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News Release Information

19-1812-ATL
Thursday, October 10, 2019

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

Consumer Price Index for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater – September 2019

Area prices down 0.1 percent since July; up 1.5 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater inched down 0.1 percent from July to September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the energy index declined 4.9 percent since July. During this same period, the all items less food and energy index was up 0.4 percent and the food index was up 0.1 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U increased 1.5 percent. The all items less food and energy index advanced 2.3 percent and the food index rose 1.9 percent over the year. The energy index fell 8.0 percent over the past 12 months. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index was little changed from July to September, up 0.1 percent. An increase in the food at home index (0.3 percent) was partially offset by a decline in the food away from home index (-0.2 percent).

The food index rose 1.9 percent from September 2018 to September 2019, reflecting increases in both the food away from home (2.9 percent) and food at home (1.3 percent) indexes.

Energy

The energy index declined 4.9 percent from July to September, fueled by a 9.2- percent drop in the gasoline index. The electricity and the utility (piped) gas service indexes were unchanged since July.

The energy index fell 8.0 percent for the 12 months ending September 2019, led by a 13.3-percent decline in the gasoline index. The electricity index also declined over the past 12 months, down 1.5 percent, while the utility (piped) gas service index rose 2.0 percent over the year.  

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent from July to September. Several indexes increased since July including apparel (10.4 percent) and medical care (1.1 percent). In contrast, the shelter index edged down 0.2 percent over the bi-monthly period.

From September 2018 to September 2019, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.3 percent, led by a 3.7-percent increase in the shelter index. Over the past 12 months, the education and communication index declined 4.8 percent.

Table A. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20182019
2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

0.8-1.10.4

March

0.61.91.7

May

0.40.92.2

July

0.30.12.1

September

0.6-0.11.5

November

-0.32.3

The Consumer Price Index for October 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 13, 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

IndexesPercent change from-
Jul.
2019
Aug.
2019
Sep.
2019
Sep.
2018
Jul.
2019
Aug.
2019

Expenditure category

All Items

229.334-229.2191.5-0.1-

Food and beverages

232.648-232.8512.10.1-

Food

233.082-233.2041.90.1-

Food at home

233.792231.826234.4291.30.31.1

Cereals and bakery products

267.806-260.591-0.1-2.7-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

225.375-223.8331.6-0.7-

Dairy and related products

212.309-221.650-0.44.4-

Fruits and vegetables

329.918-331.8075.00.6-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

170.983-172.9782.61.2-

Other food at home

189.263-190.521-1.20.7-

Food away from home

231.033-230.4902.9-0.2-

Alcoholic beverages

211.467-212.7305.00.6-

Housing

234.144-233.6363.6-0.2-

Shelter

268.720268.591268.1493.7-0.2-0.2

Rent of primary residence

271.615273.113272.2894.10.2-0.3

Owners' equiv. rent of residences

282.538282.590282.1163.4-0.1-0.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence

282.538282.590282.1163.4-0.1-0.2

Fuels and utilities

212.027-212.024-0.10.0-

Household energy

167.017166.904167.013-1.50.00.1

Energy Services

164.471164.470164.537-1.50.00.0

Electricity

161.585161.585161.651-1.50.00.0

Utility (piped) gas service

240.657240.646240.6462.00.00.0

Household furnishings and operations

122.559-121.9297.2-0.5-

Apparel

138.191-152.571-1.010.4-

Transportation

203.388-200.453-1.0-1.4-

Private transportation

209.298-205.051-1.7-2.0-

New and used motor vehicles(1)

108.724-108.2261.9-0.5-

New vehicles

123.320-123.6772.80.3-

Used cars and trucks

136.539-132.8002.7-2.7-

Motor fuel

284.155260.287258.239-13.3-9.1-0.8

Gasoline (all types)

278.208254.708252.699-13.3-9.2-0.8

Unleaded regular(2)

271.743246.875244.693-13.8-10.0-0.9

Unleaded midgrade(2)(3)

242.490234.993233.110-8.5-3.9-0.8

Unleaded premium(2)

288.625279.429279.677-10.3-3.10.1

Motor vehicle insurance

572.561-572.5611.10.0-

Medical Care

395.567-399.8373.21.1-

Recreation(1)

121.799-121.785-1.50.0-

Education and communication(1)

132.762-132.636-4.8-0.1-

Tuition, other school fees, and child care

628.024-631.9621.60.6-

Other goods and services

302.303-297.2710.2-1.7-

Commodity and service group

All Items

229.334-229.2191.5-0.1-

Commodities

175.275-174.152-0.4-0.6-

Commodities less food & beverages

145.752-144.174-2.0-1.1-

Nondurables less food & beverages

210.482-207.055-5.1-1.6-

Durables

91.234-90.7871.6-0.5-

Services

277.352-278.1262.60.3-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

220.380-220.0391.3-0.2-

All items less shelter

213.096-213.1750.30.0-

Commodities less food

149.116-147.595-1.7-1.0-

Nondurables

221.573-220.012-1.3-0.7-

Nondurables less food

210.632-207.527-4.4-1.5-

Services less rent of shelter

283.563-286.0001.30.9-

Services less medical care services

264.667-264.8222.40.1-

Energy

212.972203.228202.462-8.0-4.9-0.4

All items less energy

230.409-231.2022.30.3-

All items less food and energy

230.213-231.1112.30.4-

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, October 10, 2019