The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater rose 0.3 percent from July to September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.1 percent over the bi-monthly period. This increase was largely offset by a 11.3 percent decline in the energy index. The food index continued to rise, increasing 1.9 percent from July to September. (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 10.5 percent for the 12 months ending in September. The index for all items less food and energy increased 10.1 percent over the past year. The food index and the energy index also increased over the prior 12 months, up 11.1 percent and 13.0 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 1.9 percent from July to September, led by a 3.8-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index rose 0.6 percent over the bi-monthly period. Increases in the cereals and bakery products (+5.5 percent) and other food at home (+1.7 percent) indexes were offset by a 2.9-percent decrease in the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index.

The food index advanced 11.1 percent for the 12 months ending in September. The food at home index rose 13.3 percent over the past year as all six major grocery store food group indexes increased. The food away from home index also increased over the past year, up 8.3 percent.

Energy

The energy index fell 11.3 percent from July to September, primarily due to a 19.2-percent decrease in the gasoline index. The electricity index edged down 0.2 percent over the bi-monthly period, while the index for natural gas rose 5.8 percent.

The energy index increased 13.0 percent for the 12 months ending in September, led by increases in the gasoline (+12.7 percent) and electricity (+12.4 percent) indexes. The index for natural gas also increased over the past 12 months, up 25.2 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.1 percent from July to September. The shelter index increased 1.6 percent over the bi-monthly period, primarily reflecting a 2.4-percent increase in the owners’ equivalent rent index. In contrast, used cars and trucks (-5.2 percent) and recreation (-1.4 percent) had notable declines from July to September.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 10.1 percent for the 12 months ending in September, led by a 13.9-percent increase in the shelter index.

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

Month	2018		2019		2020		2021		2022
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	0.8		-1.1	0.4	0.7	3.8	0.9	3.4	2.4	9.6
March	0.6		1.9	1.7	0.2	2.1	1.6	4.9	2.1	10.2
May	0.4		0.9	2.2	-0.3	0.9	1.0	6.2	2.1	11.3
July	0.3		0.1	2.1	1.0	1.8	1.4	6.6	1.3	11.2
September	0.6		-0.1	1.5	1.4	3.3	1.0	6.1	0.3	10.5
November	-0.3	2.3	0.2	2.0	0.1	3.2	1.8	8.0

The Consumer Price Index for October 2022 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, November 10, 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 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

 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	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Jul. 2022	Aug. 2022	Sep. 2022	Sep. 2021	Jul. 2022	Aug. 2022
Expenditure category
All Items	276.750	-	277.490	10.5	0.3	-
Food and beverages	277.519	-	282.364	10.4	1.7	-
Food	279.861	-	285.194	11.1	1.9	-
Food at home	297.740	299.189	299.381	13.3	0.6	0.1
Cereals and bakery products	313.297	-	330.528	20.0	5.5	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	321.034	-	311.579	9.0	-2.9	-
Dairy and related products	265.174	-	266.098	8.6	0.3	-
Fruits and vegetables	394.881	-	394.268	11.9	-0.2	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	208.477	-	211.890	10.1	1.6	-
Other food at home	234.508	-	238.388	18.4	1.7	-
Food away from home	257.230	-	266.975	8.3	3.8	-
Alcoholic beverages	232.643	-	231.464	1.4	-0.5	-
Housing	289.964	-	294.175	13.4	1.5	-
Shelter	335.847	335.199	341.119	13.9	1.6	1.8
Rent of primary residence	343.866	345.288	351.684	15.3	2.3	1.9
Owners' equiv. rent of residences	348.860	350.405	357.081	13.6	2.4	1.9
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence	348.860	350.405	357.081	13.6	2.4	1.9
Fuels and utilities	249.177	-	249.166	11.0	0.0	-
Household energy	199.584	198.619	199.573	13.2	0.0	0.5
Energy Services	196.119	195.179	196.067	12.8	0.0	0.5
Electricity	193.421	192.337	192.991	12.4	-0.2	0.3
Utility (piped) gas service	252.728	257.655	267.456	25.2	5.8	3.8
Household furnishings and operations	147.745	-	150.565	11.6	1.9	-
Apparel	131.615	-	149.826	12.4	13.8	-
Transportation	267.566	-	254.951	11.4	-4.7	-
Private transportation	278.442	-	264.444	10.8	-5.0	-
New and used motor vehicles(1)	139.257	-	138.188	9.1	-0.8	-
New vehicles	146.337	-	148.164	7.7	1.2	-
Used cars and trucks	201.968	-	191.388	6.4	-5.2	-
Motor fuel	450.545	385.404	364.650	13.2	-19.1	-5.4
Gasoline (all types)	439.949	375.990	355.450	12.7	-19.2	-5.5
Unleaded regular(2)	426.780	363.840	343.782	12.8	-19.4	-5.5
Unleaded midgrade(2)(3)	440.948	380.995	360.542	12.7	-18.2	-5.4
Unleaded premium(2)	479.726	418.146	397.062	12.0	-17.2	-5.0
Medical Care	465.028	-	470.106	5.5	1.1	-
Recreation(1)	130.475	-	128.584	3.1	-1.4	-
Education and communication(1)	135.240	-	135.327	-0.9	0.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care	662.067	-	665.662	2.2	0.5	-
Other goods and services	338.686	-	337.738	8.5	-0.3	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	276.750	-	277.490	10.5	0.3	-
Commodities	211.637	-	210.061	9.8	-0.7	-
Commodities less food & beverages	177.641	-	173.448	9.4	-2.4	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	255.060	-	243.146	11.4	-4.7	-
Durables	112.235	-	112.175	7.5	-0.1	-
Services	334.699	-	337.587	10.8	0.9	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	266.579	-	267.089	10.9	0.2	-
All items less shelter	251.864	-	250.730	8.5	-0.5	-
Commodities less food	180.783	-	176.654	9.0	-2.3	-
Nondurables	265.879	-	263.098	10.8	-1.0	-
Nondurables less food	252.881	-	241.903	10.5	-4.3	-
Services less rent of shelter	326.114	-	325.644	6.8	-0.1	-
Services less medical care services	319.774	-	322.974	11.7	1.0	-
Energy	296.852	270.774	263.228	13.0	-11.3	-2.8
All items less energy	274.962	-	278.404	10.3	1.3	-
All items less food and energy	274.422	-	277.545	10.1	1.1	-
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. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.