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News Release Information

20-1953-ATL
Tuesday, October 13, 2020

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

Consumer Price Index, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater – September 2020

Area prices up 1.4 percent over the past two months; up 3.3 percent from a year ago

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater increased 1.4 percent from July to September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the index for all items less food and energy also rose 1.4 percent since July, while the energy index increased 5.1 percent. The food index was unchanged over the bi-monthly period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The all items CPI-U advanced 3.3 percent from September 2019 to September 2020. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.6 percent over the past 12 months, while the food index jumped 6.8 percent. In contrast, the energy index fell 7.0 percent over the past year. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index was unchanged from July to September. The food away from home index edged up 0.2 percent since July, while the food at home index edged down 0.2 percent over the bi-monthly period.

The food index advanced 6.8 percent for the 12 months ending in September, reflecting a 9.5 percent jump in the food at home index. The food way from home index also increased over the year, up 3.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 5.1 percent from July to September, influenced by gains in the electricity (7.1 percent) and gasoline (3.4 percent) indexes. The utility (piped) gas service index was unchanged over the bi-monthly period.   

The energy index declined 7.0 percent for the 12 months ending in September, led by a 12.2-percent decline in the gasoline index. The electricity and the utility (piped) gas service indexes also declined over the past year, down 2.1 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent from July to September. Notable indexes that increased since July included medical care (2.3 percent), motor vehicle insurance (9.2 percent), and used cars and trucks (8.0 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.6 percent for the 12 months ending in September. Increases in the shelter (4.6 percent) and medical care (8.8 percent) indexes contributed to the over-the-year increase. In contrast, the apparel index fell 18.7 percent over the past year.

Table A. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month201820192020
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

0.8-1.10.40.73.8

March

0.61.91.70.22.1

May

0.40.92.2-0.30.9

July

0.30.12.11.01.8

September

0.6-0.11.51.43.3

November

-0.32.30.22.0

The Consumer Price Index for October 2020 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, November 12, 2020.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on September 2020 Consumer Price Index Data

Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in September was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed. While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.


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)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Jul.
2020
Aug.
2020
Sep.
2020
Sep.
2019
Jul.
2020
Aug.
2020

Expenditure category

All Items

233.447-236.8043.31.4-

Food and beverages

248.510-248.3636.7-0.1-

Food

249.110-249.1066.80.0-

Food at home

257.105258.315256.6489.5-0.2-0.6

Cereals and bakery products

263.333-276.1216.04.9-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

254.695-241.3937.8-5.2-

Dairy and related products

244.883-242.9009.6-0.8-

Fruits and vegetables

352.840-354.6626.90.5-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

193.772-196.67213.71.5-

Other food at home

208.960-213.50312.12.2-

Food away from home

238.469-239.0023.70.2-

Alcoholic beverages

225.400-223.6995.2-0.8-

Housing

241.631-243.3934.20.7-

Shelter

279.814280.619280.5594.60.30.0

Rent of primary residence

286.238287.869287.3445.50.4-0.2

Owners' equiv. rent of residences

293.865294.501294.2884.30.1-0.1

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence

293.865294.501294.2884.30.1-0.1

Fuels and utilities

199.939-209.619-1.14.8-

Household energy

152.545152.579162.906-2.56.86.8

Energy Services

150.322150.322160.683-2.36.96.9

Electricity

147.683147.683158.191-2.17.17.1

Utility (piped) gas service

219.991219.991219.980-8.60.00.0

Household furnishings and operations

128.304-129.3396.10.8-

Apparel

119.506-124.111-18.73.9-

Transportation

188.984-197.744-1.44.6-

Private transportation

198.200-203.888-0.62.9-

New and used motor vehicles(1)

107.104-109.1120.81.9-

New vehicles

120.685-119.559-3.3-0.9-

Used cars and trucks

135.583-146.38010.28.0-

Motor fuel

219.852219.207226.860-12.23.23.5

Gasoline (all types)

214.605214.103221.808-12.23.43.6

Unleaded regular(2)

205.868205.210213.206-12.93.63.9

Unleaded midgrade(2)(3)

224.605223.870228.086-2.21.51.9

Unleaded premium(2)

253.343254.391258.803-7.52.21.7

Motor vehicle insurance

578.782-632.00410.49.2-

Medical Care

424.896-434.8788.82.3-

Recreation(1)

125.154-127.2474.51.7-

Education and communication(1)

132.838-134.3391.31.1-

Tuition, other school fees, and child care

640.109-641.4521.50.2-

Other goods and services

297.601-303.9762.32.1-

Commodity and service group

All Items

233.447-236.8043.31.4-

Commodities

173.922-175.7060.91.0-

Commodities less food & beverages

137.084-139.670-3.11.9-

Nondurables less food & beverages

187.638-191.331-7.62.0-

Durables

90.689-92.3281.71.8-

Services

286.189-290.8884.61.6-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

223.223-226.2452.81.4-

All items less shelter

213.886-218.5552.52.2-

Commodities less food

141.103-143.553-2.71.7-

Nondurables

219.710-221.2910.60.7-

Nondurables less food

190.927-194.118-6.51.7-

Services less rent of shelter

288.559-298.7724.53.5-

Services less medical care services

271.042-275.0373.91.5-

Energy

179.189178.967188.365-7.05.15.3

All items less energy

237.608-240.4954.01.2-

All items less food and energy

236.014-239.3623.61.4-

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a December 1977=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: Tuesday, October 13, 2020