The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (-U) for the South increased 0.4 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The energy index advanced 3.0 percent over the pricing period. The index for all items less food and energy inched up 0.1 percent in April, while the food index edged up 0.2 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 was up 2.4 percent for the 12 months ending April. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.2 percent over the past year, while the energy index advanced 6.5 percent and the food index rose 1.1 percent. (See chart 1.)

Food

The food index edged up 0.2 percent in April, reflecting a 0.4-percent increase in the food at home index. The index for food away from home was unchanged over the month.

Over the last 12 months, the food index rose 1.1 percent, led by a 2.0-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index also increased, up 0.4 percent since April 2017.

Energy

The energy index advanced 3.0 percent in April, reflecting a 6.4-percent increase in the motor fuel index. The indexes for electricity and utility (piped) gas service were down over the pricing period, declining 0.6 and 3.0 percent, respectively.

From April 2017—April 2018, the energy index advanced 6.5 percent, fueled by a 12.3-percent increase in the motor fuel index. Over the year, the electricity index edged up 0.2 percent, while the index for utility (piped) gas service declined 1.8 percent.

All items less food and energy

In April 2018, the all items less food and energy index inched up 0.1 percent. A 0.3-percent increase in the shelter index was partially offset by a 0.5-percent decrease in the index for new and used motor vehicles.

Since April 2017, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.2 percent. The shelter index contributed to the increase, up 3.4 percent over the year.

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	0.6	2.1
March	0.6	1.5	0.6	-0.3	0.6	0.7	0.0	2.2	0.2	2.3
April	0.5	2.3	0.3	-0.6	0.4	0.9	0.2	2.0	0.4	2.4
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 May 2018 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, June 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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 29 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-
	Feb. 2018	Mar. 2018	Apr. 2018	Apr. 2017	Feb. 2018	Mar. 2018
Expenditure category
All Items	241.123	241.595	242.486	2.4	0.6	0.4
All items (December 1977=100)	391.135	391.900	393.346	-	-	-
Food and beverages	249.475	249.324	249.847	1.1	0.1	0.2
Food	250.710	250.519	251.061	1.1	0.1	0.2
Food at home	237.191	236.789	237.670	0.4	0.2	0.4
Cereal and bakery products	276.276	275.995	275.534	-	-0.3	-0.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	241.201	243.739	245.420	-	1.7	0.7
Dairy and related products	218.805	218.319	219.597	-	0.4	0.6
Fruits and vegetables	284.805	278.388	283.841	-	-0.3	2.0
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	165.709	166.521	164.696	-	-0.6	-1.1
Other food at home	209.763	209.307	209.267	-	-0.2	0.0
Food away from home	273.685	273.787	273.864	2.0	0.1	0.0
Alcoholic beverages	231.864	232.296	232.539	1.0	0.3	0.1
Housing	235.746	236.083	236.578	2.8	0.4	0.2
Shelter	270.759	271.742	272.593	3.4	0.7	0.3
Rent of primary residence(1)	282.086	282.695	283.436	3.7	0.5	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	272.713	273.398	273.932	3.2	0.4	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	272.703	273.392	273.930	3.2	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities	236.851	235.111	233.867	0.9	-1.3	-0.5
Household energy	191.430	189.594	187.920	0.2	-1.8	-0.9
Energy services(1)	191.340	189.503	187.826	0.0	-1.8	-0.9
Electricity(1)	188.321	186.537	185.473	0.2	-1.5	-0.6
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	195.804	193.767	187.999	-1.8	-4.0	-3.0
Household furnishings and operations	121.962	121.505	121.904	0.6	0.0	0.3
Apparel	134.086	140.171	140.976	2.7	5.1	0.6
Transportation	208.883	208.913	211.814	4.1	1.4	1.4
Private transportation	207.748	207.547	210.348	4.4	1.3	1.3
New and used motor vehicles(3)	101.619	102.107	101.593	-1.5	0.0	-0.5
New vehicles	153.431	153.371	152.427	-2.1	-0.7	-0.6
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	104.446	104.409	103.772	-2.1	-0.6	-0.6
New cars(4)	152.819	152.811	152.118	-2.3	-0.5	-0.5
Used cars and trucks	138.808	140.919	140.400	-0.7	1.1	-0.4
Motor fuel	218.976	216.548	230.326	12.3	5.2	6.4
Gasoline (all types)	217.679	215.297	229.172	12.3	5.3	6.4
Unleaded regular(4)	212.431	209.963	223.938	12.4	5.4	6.7
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	240.797	238.916	251.781	11.7	4.6	5.4
Unleaded premium(4)	238.486	237.098	248.606	11.0	4.2	4.9
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	944.961	941.693	939.811	-	-0.5	-0.2
Medical care	464.905	465.888	465.488	2.2	0.1	-0.1
Medical care commodities	369.817	370.807	368.457	2.5	-0.4	-0.6
Medical care services	496.783	497.762	498.045	2.0	0.3	0.1
Professional services	362.951	366.287	366.838	1.1	1.1	0.2
Recreation(3)	118.011	118.209	117.716	0.0	-0.2	-0.4
Education and communication(3)	132.438	132.027	131.891	0.1	-0.4	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,303.153	1,295.109	1,295.353	-	-0.6	0.0
Other goods and services	424.495	424.111	426.734	1.8	0.5	0.6
Commodity and service group
All Items	241.123	241.595	242.486	2.4	0.6	0.4
Commodities	183.375	183.844	185.243	1.6	1.0	0.8
Commodities less food and beverages	151.831	152.491	154.126	1.8	1.5	1.1
Nondurables less food and beverages	200.123	201.351	205.715	4.7	2.8	2.2
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	240.880	239.640	245.988	5.4	2.1	2.6
Durables	107.666	107.910	107.686	-1.6	0.0	-0.2
Services	299.100	299.569	299.906	2.9	0.3	0.1
Rent of shelter(2)	278.005	279.027	279.908	3.4	0.7	0.3
Transportation services	357.151	357.797	358.752	5.7	0.4	0.3
Other services	339.548	339.283	338.671	1.0	-0.3	-0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	228.924	229.368	230.319	2.5	0.6	0.4
All items less food	239.397	239.966	240.908	2.6	0.6	0.4
All items less shelter	230.519	230.799	231.707	1.9	0.5	0.4
Commodities less food	154.313	154.971	156.584	1.8	1.5	1.0
Nondurables	223.612	224.210	226.824	2.9	1.4	1.2
Nondurables less food	201.721	202.908	207.058	4.5	2.6	2.0
Nondurables less food and apparel	239.013	237.909	243.753	5.1	2.0	2.5
Services less rent of shelter(2)	334.884	334.698	334.388	2.3	-0.1	-0.1
Services less medical care services	281.300	281.726	282.064	3.0	0.3	0.1
Energy	200.074	197.996	203.877	6.5	1.9	3.0
All items less energy	246.506	247.268	247.597	2.1	0.4	0.1
All items less food and energy	246.177	247.101	247.394	2.2	0.5	0.1
Commodities less food and energy commodities	146.619	147.722	147.662	-0.3	0.7	0.0
Energy commodities	222.963	220.499	234.222	12.3	5.0	6.2
Services less energy services	310.471	311.193	311.751	3.1	0.4	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) 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.