The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater rose 1.0 percent from September to November, 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 1.3 percent over the bi-monthly period. The energy index rose 1.0 percent from September to November, while the food index edged down 0.2 percent. (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 9.6 percent for the 12 months ending in November. The index for all items less food and energy increased 9.7 percent over the past year. The food index and the energy index also increased over the prior 12 months, up 9.5 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table A.) 

Food

The food index declined 0.2 percent from September to November, led by a 1.0-percent decrease in the food at home index. Among the grocery store food groups to decline over the bi-monthly period include cereals and bakery products (-4.4 percent) and other food at home (-1.7 percent). The food away from home index rose 1.0 percent over the bi-monthly period.

The food index advanced 9.5 percent for the 12 months ending in November. The food at home index rose 10.4 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 8.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 1.0 percent from September to November. The gasoline and electricity indexes contributed to the bi-monthly increase, up 1.1 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively. In contrast, the index for natural gas edged down 0.3 percent from September to November.

The energy index rose 8.9 percent for the 12 months ending in November, led by increases in the electricity (+12.5 percent) and gasoline (+5.1 percent) indexes. The index for natural gas also increased over the past year, up 16.7 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent from September to November. The shelter index increased 2.2 percent over the bi-monthly period, primarily reflecting a 3.1-percent increase in the owners’ equivalent rent index; rent of primary residence rose 2.9 percent. Recreation (+3.5 percent) was also among the indexes to increase from September to November. In contrast, used cars and trucks was among the indexes to decline over the bi-monthly period, down 5.1 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 9.7 percent for the 12 months ending in November, led by a 14.6-percent increase in the shelter index. Within shelter, owners’ equivalent rent rose 14.7 percent over the past year and rent of primary residence increased 15.8 percent.

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	1.0	9.6

The Consumer Price Index for December 2022 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, January 12, 2023, 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-
	Sep. 2022	Oct. 2022	Nov. 2022	Nov. 2021	Sep. 2022	Oct. 2022
Expenditure category
All Items	277.490	-	280.395	9.6	1.0	-
Food and beverages	282.364	-	282.219	9.1	-0.1	-
Food	285.194	-	284.741	9.5	-0.2	-
Food at home	299.381	298.510	296.273	10.4	-1.0	-0.7
Cereals and bakery products	330.528	-	315.999	15.2	-4.4	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	311.579	-	310.423	4.6	-0.4	-
Dairy and related products	266.098	-	276.645	10.8	4.0	-
Fruits and vegetables	394.268	-	385.904	9.0	-2.1	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	211.890	-	211.897	13.8	0.0	-
Other food at home	238.388	-	234.420	13.5	-1.7	-
Food away from home	266.975	-	269.713	8.4	1.0	-
Alcoholic beverages	231.464	-	234.943	3.1	1.5	-
Housing	294.175	-	299.442	13.7	1.8	-
Shelter	341.119	347.633	348.646	14.6	2.2	0.3
Rent of primary residence	351.684	356.702	361.972	15.8	2.9	1.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences	357.081	363.065	368.158	14.7	3.1	1.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence	357.081	363.065	368.158	14.7	3.1	1.4
Fuels and utilities	249.166	-	253.279	11.1	1.7	-
Household energy	199.573	200.656	201.097	13.2	0.8	0.2
Energy Services	196.067	197.051	197.032	12.7	0.5	0.0
Electricity	192.991	193.995	193.995	12.5	0.5	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service	267.456	267.418	266.672	16.7	-0.3	-0.3
Household furnishings and operations	150.565	-	148.580	9.4	-1.3	-
Apparel	149.826	-	144.257	7.5	-3.7	-
Transportation	254.951	-	257.109	7.8	0.8	-
Private transportation	264.444	-	266.158	6.8	0.6	-
New and used motor vehicles(1)	138.188	-	137.564	4.5	-0.5	-
New vehicles	148.164	-	150.065	6.9	1.3	-
Used cars and trucks	191.388	-	181.553	-4.4	-5.1	-
Motor fuel	364.650	354.557	369.050	5.5	1.2	4.1
Gasoline (all types)	355.450	344.920	359.337	5.1	1.1	4.2
Unleaded regular(2)	343.782	333.492	347.982	5.1	1.2	4.3
Unleaded midgrade(2)(3)	360.542	349.956	361.348	4.8	0.2	3.3
Unleaded premium(2)	397.062	386.342	397.526	4.6	0.1	2.9
Medical Care	470.106	-	468.270	4.5	-0.4	-
Recreation(1)	128.584	-	133.124	2.2	3.5	-
Education and communication(1)	135.327	-	136.895	0.3	1.2	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care	665.662	-	-	-	-	-
Other goods and services	337.738	-	336.435	5.7	-0.4	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	277.490	-	280.395	9.6	1.0	-
Commodities	210.061	-	208.917	6.9	-0.5	-
Commodities less food & beverages	173.448	-	171.925	5.4	-0.9	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	243.146	-	239.776	5.9	-1.4	-
Durables	112.175	-	111.732	5.0	-0.4	-
Services	337.587	-	344.235	11.2	2.0	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	267.089	-	270.242	10.1	1.2	-
All items less shelter	250.730	-	251.722	6.8	0.4	-
Commodities less food	176.654	-	175.278	5.3	-0.8	-
Nondurables	263.098	-	261.491	7.7	-0.6	-
Nondurables less food	241.903	-	239.125	5.7	-1.1	-
Services less rent of shelter	325.644	-	330.962	6.7	1.6	-
Services less medical care services	322.974	-	329.735	12.1	2.1	-
Energy	263.228	259.932	265.870	8.9	1.0	2.3
All items less energy	278.404	-	281.328	9.6	1.1	-
All items less food and energy	277.545	-	281.046	9.7	1.3	-
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.