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errata

Index and average price data for electricity in Miami for January through November 2022 were incorrectly published in the database. The error also includes related aggregate data within Miami and several related areas. See the list of series affected by this correction. Corrections are expected to be made on March 30, 2023.

News Release Information

23-504-ATL
Tuesday, March 14, 2023

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

Consumer Price Index, South Region — February 2023

Prices in the South up 0.6 percent over the month and 6.4 percent over the past year.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South increased 0.6 percent in February, 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 food index increased 0.4 percent in February and the energy index rose 0.1 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 6.4 percent for the 12 months ending in February, after increasing 6.9-percent for the 12-month period ending in January. The index for all items less food and energy rose 6.2 percent over the past year. The food index and the energy index also increased over the last 12 months, up 9.6 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.4 percent in February, reflecting increases in the food away from home (+0.7 percent) and food at home (+0.3 percent) indexes.

The food index advanced 9.6 percent for the 12 months ending in February, led by a 10.7-percent increase in the food at home index as all six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the year. The food away from home index also increased over the past year, up 7.8 percent.  

Energy

The energy index rose 0.1 percent in February. The gasoline index increased 0.7 percent over the month, while the natural gas index declined 6.2 percent.

The energy index rose 3.5 percent for the 12 months ending in February. The natural gas index contributed to overall increase, up 11.3 percent over the past year. In contrast, the gasoline index declined 4.0 percent over the last 12 months.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.7 percent in February, primarily reflecting a 0.9-percent increase in the shelter index. Within shelter, owners’ equivalent rent and rent of primary residence each rose 0.8 percent over the month. Apparel (+3.6 percent) and recreation (+1.4 percent) were also among the indexes to increase in February.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 6.2 percent for the 12 months ending in February, after increasing 6.3 percent over the 12-month period ending in January. Several components contributed to the 12-month increase, most notably, shelter (+10.0 percent). Within shelter, owner’s equivalent rent increased 10.0 percent over the past year and rent of primary residence rose 11.5 percent. In contrast, the used cars and trucks index declined 13.8 percent over the last 12 months.

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the three divisions of the South. In February, the all items index rose 1.0 percent in the East South Central division, 0.6 percent in the South Atlantic division, and 0.5 percent in the West South Central division.

Over the year, the all items index advanced 6.5 percent in the East South Central division, 6.4 percent in the South Atlantic division, and 6.3 percent in the West South Central division.

Table A. South region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month

January

0.2 1.2 0.3 2.3 0.5 1.6 0.9 7.8 0.8 6.9

February

0.5 1.1 0.2 1.9 0.5 2.0 1.1 8.4 0.6 6.4

March

0.7 1.6 -0.1 1.1 0.8 2.9 1.4 9.1

April

0.5 1.8 -0.8 -0.2 0.7 4.4 0.5 8.8

May

-0.1 1.4 -0.2 -0.4 0.8 5.6 1.2 9.2

June

-0.1 1.1 0.6 0.3 0.9 5.8 1.5 9.8

July

0.3 1.4 0.6 0.6 0.5 5.8 0.1 9.4

August

-0.1 1.4 0.4 1.1 0.3 5.6 -0.2 8.9

September

0.0 1.3 0.2 1.3 0.3 5.8 0.2 8.7

October

0.2 1.3 0.1 1.3 1.0 6.6 0.4 8.1

November

0.0 1.6 -0.1 1.2 0.4 7.2 0.1 7.7

December

0.0 2.1 0.2 1.4 0.3 7.4 -0.3 7.0

The Consumer Price Index for March 2023 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 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 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

Indexes Percent change from-
Dec.
2022
Jan.
2023
Feb.
2023
Feb.
2022
Dec.
2022
Jan.
2023

Expenditure category

All Items

288.205 290.438 292.285 6.4 1.4 0.6

All items (December 1977=100)

467.509 471.130 474.128 - - -

Food and beverages

309.645 311.404 312.804 9.3 1.0 0.4

Food

313.189 315.003 316.381 9.6 1.0 0.4

Food at home

297.461 299.300 300.089 10.7 0.9 0.3

Cereal and bakery products

353.339 358.811 358.690 14.8 1.5 0.0

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

315.797 318.558 316.907 7.7 0.4 -0.5

Dairy and related products

272.771 272.181 272.025 13.0 -0.3 -0.1

Fruits and vegetables

329.676 332.213 331.366 5.3 0.5 -0.3

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

209.448 210.078 213.327 13.9 1.9 1.5

Other food at home

263.095 263.885 266.207 12.7 1.2 0.9

Food away from home

338.303 340.027 342.563 7.8 1.3 0.7

Alcoholic beverages

260.396 261.359 263.094 4.2 1.0 0.7

Housing

290.077 292.411 294.492 9.6 1.5 0.7

Shelter

334.068 336.921 339.967 10.0 1.8 0.9

Rent of primary residence

357.390 359.781 362.735 11.5 1.5 0.8

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)

336.311 338.949 341.669 10.0 1.6 0.8

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)

336.307 338.949 341.662 10.0 1.6 0.8

Fuels and utilities

- - - - - -

Household energy

- - - - - -

Energy services

- - - - - -

Electricity

- - - - - -

Utility (piped) gas service

281.445 282.375 264.777 11.3 -5.9 -6.2

Household furnishings and operations

146.112 147.474 147.904 5.8 1.2 0.3

Apparel

134.195 135.810 140.727 3.1 4.9 3.6

Transportation

256.321 259.775 260.983 1.8 1.8 0.5

Private transportation

257.730 261.635 262.642 1.2 1.9 0.4

New and used motor vehicles(2)

127.916 127.720 127.396 -2.5 -0.4 -0.3

New vehicles

184.377 185.268 185.889 6.6 0.8 0.3

New cars and trucks(2)(3)

- - - - - -

New cars(3)

183.167 183.899 184.477 6.5 0.7 0.3

Used cars and trucks

189.268 186.252 183.625 -13.8 -3.0 -1.4

Motor fuel

261.605 279.869 281.557 -3.7 7.6 0.6

Gasoline (all types)

258.204 277.095 278.990 -4.0 8.1 0.7

Unleaded regular(3)

251.615 270.612 272.410 -4.3 8.3 0.7

Unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

291.528 309.283 312.053 -2.5 7.0 0.9

Unleaded premium(3)

286.202 302.407 304.849 -1.4 6.5 0.8

Medical care

521.499 521.622 521.410 2.4 0.0 0.0

Medical care commodities

366.500 371.362 371.540 3.7 1.4 0.0

Medical care services

573.981 572.305 571.949 2.1 -0.4 -0.1

Professional services

393.046 392.817 393.158 1.5 0.0 0.1

Recreation(2)

133.207 134.282 136.204 5.3 2.2 1.4

Education and communication(2)

139.993 140.206 140.415 1.1 0.3 0.1

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

1,445.669 1,446.974 1,446.972 3.2 0.1 0.0

Other goods and services

501.130 503.821 506.826 6.4 1.1 0.6

Commodity and service group

All Items

288.205 290.438 292.285 6.4 1.4 0.6

Commodities

216.564 218.744 219.903 3.2 1.5 0.5

Commodities less food and beverages

174.589 176.763 177.777 0.1 1.8 0.6

Nondurables less food and beverages

221.466 227.625 230.438 2.4 4.1 1.2

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

274.193 282.967 284.708 2.2 3.8 0.6

Durables

129.056 129.137 129.201 -1.7 0.1 0.0

Services

360.160 362.401 364.960 8.5 1.3 0.7

Rent of shelter(1)

343.942 346.923 350.102 10.2 1.8 0.9

Transportation services

425.474 428.804 435.834 15.5 2.4 1.6

Other services

381.283 383.524 386.697 4.1 1.4 0.8

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

275.326 277.643 279.576 6.8 1.5 0.7

All items less food

284.207 286.494 288.403 5.9 1.5 0.7

All items less shelter

271.490 273.484 274.853 4.7 1.2 0.5

Commodities less food

177.231 179.396 180.429 0.2 1.8 0.6

Nondurables

263.021 267.099 269.243 6.0 2.4 0.8

Nondurables less food

223.322 229.198 231.951 2.5 3.9 1.2

Nondurables less food and apparel

271.532 279.626 281.356 2.4 3.6 0.6

Services less rent of shelter(1)

391.864 393.135 394.899 6.7 0.8 0.4

Services less medical care services

340.619 343.120 345.864 9.4 1.5 0.8

Energy

246.435 255.006 255.361 3.5 3.6 0.1

All items less energy

294.063 295.731 297.728 6.7 1.2 0.7

All items less food and energy

291.382 293.029 295.124 6.2 1.3 0.7

Commodities less food and energy commodities

167.175 167.823 168.789 1.1 1.0 0.6

Energy commodities

267.290 285.321 286.968 -3.5 7.4 0.6

Services less energy services

372.695 375.070 377.962 8.3 1.4 0.8

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2023