The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach increased 1.0 percent over the January-February pricing period, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the all items less food and energy index rose 1.4 percent. The energy index decreased 1.6 percent and the food index edged down 0.2 percent over the two months. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U increased 1.2 percent. The all items less food and energy index moved up 2.0 percent and the food index rose 1.5 percent over the year. The energy index declined 7.3 percent since February 2018. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index edged down 0.2 percent over the January-February pricing period, led by a 0.5-percent decline in the food at home index. The food away from home index edged up 0.2 percent over the two-month pricing period.

Since February 2018, the food index rose 1.5 percent, reflecting increases in the food away from home (2.0 percent) and the food at home (1.0 percent) indexes.  

Energy

The energy index declined 1.6 percent over the January-February pricing period, led by a 4.6-percent decline in the gasoline index. The electricity index was up 2.0 percent over the two months.

Over the year, the energy index fell 7.3 percent, fueled by a 13.9-percent decline in the gasoline index. The electricity index was up 1.0 percent from February 2018.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent over the January-February pricing period as increases were recorded for several indexes, most notably the shelter index (1.9 percent).

From February 2018 to February 2019, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.0 percent, led by a 4.6-percent advance in the shelter index. In contrast, the apparel and medical care indexes declined over the year, down 7.3 and 2.7 percent, respectively.  

Table A. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	0.3	0.4	0.2	1.6	1.3	4.0	2.6	3.2	1.0	1.2
April	0.8	0.5	0.7	1.4	-0.5	2.8	-0.1	3.5
June	0.4	1.2	0.6	1.6	-0.2	2.0	0.5	4.2
August	0.0	1.3	0.0	1.6	0.3	2.3	-0.3	3.6
October	0.2	1.1	0.5	1.9	1.0	2.7	0.8	3.4
December	-0.1	1.6	0.8	2.9	-0.1	1.8	-0.6	2.9

The Consumer Price Index for March 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

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 population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 29 percent of the total 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 5,000 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 (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period "market basket" of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch17.pdf.

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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties in Florida.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.