The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South increased 0.5 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.4 percent over the pricing period. Over the month, the energy index advanced 1.9 percent and the food index was up 0.4 percent. (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 for the 12 months ending January. The all items less food and energy index moved up 1.6 percent over the last year, and the energy index advanced 4.4 percent. The food index rose 1.4 percent since January 2017. (See chart 1.)

Food

The food index was up 0.4 percent in January. Prices for food at home rose 0.5 percent, largely due to a 2.2-percent increase in prices for fruits and vegetables. Prices for food away from home edged up 0.3 percent over the month.

The food index rose 1.4 percent since January 2017, reflecting price increases for food away from home (1.9 percent) and for food at home (1.0 percent).

Energy

The energy index increased 1.9 percent in January, fueled by a 3.9-percent increase in motor fuel prices. In contrast, utility (piped) gas service prices decreased 1.4 percent and electricity prices inched down 0.1 percent over the month.

From January 2017—January 2018, the energy index advanced 4.4 percent, reflecting a 6.7-percent increase for motor fuel prices. Prices for electricity and for utility (piped) gas service also increased over the year, up 1.8 percent each.

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index rose 0.4 percent in January. The medical care services index—up 1.5 percent—contributed to a 1.1 percent increase in the medical care index. The index for shelter also increased over the month, edging up 0.3 percent.

Since January 2017, 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	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.3	1.7	-0.7	-0.4	0.0	1.2	0.5	2.6	0.5	1.8
February	0.4	1.2	0.5	-0.3	0.1	0.7	0.2	2.8
March	0.6	1.5	0.6	-0.3	0.6	0.7	0.0	2.2
April	0.5	2.3	0.3	-0.6	0.4	0.9	0.2	2.0
May	0.2	2.4	0.4	-0.4	0.4	0.9	0.0	1.7
June	0.2	2.3	0.5	-0.1	0.4	0.8	0.2	1.5
July	-0.1	2.0	-0.1	-0.1	-0.2	0.7	-0.2	1.6
August	-0.2	1.7	-0.2	-0.2	0.1	1.0	0.4	1.9
September	0.1	1.7	-0.2	-0.4	0.2	1.4	0.7	2.4
October	-0.3	1.6	0.0	-0.1	0.1	1.5	-0.2	2.0
November	-0.6	1.3	-0.2	0.3	-0.1	1.6	-0.1	2.1
December	-0.6	0.6	-0.4	0.5	0.1	2.0	-0.1	1.8

The Consumer Price Index for February 2018 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 13, 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 94 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 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-
	Nov. 2017	Dec. 2017	Jan. 2018	Jan. 2017	Nov. 2017	Dec. 2017
Expenditure category
All Items	238.861	238.512	239.772	1.8	0.4	0.5
All items (December 1977=100)	387.466	386.900	388.943	-	-	-
Food and beverages	248.635	248.924	249.815	1.4	0.5	0.4
Food	249.842	250.183	251.127	1.4	0.5	0.4
Food at home	237.402	237.328	238.422	1.0	0.4	0.5
Cereal and bakery products	-	276.232	279.047	-	-	1.0
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	-	243.586	241.320	-	-	-0.9
Dairy and related products	-	220.368	219.988	-	-	-0.2
Fruits and vegetables	-	283.123	289.347	-	-	2.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	-	164.438	166.650	-	-	1.3
Other food at home	-	209.471	209.633	-	-	0.1
Food away from home	271.257	272.220	272.970	1.9	0.6	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	231.470	230.971	231.076	1.0	-0.2	0.0
Housing	233.922	234.271	235.071	2.8	0.5	0.3
Shelter	269.154	269.585	270.413	3.3	0.5	0.3
Rent of primary residence(1)	280.416	281.130	281.731	3.8	0.5	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	271.409	272.057	272.487	3.2	0.4	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	271.399	272.048	272.479	3.2	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities	234.510	235.016	234.824	2.1	0.1	-0.1
Household energy	189.294	189.637	189.383	2.0	0.0	-0.1
Energy services(1)	189.437	189.726	189.240	1.8	-0.1	-0.3
Electricity(1)	186.678	186.756	186.609	1.8	0.0	-0.1
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	192.311	193.989	191.208	1.8	-0.6	-1.4
Household furnishings and operations	119.831	119.787	121.071	-0.5	1.0	1.1
Apparel	133.839	128.781	128.360	-2.2	-4.1	-0.3
Transportation	204.911	203.612	206.288	2.5	0.7	1.3
Private transportation	203.293	202.308	205.340	2.9	1.0	1.5
New and used motor vehicles(3)	100.289	100.897	101.344	-1.1	1.1	0.4
New vehicles	151.892	152.588	153.484	-1.5	1.0	0.6
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	103.408	103.882	104.496	-1.6	1.1	0.6
New cars(4)	150.642	151.448	152.796	-2.1	1.4	0.9
Used cars and trucks	136.154	137.368	137.686	-0.3	1.1	0.2
Motor fuel	212.195	206.326	214.278	6.7	1.0	3.9
Gasoline (all types)	211.068	205.114	213.005	6.5	0.9	3.8
Unleaded regular(4)	205.868	199.823	207.758	6.4	0.9	4.0
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	233.987	228.878	236.213	7.4	1.0	3.2
Unleaded premium(4)	232.394	227.681	234.324	7.1	0.8	2.9
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	-	903.749	919.295	-	-	1.7
Medical care	455.694	456.631	461.691	2.3	1.3	1.1
Medical care commodities	366.296	369.725	369.046	0.5	0.8	-0.2
Medical care services	485.746	485.668	492.724	2.8	1.4	1.5
Professional services	358.429	358.408	357.919	-2.6	-0.1	-0.1
Recreation(3)	117.348	116.768	116.802	0.0	-0.5	0.0
Education and communication(3)	132.893	132.795	132.601	-2.8	-0.2	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	-	1,305.630	1,301.206	-	-	-0.3
Other goods and services	422.145	422.957	425.261	2.1	0.7	0.5
Commodity and service group
All Items	238.861	238.512	239.772	1.8	0.4	0.5
Commodities	181.684	180.850	182.220	0.6	0.3	0.8
Commodities less food and beverages	150.004	148.744	150.214	0.0	0.1	1.0
Nondurables less food and beverages	197.260	194.085	196.795	1.5	-0.2	1.4
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	236.501	234.263	238.680	2.6	0.9	1.9
Durables	106.502	106.710	107.269	-1.9	0.7	0.5
Services	296.320	296.436	297.560	2.6	0.4	0.4
Rent of shelter(2)	276.291	276.796	277.642	3.3	0.5	0.3
Transportation services	350.021	347.940	350.383	4.2	0.1	0.7
Other services	338.771	338.649	338.585	-0.4	-0.1	0.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	227.011	226.605	227.671	1.8	0.3	0.5
All items less food	236.934	236.480	237.785	1.9	0.4	0.6
All items less shelter	228.032	227.358	228.784	1.1	0.3	0.6
Commodities less food	152.505	151.259	152.706	0.1	0.1	1.0
Nondurables	221.593	220.076	221.959	1.5	0.2	0.9
Nondurables less food	198.981	195.950	198.525	1.5	-0.2	1.3
Nondurables less food and apparel	234.960	232.872	236.934	2.5	0.8	1.7
Services less rent of shelter(2)	330.741	330.365	331.864	1.7	0.3	0.5
Services less medical care services	279.182	279.309	279.967	2.5	0.3	0.2
Energy	195.457	193.046	196.789	4.4	0.7	1.9
All items less energy	244.510	244.387	245.370	1.6	0.4	0.4
All items less food and energy	243.990	243.786	244.776	1.6	0.3	0.4
Commodities less food and energy commodities	145.529	144.896	145.423	-1.2	-0.1	0.4
Energy commodities	215.880	210.116	218.279	6.8	1.1	3.9
Services less energy services	307.599	307.695	308.995	2.6	0.5	0.4
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) Indexes 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. (6) Indexes on a December 1977=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.