Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

18-75-ATL
Friday, January 12, 2018

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

Consumer Price Index, South Region – December 2017

Prices in the South down 0.1 percent over the month; up 1.8 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South inched down 0.1 percent in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The energy index declined 1.2 percent over the month and the all items less food and energy index declined 0.1 percent. The food index inched up 0.1 percent in December. (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 1.8 percent since December 2016. The all items less food and energy index moved up 1.5 percent over the last 12 months, and the energy index advanced 5.6 percent. The food index rose 1.4 percent over the year. (See chart 1.)

  Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, South region, December 2014–December 2017
Food

The food index inched up 0.1 percent in December, reflecting a 0.4-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index was unchanged over the month.

The food index rose 1.4 percent since December 2016, led by a 2.1-percent increase in food away from home prices. Over the year, prices for food at home rose 0.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 1.2 percent in December, fueled by a 2.8-percent decline in motor fuel prices. Prices for utility (piped) gas service increased 0.9 percent in December, while electricity prices were unchanged over the month.

From December 2016—December 2017, the energy index advanced 5.6 percent, reflecting a 7.8-percent increase for motor fuel prices. Prices for electricity and for utility (piped) gas service also increased over the year, up 3.2 and 6.1 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index inched down 0.1 percent in December. Price declines for apparel (-3.8 percent) and recreation (-0.5 percent) were largely offset by price increases for shelter (0.2 percent) and medical care (0.2 percent).

Since December 2016, the all items less food and energy index advanced 1.5 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 -0.1 1.8

The Consumer Price Index for January 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 14, 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-
Oct.
2017
Nov.
2017
Dec.
2017
Dec.
2016
Oct.
2017
Nov.
2017

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

239.067 238.861 238.512 1.8 -0.2 -0.1

All items (December 1977=100)

387.800 387.466 386.900 - - -

Food and beverages

249.112 248.635 248.924 1.4 -0.1 0.1

Food

250.357 249.842 250.183 1.4 -0.1 0.1

Food at home

238.588 237.402 237.328 0.9 -0.5 0.0

Food away from home

270.779 271.257 272.220 2.1 0.5 0.4

Alcoholic beverages

231.365 231.470 230.971 1.3 -0.2 -0.2

Housing

233.871 233.922 234.271 2.9 0.2 0.1

Shelter

268.632 269.154 269.585 3.3 0.4 0.2

Rent of primary residence(1)

279.360 280.416 281.130 3.8 0.6 0.3

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

270.587 271.409 272.057 3.2 0.5 0.2

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

270.578 271.399 272.048 3.2 0.5 0.2

Fuels and utilities

236.082 234.510 235.016 3.5 -0.5 0.2

Household energy

191.413 189.294 189.637 3.7 -0.9 0.2

Energy services(1)

191.612 189.437 189.726 3.6 -1.0 0.2

Electricity(1)

189.232 186.678 186.756 3.2 -1.3 0.0

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

191.747 192.311 193.989 6.1 1.2 0.9

Household furnishings and operations

120.359 119.831 119.787 -1.0 -0.5 0.0

Apparel

136.724 133.839 128.781 -3.2 -5.8 -3.8

Transportation

204.679 204.911 203.612 2.9 -0.5 -0.6

Private transportation

203.164 203.293 202.308 3.1 -0.4 -0.5

New and used motor vehicles(3)

100.355 100.289 100.897 -0.8 0.5 0.6

New vehicles

151.465 151.892 152.588 -0.7 0.7 0.5

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

103.117 103.408 103.882 -0.7 0.7 0.5

New cars(4)

150.012 150.642 151.448 -1.6 1.0 0.5

Used cars and trucks

137.058 136.154 137.368 -0.5 0.2 0.9

Motor fuel

212.172 212.195 206.326 7.8 -2.8 -2.8

Gasoline (all types)

211.074 211.068 205.114 7.7 -2.8 -2.8

Unleaded regular(4)

205.869 205.868 199.823 7.7 -2.9 -2.9

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

233.554 233.987 228.878 8.5 -2.0 -2.2

Unleaded premium(4)

232.595 232.394 227.681 8.1 -2.1 -2.0

Medical care

457.382 455.694 456.631 1.8 -0.2 0.2

Medical care commodities

366.203 366.296 369.725 1.6 1.0 0.9

Medical care services

488.130 485.746 485.668 1.9 -0.5 0.0

Professional services

360.876 358.429 358.408 -2.6 -0.7 0.0

Recreation(3)

117.386 117.348 116.768 0.4 -0.5 -0.5

Education and communication(3)

132.618 132.893 132.795 -2.4 0.1 -0.1

Other goods and services

422.274 422.145 422.957 1.0 0.2 0.2
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

239.067 238.861 238.512 1.8 -0.2 -0.1

Commodities

182.389 181.684 180.850 0.6 -0.8 -0.5

Commodities less food and beverages

150.781 150.004 148.744 0.1 -1.4 -0.8

Nondurables less food and beverages

198.663 197.260 194.085 1.3 -2.3 -1.6

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

237.140 236.501 234.263 2.7 -1.2 -0.9

Durables

106.776 106.502 106.710 -1.4 -0.1 0.2

Services

296.047 296.320 296.436 2.6 0.1 0.0

Rent of shelter(2)

275.760 276.291 276.796 3.3 0.4 0.2

Transportation services

348.684 350.021 347.940 3.9 -0.2 -0.6

Other services

337.680 338.771 338.649 -0.1 0.3 0.0
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

227.147 227.011 226.605 1.8 -0.2 -0.2

All items less food

237.093 236.934 236.480 1.9 -0.3 -0.2

All items less shelter

228.540 228.032 227.358 1.2 -0.5 -0.3

Commodities less food

153.264 152.505 151.259 0.2 -1.3 -0.8

Nondurables

222.552 221.593 220.076 1.4 -1.1 -0.7

Nondurables less food

200.304 198.981 195.950 1.3 -2.2 -1.5

Nondurables less food and apparel

235.535 234.960 232.872 2.6 -1.1 -0.9

Services less rent of shelter(2)

330.788 330.741 330.365 1.8 -0.1 -0.1

Services less medical care services

278.735 279.182 279.309 2.6 0.2 0.0

Energy

196.585 195.457 193.046 5.6 -1.8 -1.2

All items less energy

244.616 244.510 244.387 1.5 -0.1 -0.1

All items less food and energy

244.024 243.990 243.786 1.5 -0.1 -0.1

Commodities less food and energy commodities

146.407 145.529 144.896 -1.3 -1.0 -0.4

Energy commodities

215.847 215.880 210.116 7.9 -2.7 -2.7

Services less energy services

307.048 307.599 307.695 2.5 0.2 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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, January 12, 2018