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News Release Information

21-882-ATL
Wednesday, May 12, 2021

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

Consumer Price Index, South Region — April 2021

Prices in the South up 0.7 percent over the month and 4.4 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South rose 0.7 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.8 percent over the month. The energy index increased 0.7 percent in April, while the food index inched up 0.2 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The all items CPI-U for the South advanced 4.4 percent for the 12 months ending April. This is the largest 12-month increase since a 5.4-percent increase for the period ending September 2008. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.3 percent over the past year, while the energy index jumped 24.9 percent. The food index rose 2.1 percent over the past year. (See chart 1 and table 1.)


Food

The food index inched up 0.2 percent in April. The food away from home and the food at home indexes each increased over the month, up 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.

The food index rose 2.1 percent for the 12 months ending in April, reflecting increases in the food away from home (2.8 percent) and food at home (1.6 percent) indexes.

Energy

The energy index rose 0.7 percent in April, led by a 0.9-percent increase in the gasoline index. The electricity index edged up 0.3 percent in April, while the utility (piped) gas service index rose 0.8 percent over the month.

The energy index jumped 24.9 percent for the 12 months ending in April, reflecting 54.3-percent sharp increase in the gasoline index. The electricity and utility (piped) gas service indexes also increased over the year, up 2.0 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent in April. Several indexes increased over the month, most notably, new and used motor vehicles (4.1 percent)—reflecting a 9.7-percent increase in the used cars and trucks index. The shelter index edged up 0.3 percent in April, while the medical care index declined 0.4 percent over the month.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.3 percent for the 12 months ending in April, reflecting increases across many components. The new and used motor vehicles index jumped 10.0 percent over the past year, led by a 20.4 percent sharp increase in the used cars and trucks index. Shelter (2.5 percent) and medical care (1.8 percent) were among the indexes to increase over the past 12 months.

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the three divisions of the South. The all items CPI-U advanced 0.8 percent in the East South Central division in April. The all items index also increased in the South Atlantic and West South Central divisions over the month, up 0.7 percent each.

Over the year, the all items index advanced 5.7 percent in the East South Central division. The all items index rose 4.3 percent in the West South Central division and 4.2 percent in the South Atlantic division.

Table A. South region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20172018201920202021
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.52.60.51.80.21.20.32.30.51.6

February

0.22.80.62.10.51.10.21.90.52.0

March

0.02.20.22.30.71.6-0.11.10.82.9

April

0.22.00.42.40.51.8-0.8-0.20.74.4

May

0.01.70.32.7-0.11.4-0.2-0.4

June

0.21.50.22.7-0.11.10.60.3

July

-0.21.60.02.90.31.40.60.6

August

0.41.9-0.12.4-0.11.40.41.1

September

0.72.40.01.70.01.30.21.3

October

-0.22.00.22.10.21.30.11.3

November

-0.12.1-0.31.90.01.6-0.11.2

December

-0.11.8-0.51.50.02.10.21.4

The Consumer Price Index for May 2021 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Impact on April 2021 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 April 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 measures 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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 6,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods available on the internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.

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 South region is comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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
South (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Feb.
2021
Mar.
2021
Apr.
2021
Apr.
2020
Feb.
2021
Mar.
2021

Expenditure category

All Items

253.386255.319257.2074.41.50.7

All items (December 1977=100)

411.027414.162417.225---

Food and beverages

267.034267.188267.8642.10.30.3

Food

268.872268.796269.4302.10.20.2

Food at home

251.276251.902252.4291.60.50.2

Cereal and bakery products

293.685292.410291.7350.6-0.7-0.2

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

260.973262.199265.2952.51.71.2

Dairy and related products

229.703229.155230.6890.60.40.7

Fruits and vegetables

296.994299.852302.5324.51.90.9

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

176.053177.055173.844-1.1-1.3-1.8

Other food at home

220.335220.207220.0161.0-0.1-0.1

Food away from home

297.797296.709297.5042.8-0.10.3

Alcoholic beverages

241.320244.542245.7972.41.90.5

Housing

252.607253.492254.4202.70.70.4

Shelter

293.177294.135295.0352.50.60.3

Rent of primary residence

308.989309.371309.7922.20.30.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)

296.515297.083297.5042.50.30.1

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)

296.514297.083297.5062.50.30.1

Fuels and utilities

243.008244.545245.3473.51.00.3

Household energy

192.635194.231195.0713.51.30.4

Energy services

192.647194.267195.0603.21.30.4

Electricity

189.473190.686191.3442.01.00.3

Utility (piped) gas service

197.847202.030203.65411.32.90.8

Household furnishings and operations

127.518127.802128.8532.91.00.8

Apparel

126.931127.426127.2270.60.2-0.2

Transportation

209.818217.108223.26115.46.42.8

Private transportation

210.802218.620224.08915.86.32.5

New and used motor vehicles(2)

105.425106.964111.36810.05.64.1

New vehicles

155.593156.265156.5542.30.60.2

New cars and trucks(2)(3)

105.937106.392106.5892.30.60.2

New cars(3)

153.991154.715154.6911.80.50.0

Used cars and trucks

150.892154.649169.65020.412.49.7

Motor fuel

208.138235.367237.61953.614.21.0

Gasoline (all types)

207.043234.240236.44454.314.20.9

Unleaded regular(3)

201.594228.671230.64356.214.40.9

Unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

233.679259.696264.39344.913.11.8

Unleaded premium(3)

230.617256.154259.78740.212.61.4

Motor vehicle insurance(5)

936.937941.732953.6214.61.81.3

Medical care

496.035497.142495.3471.8-0.1-0.4

Medical care commodities

349.056349.702349.242-1.40.1-0.1

Medical care services

545.787547.050544.8052.5-0.2-0.4

Professional services

382.348383.208383.7374.00.40.1

Recreation(2)

123.795124.032125.1962.71.10.9

Education and communication(2)

136.293135.862136.9952.20.50.8

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)

1,378.1091,362.7431,366.0350.4-0.90.2

Other goods and services

450.650452.223452.1593.20.30.0

Commodity and service group

All Items

253.386255.319257.2074.41.50.7

Commodities

187.809190.590193.1447.12.81.3

Commodities less food and beverages

151.469155.072158.18910.44.42.0

Nondurables less food and beverages

194.771202.107203.19913.24.30.5

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

236.338247.560249.37917.35.50.7

Durables

110.284111.360115.2997.64.53.5

Services

319.519320.505321.6442.80.70.4

Rent of shelter(1)

301.368302.362303.2982.60.60.3

Transportation services

351.827353.713362.1595.22.92.4

Other services

359.111359.375360.4092.50.40.3

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

240.196242.161244.2214.71.70.9

All items less food

250.749252.985255.0634.81.70.8

All items less shelter

238.967241.280243.5535.41.90.9

Commodities less food

154.160157.766160.84910.04.32.0

Nondurables

228.969232.867233.7596.92.10.4

Nondurables less food

197.156204.232205.33212.44.10.5

Nondurables less food and apparel

235.596246.042247.80115.85.20.7

Services less rent of shelter(1)

352.404353.413354.8423.10.70.4

Services less medical care services

299.334300.292301.6842.80.80.5

Energy

195.501208.996210.47424.97.70.7

All items less energy

260.649261.438263.3783.11.00.7

All items less food and energy

259.650260.589262.7563.31.20.8

Commodities less food and energy commodities

147.830148.704151.8834.62.72.1

Energy commodities

212.077239.263241.57952.713.91.0

Services less energy services

332.945333.867335.0432.80.60.4

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
(2) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.

- Data not available.
Regions defined as the four Census regions. South includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2021