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News Release Information

21-1840-ATL
Wednesday, October 13, 2021

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

Consumer Price Index, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater – September 2021

Area prices up 6.1 percent over the past 12 months

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater rose 1.0 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 increased 1.1 percent over the bi-monthly period. The energy index also increased from July to September, up 3.9 percent. In contrast, the food index declined 1.2 percent 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 6.1 percent for the 12 months ending in September. The index for all items less food and energy increased 5.3 percent over the past 12 months. The energy index rose 23.6 percent over the past year, while the food index rose 3.1 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index declined 1.2 percent from July to September, reflecting a 3.0-percent fall in the food at home index. In contrast, the food away from home index increased over the bi-monthly period, up 1.2 percent.

The food index increased 3.1 percent for the 12 months ending in September. The food at home index rose 3.0 percent over the past year, while the food away from home index rose 3.2 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 3.9 percent from July to September, led by a 6.3-percent increase in the electricity index. The gasoline index rose 2.0 percent over the bi-monthly period, while the utility (piped) gas service index edged up 0.4 percent.

The energy index rose 23.6 percent for the 12 months ending in September, primarily due to a 42.2-percent increase in the gasoline index. The electricity index advanced 8.5 percent over the past 12 months, while the utility (piped) gas service index declined 2.9 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.1 percent from July to September, led by increases in the shelter (1.3 percent) and apparel (9.6 percent) indexes. The new and used motor vehicles index rose 1.9 percent over the bi-monthly period—reflecting a 6.8-percent increase in the new vehicles index. In contrast, the used cars and trucks index declined 5.5 percent over the bi-monthly period.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.3 percent for the 12 months ending in September, reflecting increases across many indexes. The shelter index rose 6.7 percent over the past year, while the new and used motor vehicles index rose 16.1 percent—reflecting increases in the new vehicles (15.1 percent) and used cars and trucks (22.9 percent) indexes.

Table A. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20172018201920202021
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

0.8-1.10.40.73.80.93.4

March

0.61.91.70.22.11.64.9

May

0.40.92.2-0.30.91.06.2

July

0.30.12.11.01.81.46.6

September

0.6-0.11.51.43.31.06.1

November

-0.32.30.22.00.13.2

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

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on September 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 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 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 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.
2021
Aug.
2021
Sep.
2021
Sep.
2020
Jul.
2021
Aug.
2021

Expenditure category

All Items

248.811-251.2216.11.0-

Food and beverages

258.873-255.7703.0-1.2-

Food

259.895-256.7363.1-1.2-

Food at home

272.522263.420264.3133.0-3.00.3

Cereals and bakery products

280.344-275.397-0.3-1.8-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

286.212-285.80918.4-0.1-

Dairy and related products

243.369-245.0700.90.7-

Fruits and vegetables

395.831-352.428-0.6-11.0-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

204.719-192.495-2.1-6.0-

Other food at home

203.509-201.271-5.7-1.1-

Food away from home

243.719-246.5553.21.2-

Alcoholic beverages

230.441-228.1612.0-1.0-

Housing

254.869-259.3066.51.7-

Shelter

295.672297.200299.4146.71.30.7

Rent of primary residence

299.327300.383304.9446.11.91.5

Owners' equiv. rent of residences

309.734312.042314.4086.81.50.8

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence

309.734312.042314.4086.81.50.8

Fuels and utilities

214.997-224.3887.04.4-

Household energy

166.308166.678176.3618.36.05.8

Energy Services

163.851164.167173.8558.26.15.9

Electricity

161.563161.864171.6918.56.36.1

Utility (piped) gas service

212.674213.580213.569-2.90.40.0

Household furnishings and operations

130.458-134.9614.33.5-

Apparel

121.635-133.2937.49.6-

Transportation

225.236-228.83615.71.6-

Private transportation

234.646-238.63517.01.7-

New and used motor vehicles(1)

124.301-126.71616.11.9-

New vehicles

128.776-137.59115.16.8-

Used cars and trucks

190.427-179.88722.9-5.5-

Motor fuel

315.776314.536322.25442.02.12.5

Gasoline (all types)

309.005307.926315.30142.22.02.4

Unleaded regular(2)

298.520297.332304.69942.92.12.5

Unleaded midgrade(2)(3)

313.343312.794319.83440.22.12.3

Unleaded premium(2)

348.203348.204354.41436.91.81.8

Motor vehicle insurance

614.846-614.846-2.70.0-

Medical Care

448.205-445.4982.4-0.6-

Recreation(1)

124.776-124.671-2.0-0.1-

Education and communication(1)

135.974-136.5111.60.4-

Tuition, other school fees, and child care

649.692-651.4621.60.3-

Other goods and services

--311.2482.4--

Commodity and service group

All Items

248.811-251.2216.11.0-

Commodities

188.925-191.3658.91.3-

Commodities less food & beverages

153.757-158.56413.53.1-

Nondurables less food & beverages

212.492-218.26314.12.7-

Durables

100.759-104.32113.03.5-

Services

302.129-304.5584.70.8-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

238.139-240.7866.41.1-

All items less shelter

229.205-230.9985.70.8-

Commodities less food

157.466-162.05012.92.9-

Nondurables

236.529-237.4347.30.4-

Nondurables less food

213.924-218.94612.82.3-

Services less rent of shelter

304.235-304.7762.00.2-

Services less medical care services

285.916-289.0535.11.1-

Energy

224.110223.875232.89223.63.94.0

All items less energy

250.584-252.4805.00.8-

All items less food and energy

249.351-252.0505.31.1-

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: Wednesday, October 13, 2021