The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach increased 0.4 percent from August to October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the all items less food and energy index rose 0.6 percent over the bi-monthly period. Since August, the energy index inched up 0.1 percent, while the food index fell 0.4 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

From October 2018 to October 2019, the all items CPI-U rose 1.5 percent. Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.4 percent and the food index rose 1.0 percent. In contrast, the energy index declined 6.3 percent over the past 12 months. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index fell 0.4 percent from August to October, reflecting a 0.9-percent decrease in the food at home index. The food away from home index increased 0.4 percent over the bi-monthly period.

The food index rose 1.0 percent for the 12 months ending October 2019. The food away from home index increased 2.2 percent over the year, while the food at home index was little changed, up 0.1 percent.  

Energy

The energy index inched up 0.1 percent from August to October. The gasoline and the electricity indexes were little changed from August, up 0.1 and 0.2 percent, respectively.

Over the year, the energy index declined 6.3 percent, fueled by a 12.0-percent drop in the gasoline index. In contrast, the electricity index increased 1.6 percent since October 2018.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent from August to October. Several indexes increased over the bi-monthly period including shelter (0.4 percent) and education and communication (2.6 percent). Among the indexes to decline over the bi-monthly period was new and used motor vehicles (-1.5 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.4 percent from October 2018 to October 2019. The shelter index contributed to the increase, up 3.4 percent.

Table A. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	0.3	0.4	0.2	1.6	1.3	4.0	2.6	3.2	1.0	1.2
April	0.8	0.5	0.7	1.4	-0.5	2.8	-0.1	3.5	0.8	2.2
June	0.4	1.2	0.6	1.6	-0.2	2.0	0.5	4.2	-0.5	1.2
August	0.0	1.3	0.0	1.6	0.3	2.3	-0.3	3.6	0.4	1.9
October	0.2	1.1	0.5	1.9	1.0	2.7	0.8	3.4	0.4	1.5
December	-0.1	1.6	0.8	2.9	-0.1	1.8	-0.6	2.9

The Consumer Price Index for November 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 11, 2019.

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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach 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 and percent changes for selected periods
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Aug. 2019	Sep. 2019	Oct. 2019	Oct. 2018	Aug. 2019	Sep. 2019
Expenditure category
All Items	270.176	-	271.381	1.5	0.4	-
All items (November 1977=100)	435.486	-	437.429	-	-	-
Food and beverages	265.154	-	264.349	0.8	-0.3	-
Food	267.585	-	266.584	1.0	-0.4	-
Food at home	254.360	253.165	252.022	0.1	-0.9	-0.5
Cereals and bakery products	289.116	-	278.892	4.8	-3.5	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	235.323	-	240.567	-2.1	2.2	-
Dairy and related products	222.937	-	223.795	4.1	0.4	-
Fruits and vegetables	332.379	-	329.886	-5.2	-0.8	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	257.274	-	242.821	5.2	-5.6	-
Other food at home	211.376	-	210.316	-0.4	-0.5	-
Food away from home	291.352	-	292.408	2.2	0.4	-
Alcoholic beverages	233.124	-	234.778	-2.0	0.7	-
Housing	285.629	-	286.921	3.2	0.5	-
Shelter	328.754	329.217	329.987	3.4	0.4	0.2
Rent of primary residence	322.476	322.667	322.758	3.5	0.1	0.0
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)	333.109	333.442	333.849	3.8	0.2	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)	333.109	333.442	333.849	3.8	0.2	0.1
Fuels and utilities	180.013	-	181.771	2.2	1.0	-
Household energy	153.170	153.104	153.395	1.5	0.1	0.2
Energy services	150.481	150.436	150.683	1.6	0.1	0.2
Electricity	147.428	147.436	147.673	1.6	0.2	0.2
Utility (piped) gas service	-	-	-	-	-	-
Household furnishings and operations	166.460	-	167.764	2.2	0.8	-
Apparel	142.826	-	143.837	0.3	0.7	-
Transportation	221.390	-	222.471	-2.9	0.5	-
Private transportation	226.288	-	224.577	-4.3	-0.8	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	115.458	-	113.716	-2.1	-1.5	-
New vehicles(1)	232.654	-	232.026	1.7	-0.3	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	305.840	-	295.308	1.3	-3.4	-
Motor fuel	223.442	222.495	223.640	-12.0	0.1	0.5
Gasoline (all types)	220.730	219.801	220.902	-12.0	0.1	0.5
Unleaded regular(4)	216.768	215.907	216.959	-12.4	0.1	0.5
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	223.753	222.130	223.451	-8.7	-0.1	0.6
Unleaded premium(4)	243.225	241.852	243.301	-9.1	0.0	0.6
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	881.918	-	875.411	-0.8	-0.7	-
Medical Care	563.843	-	566.276	1.5	0.4	-
Recreation(3)	120.790	-	122.072	1.8	1.1	-
Education and communication(3)	119.880	-	122.955	1.6	2.6	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,000.918	-	1,013.595	3.5	1.3	-
Other goods and services	367.187	-	364.958	1.7	-0.6	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	270.176	-	271.381	1.5	0.4	-
Commodities	204.461	-	204.113	-1.6	-0.2	-
Commodities less food & beverages	167.999	-	167.891	-3.4	-0.1	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	202.685	-	202.603	-5.2	0.0	-
Durables	130.306	-	130.164	0.3	-0.1	-
Services	320.351	-	322.686	3.0	0.7	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	257.738	-	258.891	1.5	0.4	-
All items less shelter	239.301	-	240.489	0.3	0.5	-
Commodities less food	170.532	-	170.488	-3.3	0.0	-
Nondurables	236.149	-	235.713	-2.0	-0.2	-
Nondurables less food	204.610	-	204.639	-4.9	0.0	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	316.598	-	320.559	2.3	1.3	-
Services less medical care services	302.311	-	304.454	2.9	0.7	-
Energy	184.739	184.279	184.952	-6.3	0.1	0.4
All items less energy	279.789	-	281.106	2.2	0.5	-
All items less food and energy	281.768	-	283.482	2.4	0.6	-
Footnotes (1) Index is on a November 1977=100 base. (2) Index is on a November 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.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.