The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South was unchanged in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A decline in the gasoline index was more than offset by an increase in the index for shelter. (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 2.7 percent for the 12 months ending in November, after increasing 2.5 percent for the 12-month period ending in October. (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 2.1 percent over the past year. In contrast, the energy index declined 1.1 percent over the same period. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index was little changed in November, down 0.1 percent. The index for food at home declined 0.4 percent over the month, while the index for food away from home rose 0.4 percent over the same period. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes declined in November, including cereals and bakery products (-1.8 percent) and other food at home (-0.7 percent). In comparison, the indexes for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+1.0 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+0.2 percent) increased in November.

The food index rose 2.1 percent for the 12 months ending in November. The index for food away from home increased 3.4 percent over the past year, while the index for food at home rose 1.3 percent over the same period. Five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the past year, led by a 3.8-percent increase in the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index. In comparison, the cereals and bakery products index declined 0.5 percent over the past 12 months.

Energy

The energy index declined 1.5 percent in November, reflecting decreases in the gasoline (-2.2 percent) and electricity (-1.5 percent) indexes. In contrast, the natural gas index rose 3.8 percent in November.

The energy index declined 1.1 percent for the 12 months ending in November. The index for gasoline fell 4.1 percent over the past 12 months. The indexes for electricity (+2.4 percent) and natural gas (+3.4 percent) increased over the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was little changed in November, up 0.1 percent. The shelter index rose 0.2 percent in November. The index for owners’ equivalent rent rose 0.2 percent over the month, as did the index for rent of primary residence. Recreation (+0.8 percent) was also among the indexes to increase in November. In comparison, the index for apparel declined 2.3 percent over the month.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent for the 12 months ending in November, as it did for the 12-month period ending in October. The index for shelter (+4.8 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 (+4.0 percent) also increased over the past year.

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the three divisions of the South. In November, the all items index increased 0.2 percent in the East South Central division and 0.1 percent in the South Atlantic division. In comparison, the all items index declined 0.3 percent in the West South Central division.

Over the year, the all items index increased 4.0 percent in the East South Central division, 2.7 percent in the South Atlantic division, and 2.0 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	2020		2021		2022		2023		2024
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.3	2.3	0.5	1.6	0.9	7.8	0.8	6.9	0.6	3.4
February	0.2	1.9	0.5	2.0	1.1	8.4	0.6	6.4	0.9	3.7
March	-0.1	1.1	0.8	2.9	1.4	9.1	0.4	5.3	0.4	3.8
April	-0.8	-0.2	0.7	4.4	0.5	8.8	0.7	5.5	0.2	3.3
May	-0.2	-0.4	0.8	5.6	1.2	9.2	0.2	4.4	0.1	3.2
June	0.6	0.3	0.9	5.8	1.5	9.8	0.3	3.3	0.0	2.9
July	0.6	0.6	0.5	5.8	0.1	9.4	0.2	3.4	0.2	2.9
August	0.4	1.1	0.3	5.6	-0.2	8.9	0.6	4.1	0.0	2.3
September	0.2	1.3	0.3	5.8	0.2	8.7	0.2	4.2	0.1	2.1
October	0.1	1.3	1.0	6.6	0.4	8.1	-0.1	3.7	0.3	2.5
November	-0.1	1.2	0.4	7.2	0.1	7.7	-0.2	3.4	0.0	2.7
December	0.2	1.4	0.3	7.4	-0.3	7.0	-0.1	3.7

The Consumer Price Index for December 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, 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 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.

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