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News Release Information

24-991-ATL
Wednesday, May 15, 2024

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

Consumer Price Index, South Region — April 2024

Prices in the South up 0.2 percent in April and 3.3 percent over the past year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South rose 0.2 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The monthly increase in the all items index was influenced by increases in the gasoline and shelter indexes. (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 increased 3.3 percent for the 12 months ending in April, after increasing 3.8 percent for the 12-month period ending in March. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.6 percent over the past 12 months. The food index and the energy index also increased over the past year, up 2.0 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.1 percent in April. The index for food away from home increased 0.2 percent over the month, while the index for food at home was unchanged. Within the food at home index, declines were noted for the fruits and vegetables (-0.9 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-0.3 percent) indexes. Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in April. The index for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials increased 0.7 percent in April. The index for other food at home rose 0.2 percent over the month, as did the dairy and related products index.

The food index advanced 2.0 percent for the 12 months ending in April. The food away from home index and the food at home index continued to increase over the past year, up 3.9 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively. Five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the past 12 months, including fruits and vegetables (+2.5 percent), meat, poultry, fish, and eggs (+0.9 percent), and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+1.6 percent). In comparison, the index for dairy and related products declined 1.7 percent over the past year.

Energy

The energy index rose 1.4 percent in April, reflecting a 3.7-percent increase in the gasoline index. The index for electricity decreased 0.7 percent in April, while the index for natural gas declined 4.0 percent over the month.

The energy index increased 1.7 percent for the 12 months ending in April. The electricity index contributed to the increase, up 4.1 percent over the past year. The indexes for gasoline and natural gas declined over the past 12 months, down 0.8 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in April, primarily due to a 0.2-percent increase in the shelter index. Within shelter, the index for owners’ equivalent rent increased 0.4 percent in April, while the index for rent of primary residence increased 0.2 percent over the month. Among the indexes to decline in April include household furnishings and operations (-1.6 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-0.5 percent).  

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.6 percent for the 12 months ending in April, after increasing 4.0 percent for the 12-month period ending in March. The index for shelter (+5.8 percent) was the largest contributor as owners’ equivalent rent (+6.0 percent) and rent of primary residence (+5.8 percent) continued to increase over the past year.

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the three divisions of the South. In April, the all items index increased 0.6 percent in the East South Central division, 0.3 percent in the West South Central division, and 0.1 percent in the South Atlantic division.  

Over the year, the all items index increased in each of the three divisions of the South: East South Central (+3.9 percent), South Atlantic (+3.3 percent), and West South Central (+3.1 percent).

Table A. South region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20202021202220232024
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.32.30.51.60.97.80.86.90.63.4

February

0.21.90.52.01.18.40.66.40.93.7

March

-0.11.10.82.91.49.10.45.30.43.8

April

-0.8-0.20.74.40.58.80.75.50.23.3

May

-0.2-0.40.85.61.29.20.24.4

June

0.60.30.95.81.59.80.33.3

July

0.60.60.55.80.19.40.23.4

August

0.41.10.35.6-0.28.90.64.1

September

0.21.30.35.80.28.70.24.2

October

0.11.31.06.60.48.1-0.13.7

November

-0.11.20.47.20.17.7-0.23.4

December

0.21.40.37.4-0.37.0-0.13.7

The Consumer Price Index for May 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for the South region is published monthly. 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, 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 individuals with sensory impairments 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
South (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Feb.
2024
Mar.
2024
Apr.
2024
Apr.
2023
Feb.
2024
Mar.
2024

Expenditure category

All Items

303.144304.490305.1043.30.60.2

All items (December 1977=100)

491.741493.926494.922---

Food and beverages

320.288320.761320.9882.00.20.1

Food

324.053324.498324.7282.00.20.1

Food at home

303.445303.610303.5400.90.00.0

Cereal and bakery products

365.242363.914364.0770.5-0.30.0

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

313.785317.579316.6050.90.9-0.3

Dairy and related products

267.440266.715267.318-1.70.00.2

Fruits and vegetables

335.535336.449333.4962.5-0.6-0.9

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

217.681216.555218.1331.60.20.7

Other food at home

273.974272.818273.4420.7-0.20.2

Food away from home

358.820359.756360.5133.90.50.2

Alcoholic beverages

267.801268.652268.8362.50.40.1

Housing

309.946310.868310.6894.60.2-0.1

Shelter

361.886363.186364.0325.80.60.2

Rent of primary residence

387.004388.327389.0005.80.50.2

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)

363.588364.627365.9046.00.60.4

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)

363.559364.608365.8966.00.60.4

Fuels and utilities

299.965299.955297.5493.6-0.8-0.8

Household energy

244.441244.436241.6493.2-1.1-1.1

Energy services

244.317244.278241.5553.3-1.1-1.1

Electricity

239.900240.298238.6984.1-0.5-0.7

Utility (piped) gas service

253.566250.598240.550-1.6-5.1-4.0

Household furnishings and operations

148.623148.788146.345-2.7-1.5-1.6

Apparel

143.513144.767144.7972.90.90.0

Transportation

270.629274.736277.5713.02.61.0

Private transportation

273.161277.229279.8323.32.40.9

New and used motor vehicles(2)

126.874127.089126.471-3.1-0.3-0.5

New vehicles

186.252185.738185.648-0.7-0.30.0

New cars and trucks(2)(3)

------

New cars(3)

184.059183.304182.930-1.5-0.6-0.2

Used cars and trucks

179.817180.573179.696-7.4-0.1-0.5

Motor fuel

271.125287.353297.650-0.89.83.6

Gasoline (all types)

269.248285.884296.536-0.810.13.7

Unleaded regular(3)

262.325279.136289.829-0.810.53.8

Unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

305.129321.641332.3950.38.93.3

Unleaded premium(3)

299.799314.292324.0730.78.13.1

Medical care

528.925529.761529.6962.00.10.0

Medical care commodities

380.170380.200380.0720.80.00.0

Medical care services

578.563579.675579.6322.30.20.0

Professional services

396.911397.797398.3791.20.40.1

Recreation(2)

139.336138.500138.9222.4-0.30.3

Education and communication(2)

141.135141.224141.4730.70.20.2

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

1,509.2851,507.5311,508.5923.60.00.1

Other goods and services

525.856529.387532.4744.51.30.6

Commodity and service group

All Items

303.144304.490305.1043.30.60.2

Commodities

221.149222.661223.3530.11.00.3

Commodities less food and beverages

177.087178.889179.711-0.91.50.5

Nondurables less food and beverages

230.710235.542238.5400.93.41.3

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

283.499290.470295.2370.44.11.6

Durables

127.570127.380126.817-3.3-0.6-0.4

Services

386.014387.201387.7385.50.40.1

Rent of shelter(1)

372.778374.095375.0035.80.60.2

Transportation services

497.044499.325503.36312.31.30.8

Other services

397.583397.925399.7883.50.60.5

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

290.521291.883292.5263.40.70.2

All items less food

299.687301.157301.8243.50.70.2

All items less shelter

281.243282.628283.1482.10.70.2

Commodities less food

179.831181.616182.426-0.81.40.4

Nondurables

272.986275.807277.5261.61.70.6

Nondurables less food

232.436237.035239.8681.03.21.2

Nondurables less food and apparel

280.599286.999291.3410.63.81.5

Services less rent of shelter(1)

414.254415.283415.3065.00.30.0

Services less medical care services

367.735368.914369.4875.80.50.2

Energy

252.118259.962263.5631.74.51.4

All items less energy

309.928310.652310.9793.40.30.1

All items less food and energy

308.042308.810309.1543.60.40.1

Commodities less food and energy commodities

168.816168.835168.503-1.3-0.2-0.2

Energy commodities

276.252292.375302.440-0.99.53.4

Services less energy services

400.948402.253403.0965.60.50.2

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 15, 2024