The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South inched down 0.1 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The all items less food and energy index edged down 0.2 percent over the month. The food index and the energy index each rose 0.2 percent in August. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The all items CPI-U was up 2.4 percent for the 12 months ending August 2018. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.0 percent over the past year, while the energy index advanced 8.6 percent and the food index rose 1.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index edged up 0.2 percent in August. The food at home index rose 0.2 percent, largely due to a 2.0-percent increase in the dairy and related products index. The food away from home index edged up 0.2 percent over the month.    

The food index rose 1.1 percent since August 2017, primarily due to a 2.1-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index was up 0.4 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index edged up 0.2 percent in August, led by increases in the motor fuel index (0.2 percent) and the electricity index (0.3 percent). In contrast, the utility (piped) gas service index edged down 0.2 percent over the month.

From August 2017—August 2018, the energy index advanced 8.6 percent, fueled by a 20.1-percent increase in the motor fuel index. Over the year, the electricity and the utility (piped) gas service indexes declined, down 1.9 and 4.6 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

In August 2018, the index for all items less food and energy edged down 0.2 percent as decreases were recorded in the apparel index (-2.5 percent) and the medical care index (-0.5 percent). The education and communication index and the shelter index rose over the month, up 0.3 and 0.1 percent, respectively.

Since August 2017, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.0 percent, led by an increase in the shelter index (2.9 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	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	0.3	2.7
June	0.2	2.3	0.5	-0.1	0.4	0.8	0.2	1.5	0.2	2.7
July	-0.1	2.0	-0.1	-0.1	-0.2	0.7	-0.2	1.6	0.0	2.9
August	-0.2	1.7	-0.2	-0.2	0.1	1.0	0.4	1.9	-0.1	2.4
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 September 2018 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 11, 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-
	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018	Aug. 2018	Aug. 2017	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018
Expenditure category
All Items	243.770	243.776	243.605	2.4	-0.1	-0.1
All items (December 1977=100)	395.429	395.438	395.162	-	-	-
Food and beverages	250.208	250.474	251.033	1.1	0.3	0.2
Food	251.502	251.835	252.392	1.1	0.4	0.2
Food at home	237.459	237.752	238.259	0.4	0.3	0.2
Cereal and bakery products	277.972	277.871	278.163	-	0.1	0.1
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	243.526	244.980	245.112	-	0.7	0.1
Dairy and related products	218.148	216.153	220.454	-	1.1	2.0
Fruits and vegetables	283.756	284.158	285.149	-	0.5	0.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	163.931	164.091	164.971	-	0.6	0.5
Other food at home	210.115	210.468	209.417	-	-0.3	-0.5
Food away from home	275.224	275.619	276.255	2.1	0.4	0.2
Alcoholic beverages	231.737	231.031	231.616	0.8	-0.1	0.3
Housing	238.077	238.577	238.681	2.3	0.3	0.0
Shelter	273.607	274.423	274.581	2.9	0.4	0.1
Rent of primary residence	285.134	286.015	286.803	3.5	0.6	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)	275.010	275.797	276.412	2.8	0.5	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)	275.008	275.794	276.411	2.8	0.5	0.2
Fuels and utilities	240.474	239.692	240.366	-0.7	0.0	0.3
Household energy	194.662	193.824	194.147	-2.0	-0.3	0.2
Energy services	194.734	193.878	194.285	-2.2	-0.2	0.2
Electricity	193.492	192.621	193.147	-1.9	-0.2	0.3
Utility (piped) gas service	186.650	185.967	185.522	-4.6	-0.6	-0.2
Household furnishings and operations	121.879	122.145	121.743	1.4	-0.1	-0.3
Apparel	137.828	133.946	130.556	-0.1	-5.3	-2.5
Transportation	214.836	214.663	214.636	6.1	-0.1	0.0
Private transportation	213.631	213.617	213.977	6.6	0.2	0.2
New and used motor vehicles(2)	101.801	102.684	102.724	0.9	0.9	0.0
New vehicles	152.615	153.424	153.618	0.7	0.7	0.1
New cars and trucks(2)(3)	103.897	104.458	104.592	0.7	0.7	0.1
New cars(3)	151.794	152.949	153.097	1.0	0.9	0.1
Used cars and trucks	140.642	142.287	142.571	1.5	1.4	0.2
Motor fuel	242.553	238.872	239.439	20.1	-1.3	0.2
Gasoline (all types)	241.336	237.621	238.227	20.0	-1.3	0.3
Unleaded regular(3)	235.985	232.236	232.867	20.5	-1.3	0.3
Unleaded midgrade(3)(4)	264.452	261.054	261.109	18.0	-1.3	0.0
Unleaded premium(3)	260.358	257.344	257.782	16.7	-1.0	0.2
Motor vehicle insurance(5)	941.337	942.302	944.864	-	0.4	0.3
Medical care	466.684	464.964	462.520	1.0	-0.9	-0.5
Medical care commodities	372.730	367.567	365.796	-0.7	-1.9	-0.5
Medical care services	498.160	497.651	494.979	1.5	-0.6	-0.5
Professional services	365.665	365.242	364.929	1.0	-0.2	-0.1
Recreation(2)	117.923	118.616	118.505	0.5	0.5	-0.1
Education and communication(2)	132.497	132.541	132.929	0.7	0.3	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)	1,298.695	1,298.416	1,315.132	-	1.3	1.3
Other goods and services	426.629	427.067	426.185	1.7	-0.1	-0.2
Commodity and service group
All Items	243.770	243.776	243.605	2.4	-0.1	-0.1
Commodities	186.232	185.807	185.429	2.6	-0.4	-0.2
Commodities less food and beverages	155.285	154.642	153.958	3.5	-0.9	-0.4
Nondurables less food and beverages	208.823	206.058	204.654	6.2	-2.0	-0.7
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	252.430	250.150	249.725	8.1	-1.1	-0.2
Durables	107.519	108.264	108.093	0.3	0.5	-0.2
Services	301.486	301.949	302.003	2.2	0.2	0.0
Rent of shelter(1)	280.885	281.728	281.891	2.9	0.4	0.1
Transportation services	359.027	359.044	357.381	3.3	-0.5	-0.5
Other services	339.999	340.679	341.910	1.4	0.6	0.4
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	231.601	231.692	231.635	2.5	0.0	0.0
All items less food	242.315	242.272	241.994	2.6	-0.1	-0.1
All items less shelter	233.097	232.795	232.501	2.1	-0.3	-0.1
Commodities less food	157.706	157.058	156.398	3.4	-0.8	-0.4
Nondurables	228.679	227.298	226.792	3.5	-0.8	-0.2
Nondurables less food	209.964	207.305	206.004	5.9	-1.9	-0.6
Nondurables less food and apparel	249.603	247.456	247.111	7.5	-1.0	-0.1
Services less rent of shelter(1)	336.752	336.770	336.694	1.5	0.0	0.0
Services less medical care services	283.743	284.277	284.540	2.3	0.3	0.1
Energy	213.119	210.919	211.352	8.6	-0.8	0.2
All items less energy	247.985	248.240	248.001	1.8	0.0	-0.1
All items less food and energy	247.774	248.016	247.642	2.0	-0.1	-0.2
Commodities less food and energy commodities	147.251	147.019	146.190	0.2	-0.7	-0.6
Energy commodities	246.418	242.741	243.231	19.9	-1.3	0.2
Services less energy services	312.741	313.349	313.364	2.6	0.2	0.0
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) 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.