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News Release Information

22-1195-ATL
Friday, June 10, 2022

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

Consumer Price Index, South Region — May 2022

Prices in the South up 1.2 percent over the month and 9.2 percent over the past year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South increased 1.2 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.7 percent over the month. The energy index increased 6.1 percent in May, while the food index rose 1.0 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 9.2 percent for the 12 months ending in May, after increasing 8.8-percent over the 12-month period ending in April. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 6.7 percent over the past year. The energy index and the food index also increased over the past 12 months, up 34.1 percent and 10.1 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 1.0 percent in May, led by a 1.3 percent increase in the food at home index. The food away from home index also increased in May, up 0.5 percent.

The food index jumped 10.1 percent for the 12 months ending in May, reflecting increases in the food at home (+11.7 percent) and food away from home (+7.6 percent) indexes.

Energy

The energy index rose 6.1 percent in May, reflecting an 8.5-percent increase in the gasoline index. Over the month, the electricity index rose 2.4 percent and the utility (piped) gas service index rose 3.6 percent.

The energy index advanced 34.1 percent for the 12 months ending in May, led by a 50.1-percent increase in the gasoline index. The electricity index rose 13.4 percent over the past year, while the utility (piped) gas service index increased 24.9 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.7 percent in May. Shelter (+0.8 percent) was among the indexes to contribute to the overall increase.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 6.7 percent for the 12 months ending in May, led by a 6.5-percent increase in the shelter index. The new and used motor vehicles index advanced 14.4 percent over the past 12 months, reflecting increases in the used cars and trucks (+16.0 percent) and new vehicles (+13.1 percent) indexes.

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the three divisions of the South. The all items CPI-U advanced 1.4 percent in the West South Central division in May. The all items index in the South Atlantic and East South Central divisions rose 1.1 percent each over the month.

Over the year, the all items index advanced 9.9 percent in the West South Central division and 9.2 percent in the South Atlantic division. The all items index rose 7.7 percent in the East South Central division over the past 12 months.

Table A. South region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20182019202020212022
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.51.80.21.20.32.30.51.60.97.8

February

0.62.10.51.10.21.90.52.01.18.4

March

0.22.30.71.6-0.11.10.82.91.49.1

April

0.42.40.51.8-0.8-0.20.74.40.58.8

May

0.32.7-0.11.4-0.2-0.40.85.61.29.2

June

0.22.7-0.11.10.60.30.95.8

July

0.02.90.31.40.60.60.55.8

August

-0.12.4-0.11.40.41.10.35.6

September

0.01.70.01.30.21.30.35.8

October

0.22.10.21.30.11.31.06.6

November

-0.31.90.01.6-0.11.20.47.2

December

-0.51.50.02.10.21.40.37.4

The Consumer Price Index for June 2022 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).


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 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-
Mar.
2022
Apr.
2022
May
2022
May
2021
Mar.
2022
Apr.
2022

Expenditure category

All Items

278.598279.879283.3079.21.71.2

All items (December 1977=100)

451.925454.002459.563---

Food and beverages

289.302291.755294.3919.61.80.9

Food

291.883294.609297.47510.11.91.0

Food at home

275.222278.880282.37611.72.61.3

Cereal and bakery products

318.757323.203326.61011.92.51.1

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

297.929302.814305.33813.32.50.8

Dairy and related products

244.669250.215258.37411.95.63.3

Fruits and vegetables

320.082319.719322.9976.60.91.0

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

189.062192.198194.07712.42.71.0

Other food at home

240.239243.811246.99513.02.81.3

Food away from home

318.933319.932321.6197.60.80.5

Alcoholic beverages

253.443252.096251.5403.0-0.8-0.2

Housing

270.537272.278274.7417.41.60.9

Shelter

311.085312.814315.3816.51.40.8

Rent of primary residence

327.124329.443332.5747.11.71.0

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)

312.040313.676315.9816.01.30.7

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)

312.034313.672315.9796.01.30.7

Fuels and utilities

267.919271.551277.09212.43.42.0

Household energy

217.196220.979226.87315.54.52.7

Energy services

216.103220.033225.77015.04.52.6

Electricity

209.956213.188218.35213.44.02.4

Utility (piped) gas service

239.200247.382256.40724.97.23.6

Household furnishings and operations

141.153141.850142.2728.60.80.3

Apparel

136.594136.131135.6255.3-0.7-0.4

Transportation

268.755269.144277.63920.63.33.2

Private transportation

271.780270.803278.51120.72.52.8

New and used motor vehicles(2)

130.501130.594131.94214.41.11.0

New vehicles

175.662177.369179.19113.12.01.0

New cars and trucks(2)(3)

119.700-----

New cars(3)

174.209176.819178.62514.02.51.0

Used cars and trucks

209.376208.048209.50716.00.10.7

Motor fuel

352.110344.680374.06950.76.28.5

Gasoline (all types)

349.852341.836370.91150.16.08.5

Unleaded regular(3)

343.529335.176364.51551.16.18.8

Unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

380.888375.678402.18346.45.67.1

Unleaded premium(3)

364.950360.554384.33242.85.36.6

Medical care

512.534513.192515.0234.10.50.4

Medical care commodities

359.712362.212363.1414.21.00.3

Medical care services

564.287564.288566.4314.10.40.4

Professional services

389.751387.911388.4551.3-0.30.1

Recreation(2)

128.704129.972131.1694.71.90.9

Education and communication(2)

138.955138.682138.5771.0-0.3-0.1

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

1,400.9671,402.4391,407.4032.80.50.4

Other goods and services

477.312479.148482.6776.81.10.7

Commodity and service group

All Items

278.598279.879283.3079.21.71.2

Commodities

218.696218.958222.54213.61.81.6

Commodities less food and beverages

183.927183.461187.16115.91.82.0

Nondurables less food and beverages

242.159240.485249.31420.73.03.7

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

304.866302.518316.36724.63.84.6

Durables

131.359131.578132.16211.80.60.4

Services

338.263340.604343.8216.41.60.9

Rent of shelter(1)

320.038321.843324.5286.61.40.8

Transportation services

384.347392.565401.3889.14.42.2

Other services

370.325371.930373.6153.60.90.5

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

265.725267.032270.5269.81.81.3

All items less food

276.264277.339280.8409.11.71.3

All items less shelter

267.114268.224272.00810.51.81.4

Commodities less food

186.262185.776189.40115.41.72.0

Nondurables

264.550264.803270.74814.82.32.2

Nondurables less food

242.454240.799249.09619.52.73.4

Nondurables less food and apparel

298.928296.675309.25822.93.54.2

Services less rent of shelter(1)

371.853374.946378.9416.21.91.1

Services less medical care services

317.946320.450323.7266.71.81.0

Energy

274.544273.118289.64534.15.56.1

All items less energy

280.614282.174284.3077.21.30.8

All items less food and energy

279.164280.540282.5596.71.20.7

Commodities less food and energy commodities

167.121167.418168.1329.00.60.4

Energy commodities

357.393349.922379.51950.46.28.5

Services less energy services

351.220353.395356.3505.91.50.8

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.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, June 10, 2022