The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South was unchanged in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. An increase in the shelter index was more than offset by declines in the gasoline and apparel indexes. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The all items CPI-U for the South increased 2.8 percent for the 12 months ending in December, after increasing 2.7 percent for the 12-month period ending in November. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent over the past 12 months. The food index continued to increase, up 2.5 percent over the past year. In contrast, the energy index declined 0.5 percent over the same period. (See table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, South region, December 2021–December 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Dec 2021	7.4	6.0
Jan 2022	7.8	6.5
Feb 2022	8.4	7.0
Mar 2022	9.1	7.1
Apr 2022	8.8	6.8
May 2022	9.2	6.7
Jun 2022	9.8	6.7
Jul 2022	9.4	6.8
Aug 2022	8.9	7.1
Sep 2022	8.7	7.4
Oct 2022	8.1	7.1
Nov 2022	7.7	6.9
Dec 2022	7.0	6.5
Jan 2023	6.9	6.3
Feb 2023	6.4	6.2
Mar 2023	5.3	6.3
Apr 2023	5.5	6.3
May 2023	4.4	6.0
Jun 2023	3.3	5.5
Jul 2023	3.4	5.0
Aug 2023	4.1	4.8
Sep 2023	4.2	4.6
Oct 2023	3.7	4.5
Nov 2023	3.4	4.4
Dec 2023	3.7	4.2
Jan 2024	3.4	4.3
Feb 2024	3.7	4.4
Mar 2024	3.8	4.0
Apr 2024	3.3	3.6
May 2024	3.2	3.3
Jun 2024	2.9	3.1
Jul 2024	2.9	3.1
Aug 2024	2.3	2.9
Sep 2024	2.1	3.0
Oct 2024	2.5	3.1
Nov 2024	2.7	3.1
Dec 2024	2.8	3.1

The food index rose 0.3 percent in December, reflecting increases for the food at home (+0.4 percent) and food away from home (+0.2 percent) indexes. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the month, including meats, poultry, fish and eggs (+0.8 percent); cereals and bakery products (+0.9 percent); and other food at home (+0.4 percent). In contrast, the nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials index and the fruits and vegetables index declined in December.

The food index rose 2.5 percent for the 12 months ending in December. The index for food away from home increased 3.4 percent over the past year, while the index for food at home rose 1.9 percent over the same period. Each of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the past year, led by a 4.8-percent increase in the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.

The energy index declined 0.4 percent in December, reflecting a 1.4-percent decrease in the gasoline index. In contrast, the indexes for natural gas and electricity increased in December, up 2.3 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively.

The energy index declined 0.5 percent for the 12 months ending in December. The index for gasoline declined 1.9 percent over the past year. In comparison, the index for natural gas rose 5.4 percent over the past 12 months and the index for electricity increased 0.8 percent over the same period.

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in December. The shelter index increased 0.2 percent over the month. The index for owners’ equivalent rent rose 0.3 percent in December, as did the index for rent of primary residence. Other notable indexes to increase in December include recreation (+0.3 percent) and medical care (+0.1 percent). Notable indexes to decline in December include apparel (-1.5 percent) and education and communication (-0.3 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent for the 12 months ending in December, as it did for the 12-month periods ending in November and October. The index for shelter (+4.7 percent) was the largest contributor to the total 12-month increase in the all items less food and energy index. The indexes for owners’ equivalent rent (+4.8 percent) and rent of primary residence (+3.8 percent) also increased over the past year.

Additional price indexes are now available for the three divisions of the South. In December, the all items index rose 0.2 percent in the South Atlantic division. In comparison, the all items index declined in the East South Central (-0.2 percent) and West South Central (-0.1 percent) divisions in December.

Over the past 12 months, the all items index increased 4.1 percent in the East South Central division, 2.9 percent in the South Atlantic division, and 1.9 percent in the West South Central division.

The Consumer Price Index for January 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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 Consumer Price Index for the South is published monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

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.