The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area rose 2.2 percent from the second half of 2016 to the second half of 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the all items less food and energy index was up 2.0 percent compared to its second half 2016 level as price increases were noted for several categories, most notably shelter. Food prices increased 2.4 percent over the year and energy prices advanced 5.1 percent. (See chart 1)

Food

The food index increased 2.4 percent since the second half of 2016, led by a 3.6-percent increase in prices for food at home. Prices for food away from home rose 0.6 percent over-the-year.

Energy

The energy index advanced 5.1 percent from the second half of 2016 to the second half of 2017, primarily due to a 9.5-percent increase in motor fuel prices. Electricity prices were up 0.8 percent over-the-year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.0 percent since the second half of 2016. Several components contributed to the increase, most notably—shelter (5.2 percent).

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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. metropolitan statistical area covered in this release is comprised of Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties in Florida.

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 for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (1987=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Semiannual average indexes			Percent change to 2nd half 2017 from-
	2nd half 2016	1st half 2017	2nd half 2017	2nd half 2016	1st half 2017
Expenditure category
All Items	215.572	218.529	220.394	2.2	0.9
Food and beverages	218.520	218.801	223.461	2.3	2.1
Food	218.701	219.101	223.940	2.4	2.2
Food at home	221.633	223.026	229.572	3.6	2.9
Food away from home	214.258	213.200	215.531	0.6	1.1
Alcoholic beverages	202.079	200.435	201.937	-0.1	0.7
Housing	209.174	214.364	218.468	4.4	1.9
Shelter	236.797	243.314	249.170	5.2	2.4
Rent of primary residence(1)	240.583	246.918	251.433	4.5	1.8
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)	249.076	256.641	262.854	5.5	2.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)	249.076	256.641	262.854	5.5	2.4
Fuels and utilities	205.253	206.492	206.902	0.8	0.2
Household energy	163.559	164.606	164.856	0.8	0.2
Energy services(1)	161.356	162.241	162.515	0.7	0.2
Electricity(1)	158.557	159.491	159.753	0.8	0.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	238.949	238.235	NA	-	-
Household furnishings and operations	112.303	114.823	114.438	1.9	-0.3
Apparel	163.256	159.283	145.888	-10.6	-8.4
Transportation	185.371	191.520	193.268	4.3	0.9
Private transportation	189.100	195.553	197.258	4.3	0.9
Motor fuel	232.185	248.708	254.167	9.5	2.2
Gasoline (all types)	227.879	244.509	249.297	9.4	2.0
Unleaded regular(2)	220.766	237.067	241.810	9.5	2.0
Unleaded midgrade(2)(3)	212.346	226.082	228.368	7.5	1.0
Unleaded premium(2)	250.500	267.339	272.476	8.8	1.9
Medical Care	NA	409.086	401.388	-	-1.9
Recreation(4)	122.998	122.932	122.884	-0.1	0.0
Education and communication(4)	142.254	139.357	138.755	-2.5	-0.4
Other goods and services	294.320	292.864	292.393	-0.7	-0.2
Commodity and service group
All Items	215.572	218.529	220.394	2.2	0.9
Commodities	170.376	170.770	170.841	0.3	0.0
Commodities less food & beverages	144.989	145.434	143.269	-1.2	-1.5
Nondurables less food & beverages	209.102	208.092	204.911	-2.0	-1.5
Durables	90.686	91.958	90.638	-0.1	-1.4
Services	255.699	260.959	264.436	3.4	1.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	205.431	208.481	210.787	2.6	1.1
All items less shelter	207.261	208.632	208.711	0.7	0.0
Commodities less food	148.111	148.501	146.417	-1.1	-1.4
Nondurables	213.386	213.083	214.189	0.4	0.5
Nondurables less food	208.712	207.659	204.788	-1.9	-1.4
Services less rent of shelter	275.580	278.978	279.158	1.3	0.1
Services less medical care services	241.521	246.129	250.606	3.8	1.8
Energy	189.853	197.181	199.545	5.1	1.2
All items less energy	217.436	220.041	221.864	2.0	0.8
All items less food and energy	217.478	220.506	221.757	2.0	0.6
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) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (3) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. NA Data not adequate for publication. - Data not available
NOTE: Data not seasonally adjusted.