The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater decreased 1.1 percent over the December-January pricing period, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the energy index declined 9.8 percent since November 2018. During this same period, the all items less food and energy index decreased 0.5 percent, while the food index inched up 0.1 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U edged up 0.4 percent. The all items less food and energy index moved up 1.1 percent and the food index rose 1.6 percent over the year. The energy index declined 8.3 percent since January 2018. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index inched up 0.1 percent over the December-January pricing period. The food away from home index increased 1.2 percent since November 2018, while the food at home index decreased 0.6 percent.

Since January 2018, the food index rose 1.6 percent, led by a 3.0-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index was up 0.5 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index fell 9.8 percent over the December-January pricing period, reflecting declines in the gasoline and electricity indexes, down 16.0 and 2.9 percent, respectively. The utility (piped) gas service index was unchanged from November 2018.

Since January 2018, the energy index declined 8.3 percent, led by a 14.1-percent drop in the gasoline index. The indexes for electricity (-1.8 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (-3.7 percent) also declined over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.5 percent over the December-January pricing period. Decreases in the new vehicles (-6.4 percent) and the education and communication (-4.3 percent) indexes were partially offset by a 0.8-percent increase in the shelter index.

For the twelve months ending January 2019, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.1 percent as several indexes recorded increases, most notably shelter (3.9 percent). In contrast, the indexes for new vehicles and for education and communication declined over the year, down 6.0 and 6.3 percent, respectively.

The Consumer Price Index for February 2019 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 12, 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Core Based Statistical Area includes Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties.

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,
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (1987=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Nov. 2018	Dec. 2018	Jan. 2019	Jan. 2018	Nov. 2018	Dec. 2018
Expenditure category
All Items	225.247	-	222.774	0.4	-1.1	-
Food and beverages	227.364	-	227.772	1.6	0.2	-
Food	227.888	-	228.220	1.6	0.1	-
Food at home	230.371	228.971	228.956	0.5	-0.6	0.0
Cereals and bakery products	261.597	-	257.270	-2.2	-1.7	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	222.157	-	215.383	4.2	-3.0	-
Dairy and related products	213.759	-	208.382	-14.9	-2.5	-
Fruits and vegetables	314.082	-	319.154	0.3	1.6	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	167.695	-	171.338	7.4	2.2	-
Other food at home	191.284	-	190.652	1.4	-0.3	-
Food away from home	223.576	-	226.164	3.0	1.2	-
Alcoholic beverages	205.327	-	206.718	1.7	0.7	-
Housing	226.533	-	228.252	3.4	0.8	-
Shelter	259.394	259.642	261.517	3.9	0.8	0.7
Rent of primary residence	263.320	263.158	265.506	4.0	0.8	0.9
Owners' equiv. rent of residences	273.364	273.764	275.685	4.1	0.8	0.7
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence	273.364	273.764	275.685	4.1	0.8	0.7
Fuels and utilities	213.066	-	208.575	-0.5	-2.1	-
Household energy	169.363	182.379	164.568	-1.9	-2.8	-9.8
Energy Services	166.998	179.875	162.203	-1.8	-2.9	-9.8
Electricity	164.118	176.880	159.367	-1.8	-2.9	-9.9
Utility (piped) gas service	235.914	235.902	235.891	-3.7	0.0	0.0
Household furnishings and operations	115.532	-	119.984	3.9	3.9	-
Apparel	150.743	-	145.767	1.3	-3.3	-
Transportation	200.373	-	187.781	-4.6	-6.3	-
Private transportation	205.715	-	192.929	-4.7	-6.2	-
New and used motor vehicles(1)	106.764	-	101.072	-5.0	-5.3	-
New vehicles	121.142	-	113.387	-6.0	-6.4	-
Used cars and trucks	132.763	-	133.557	2.6	0.6	-
Motor fuel	274.372	238.695	230.636	-14.0	-15.9	-3.4
Gasoline (all types)	268.339	233.226	225.350	-14.1	-16.0	-3.4
Unleaded regular(2)	259.183	222.604	216.333	-15.1	-16.5	-2.8
Unleaded midgrade(2)(3)	247.192	234.629	221.379	-7.2	-10.4	-5.6
Unleaded premium(2)	304.017	287.949	265.552	-6.7	-12.7	-7.8
Motor vehicle insurance	568.418	-	568.494	5.7	0.0	-
Medical Care	390.803	-	389.979	0.3	-0.2	-
Recreation(1)	120.986	-	122.399	-1.2	1.2	-
Education and communication(1)	136.369	-	130.508	-6.3	-4.3	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care	619.130	-	619.130	1.2	0.0	-
Other goods and services	298.444	-	302.084	2.0	1.2	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	225.247	-	222.774	0.4	-1.1	-
Commodities	173.456	-	168.524	-2.0	-2.8	-
Commodities less food & beverages	145.331	-	138.584	-4.1	-4.6	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	211.702	-	199.089	-4.3	-6.0	-
Durables	90.111	-	87.237	-3.9	-3.2	-
Services	271.261	-	270.952	1.8	-0.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	216.335	-	213.780	0.5	-1.2	-
All items less shelter	211.237	-	206.794	-1.3	-2.1	-
Commodities less food	148.540	-	141.930	-3.9	-4.4	-
Nondurables	219.456	-	213.537	-1.2	-2.7	-
Nondurables less food	211.345	-	199.692	-3.9	-5.5	-
Services less rent of shelter	281.672	-	278.328	-0.3	-1.2	-
Services less medical care services	258.693	-	258.162	1.9	-0.2	-
Energy	210.379	203.531	189.838	-8.3	-9.8	-6.7
All items less energy	226.199	-	225.306	1.1	-0.4	-
All items less food and energy	226.152	-	225.067	1.1	-0.5	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (2) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (3) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available.