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News Release Information

18-1488-ATL
Thursday, September 13, 2018

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

Consumer Price Index, South Region – August 2018

Prices in the South down 0.1 percent over the month; up 2.4 percent over the year

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
Month20142015201620172018
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.31.7-0.7-0.40.01.20.52.60.51.8

February

0.41.20.5-0.30.10.70.22.80.62.1

March

0.61.50.6-0.30.60.70.02.20.22.3

April

0.52.30.3-0.60.40.90.22.00.42.4

May

0.22.40.4-0.40.40.90.01.70.32.7

June

0.22.30.5-0.10.40.80.21.50.22.7

July

-0.12.0-0.1-0.1-0.20.7-0.21.60.02.9

August

-0.21.7-0.2-0.20.11.00.41.9-0.12.4

September

0.11.7-0.2-0.40.21.40.72.4

October

-0.31.60.0-0.10.11.5-0.22.0

November

-0.61.3-0.20.3-0.11.6-0.12.1

December

-0.60.6-0.40.50.12.0-0.11.8

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

IndexesPercent change from-
Jun.
2018
Jul.
2018
Aug.
2018
Aug.
2017
Jun.
2018
Jul.
2018

Expenditure category

All Items

243.770243.776243.6052.4-0.1-0.1

All items (December 1977=100)

395.429395.438395.162---

Food and beverages

250.208250.474251.0331.10.30.2

Food

251.502251.835252.3921.10.40.2

Food at home

237.459237.752238.2590.40.30.2

Cereal and bakery products

277.972277.871278.163-0.10.1

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

243.526244.980245.112-0.70.1

Dairy and related products

218.148216.153220.454-1.12.0

Fruits and vegetables

283.756284.158285.149-0.50.3

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

163.931164.091164.971-0.60.5

Other food at home

210.115210.468209.417--0.3-0.5

Food away from home

275.224275.619276.2552.10.40.2

Alcoholic beverages

231.737231.031231.6160.8-0.10.3

Housing

238.077238.577238.6812.30.30.0

Shelter

273.607274.423274.5812.90.40.1

Rent of primary residence

285.134286.015286.8033.50.60.3

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)

275.010275.797276.4122.80.50.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)

275.008275.794276.4112.80.50.2

Fuels and utilities

240.474239.692240.366-0.70.00.3

Household energy

194.662193.824194.147-2.0-0.30.2

Energy services

194.734193.878194.285-2.2-0.20.2

Electricity

193.492192.621193.147-1.9-0.20.3

Utility (piped) gas service

186.650185.967185.522-4.6-0.6-0.2

Household furnishings and operations

121.879122.145121.7431.4-0.1-0.3

Apparel

137.828133.946130.556-0.1-5.3-2.5

Transportation

214.836214.663214.6366.1-0.10.0

Private transportation

213.631213.617213.9776.60.20.2

New and used motor vehicles(2)

101.801102.684102.7240.90.90.0

New vehicles

152.615153.424153.6180.70.70.1

New cars and trucks(2)(3)

103.897104.458104.5920.70.70.1

New cars(3)

151.794152.949153.0971.00.90.1

Used cars and trucks

140.642142.287142.5711.51.40.2

Motor fuel

242.553238.872239.43920.1-1.30.2

Gasoline (all types)

241.336237.621238.22720.0-1.30.3

Unleaded regular(3)

235.985232.236232.86720.5-1.30.3

Unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

264.452261.054261.10918.0-1.30.0

Unleaded premium(3)

260.358257.344257.78216.7-1.00.2

Motor vehicle insurance(5)

941.337942.302944.864-0.40.3

Medical care

466.684464.964462.5201.0-0.9-0.5

Medical care commodities

372.730367.567365.796-0.7-1.9-0.5

Medical care services

498.160497.651494.9791.5-0.6-0.5

Professional services

365.665365.242364.9291.0-0.2-0.1

Recreation(2)

117.923118.616118.5050.50.5-0.1

Education and communication(2)

132.497132.541132.9290.70.30.3

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)

1,298.6951,298.4161,315.132-1.31.3

Other goods and services

426.629427.067426.1851.7-0.1-0.2

Commodity and service group

All Items

243.770243.776243.6052.4-0.1-0.1

Commodities

186.232185.807185.4292.6-0.4-0.2

Commodities less food and beverages

155.285154.642153.9583.5-0.9-0.4

Nondurables less food and beverages

208.823206.058204.6546.2-2.0-0.7

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

252.430250.150249.7258.1-1.1-0.2

Durables

107.519108.264108.0930.30.5-0.2

Services

301.486301.949302.0032.20.20.0

Rent of shelter(1)

280.885281.728281.8912.90.40.1

Transportation services

359.027359.044357.3813.3-0.5-0.5

Other services

339.999340.679341.9101.40.60.4

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

231.601231.692231.6352.50.00.0

All items less food

242.315242.272241.9942.6-0.1-0.1

All items less shelter

233.097232.795232.5012.1-0.3-0.1

Commodities less food

157.706157.058156.3983.4-0.8-0.4

Nondurables

228.679227.298226.7923.5-0.8-0.2

Nondurables less food

209.964207.305206.0045.9-1.9-0.6

Nondurables less food and apparel

249.603247.456247.1117.5-1.0-0.1

Services less rent of shelter(1)

336.752336.770336.6941.50.00.0

Services less medical care services

283.743284.277284.5402.30.30.1

Energy

213.119210.919211.3528.6-0.80.2

All items less energy

247.985248.240248.0011.80.0-0.1

All items less food and energy

247.774248.016247.6422.0-0.1-0.2

Commodities less food and energy commodities

147.251147.019146.1900.2-0.7-0.6

Energy commodities

246.418242.741243.23119.9-1.30.2

Services less energy services

312.741313.349313.3642.60.20.0

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 13, 2018