.3	0.1	1.7	-0.2	-0.4	0.2	1.4	0.7	2.4
October	-0.2	1.3	-0.3	1.6	0.0	-0.1	0.1	1.5	-0.2	2.0
November	-0.3	1.5	-0.6	1.3	-0.2	0.3	-0.1	1.6	-0.1	2.1
December	0.1	1.8	-0.6	0.6	-0.4	0.5	0.1	2.0

The Consumer Price Index for December 2017 is scheduled to be released on Friday, January 12, 2018.

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-
	Sep. 2017	Oct. 2017	Nov. 2017	Nov. 2016	Sep. 2017	Oct. 2017
Expenditure category
All Items	239.649	239.067	238.861	2.1	-0.3	-0.1
All items (December 1977=100)	388.744	387.800	387.466	-	-	-
Food and beverages	248.735	249.112	248.635	1.2	0.0	-0.2
Food	249.981	250.357	249.842	1.1	-0.1	-0.2
Food at home	237.646	238.588	237.402	0.5	-0.1	-0.5
Food away from home	271.240	270.779	271.257	2.0	0.0	0.2
Alcoholic beverages	230.979	231.365	231.470	1.5	0.2	0.0
Housing	233.926	233.871	233.922	2.9	0.0	0.0
Shelter	267.797	268.632	269.154	3.3	0.5	0.2
Rent of primary residence(1)	278.236	279.360	280.416	3.9	0.8	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	269.658	270.587	271.409	3.2	0.6	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	269.649	270.578	271.399	3.2	0.6	0.3
Fuels and utilities	241.219	236.082	234.510	3.4	-2.8	-0.7
Household energy	197.042	191.413	189.294	3.6	-3.9	-1.1
Energy services(1)	197.501	191.612	189.437	3.5	-4.1	-1.1
Electricity(1)	195.888	189.232	186.678	3.3	-4.7	-1.3
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	191.980	191.747	192.311	4.4	0.2	0.3
Household furnishings and operations	120.091	120.359	119.831	-0.9	-0.2	-0.4
Apparel	135.036	136.724	133.839	-2.3	-0.9	-2.1
Transportation	208.467	204.679	204.911	4.4	-1.7	0.1
Private transportation	207.300	203.164	203.293	4.7	-1.9	0.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)	100.727	100.355	100.289	-1.3	-0.4	-0.1
New vehicles	151.566	151.465	151.892	-0.7	0.2	0.3
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	103.190	103.117	103.408	-0.7	0.2	0.3
New cars(4)	150.330	150.012	150.642	-1.5	0.2	0.4
Used cars and trucks	138.293	137.058	136.154	-1.6	-1.5	-0.7
Motor fuel	230.813	212.172	212.195	14.1	-8.1	0.0
Gasoline (all types)	229.894	211.074	211.068	14.1	-8.2	0.0
Unleaded regular(4)	225.035	205.869	205.868	14.3	-8.5	0.0
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	250.266	233.554	233.987	14.1	-6.5	0.2
Unleaded premium(4)	247.185	232.595	232.394	12.8	-6.0	-0.1
Medical care	457.560	457.382	455.694	1.6	-0.4	-0.4
Medical care commodities	367.631	366.203	366.296	0.4	-0.4	0.0
Medical care services	487.802	488.130	485.746	2.0	-0.4	-0.5
Professional services	361.286	360.876	358.429	-2.5	-0.8	-0.7
Recreation(3)	117.769	117.386	117.348	0.7	-0.4	0.0
Education and communication(3)	132.253	132.618	132.893	-2.7	0.5	0.2
Other goods and services	420.135	422.274	422.145	1.1	0.5	0.0
Commodity and service group
All Items	239.649	239.067	238.861	2.1	-0.3	-0.1
Commodities	183.782	182.389	181.684	1.1	-1.1	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages	152.844	150.781	150.004	1.0	-1.9	-0.5
Nondurables less food and beverages	203.144	198.663	197.260	3.1	-2.9	-0.7
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	245.065	237.140	236.501	4.8	-3.5	-0.3
Durables	106.955	106.776	106.502	-1.5	-0.4	-0.3
Services	295.851	296.047	296.320	2.7	0.2	0.1
Rent of shelter(2)	274.892	275.760	276.291	3.3	0.5	0.2
Transportation services	345.528	348.684	350.021	4.8	1.3	0.4
Other services	337.726	337.680	338.771	-0.2	0.3	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	227.743	227.147	227.011	2.1	-0.3	-0.1
All items less food	237.822	237.093	236.934	2.2	-0.4	-0.1
All items less shelter	229.712	228.540	228.032	1.5	-0.7	-0.2
Commodities less food	155.275	153.264	152.505	1.1	-1.8	-0.5
Nondurables	224.709	222.552	221.593	2.0	-1.4	-0.4
Nondurables less food	204.524	200.304	198.981	3.0	-2.7	-0.7
Nondurables less food and apparel	242.755	235.535	234.960	4.5	-3.2	-0.2
Services less rent of shelter(2)	331.443	330.788	330.741	2.0	-0.2	0.0
Services less medical care services	278.552	278.735	279.182	2.7	0.2	0.2
Energy	207.849	196.585	195.457	8.4	-6.0	-0.6
All items less energy	244.023	244.616	244.510	1.5	0.2	0.0
All items less food and energy	243.392	244.024	243.990	1.6	0.2	0.0
Commodities less food and energy commodities	146.162	146.407	145.529	-1.3	-0.4	-0.6
Energy commodities	234.228	215.847	215.880	14.0	-7.8	0.0
Services less energy services	306.160	307.048	307.599	2.6	0.5	0.2
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.