The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Dallas-Fort Worth edged down 0.2 percent in October and November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that a 5.3-percent decrease in the energy index was nearly offset by a 1.2-percent increase in food prices; the index for all items less food and energy was little changed (0.1 percent). (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bimonthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The November 2015 all items CPI-U was unchanged from the November 2014 level. (See chart 1.) In contrast, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.9 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 1.2 percent in October and November after increasing 0.3 percent in the previous two-month period. This was the largest bimonthly increase for the food index since September 2014 when prices rose 1.4 percent. The current advance reflected the combined effects of a 1.9-percent increase in prices for food at home (grocery stores) and a 0.3-percent rise in prices for food away from home.

From November 2014 to November 2015, food prices increased 0.8 percent. Among the components of the index, prices for food away from home rose 2.0 percent, while grocery store prices were unchanged over the year.

Energy

The energy index fell 5.3 percent in October and November, following an 11.1-percent decrease in August and September. The current two-month decline was the result of lower prices for electricity and motor fuel, down 6.4 and 5.6 percent, respectively. In contrast, natural gas prices rose 3.4 percent during the period.

During the year ended in November 2015, energy costs registered a 17.7-percent decrease as prices fell for all three energy components. A 26.9-percent drop in motor fuel prices was the biggest factor in the decrease, but natural gas and electricity costs also fell, down 11.7 and 7.2 percent, respectively. Motor fuel costs have registered double-digit over-the-year declines in every month since November 2014.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was little changed in October and November, edging up 0.1 percent, after rising 0.5 percent in August and September. Among the leading factors in the advance were higher prices for education and communication (1.5 percent) and shelter (0.4 percent). Higher prices were also noted for motor vehicle insurance as well as household furnishings and operations. Slowing these gains were lower prices for apparel (-1.8 percent) and recreation (-1.4 percent). The medical care index was little changed during the two-month period, edging up 0.1 percent.

From November 2014 to November 2015, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.9 percent. The biggest factor in the annual increase was a 4.1-percent rise in shelter costs, as the indexes rose for both renters’ costs (5.5 percent) and owners’ equivalent rent (3.7 percent). Another large contributor was a 4.4-percent annual rise in medical care prices. Countering a portion of these advances, annual declines were registered for household furnishings and operations (-2.0 percent) and apparel (-1.7 percent).

The January 2016 Consumer Price Index for All Items for Dallas-Fort Worth is scheduled to be released Friday, February 19, 2016.

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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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 Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Henderson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant Counties.

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.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods,
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from -
	Sep. 2015	Oct. 2015	Nov. 2015	Nov. 2014	Sep. 2015	Oct. 2015
All items	217.507	-	217.104	0.0	-0.2	-
All items (1967 = 100)	682.308	-	681.042
Food and beverages	248.674	-	251.370	0.8	1.1	-
Food	243.248	-	246.210	0.8	1.2	-
Food at home	218.096	221.415	222.247	0.0	1.9	0.4
Food away from home	282.774	-	283.639	2.0	0.3	-
Alcoholic beverages	321.073	-	317.879	-0.3	-1.0	-
Housing	199.335	-	199.230	2.1	-0.1	-
Shelter	214.909	214.959	215.773	4.1	0.4	0.4
Rent of primary residence (1)	226.901	227.806	228.611	5.5	0.8	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)	229.795	230.649	231.153	3.7	0.6	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)	229.795	230.649	231.153	3.7	0.6	0.2
Fuels and utilities	226.218	-	218.996	-4.6	-3.2	-
Household energy	213.617	212.089	202.956	-8.1	-5.0	-4.3
Energy services (1) (3)	210.339	208.897	199.752	-7.9	-5.0	-4.4
Electricity (1)	204.514	201.165	191.505	-7.2	-6.4	-4.8
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	188.660	198.734	195.019	-11.7	3.4	-1.9
Household furnishings and operations	124.064	-	125.402	-2.0	1.1	-
Apparel	112.470	-	110.391	-1.7	-1.8	-
Transportation	196.453	-	193.068	-8.4	-1.7	-
Private transportation	198.621	-	195.203	-8.2	-1.7	-
Motor fuel	190.975	189.268	180.201	-26.9	-5.6	-4.8
Gasoline (all types)	189.760	188.136	178.914	-26.7	-5.7	-4.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)	182.290	180.429	171.353	-28.0	-6.0	-5.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)	201.905	200.972	191.211	-24.4	-5.3	-4.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)	206.771	206.117	197.478	-21.3	-4.5	-4.2
Medical care	418.399	-	418.677	4.4	0.1	-
Recreation (6)	112.925	-	111.323	0.0	-1.4	-
Education and communication (6)	138.663	-	140.750	2.2	1.5	-
Other goods and services	385.603	-	387.069	2.6	0.4	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	172.495	-	171.149	-4.4	-0.8	-
Commodities less food and beverages	138.218	-	135.495	-7.5	-2.0	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	164.265	-	160.335	-9.2	-2.4	-
Durables	114.976	-	113.340	-5.2	-1.4	-
Services	261.555	-	262.083	3.0	0.2	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	219.488	-	218.520	-1.8	-0.4	-
All items less medical care	207.760	-	207.330	-0.4	-0.2	-
Commodities less food	142.922	-	140.159	-7.2	-1.9	-
Nondurables	202.635	-	201.526	-4.1	-0.5	-
Nondurables less food	171.618	-	167.665	-8.7	-2.3	-
Services less rent of shelter (2)	328.697	-	328.700	1.8	0.0	-
Services less medical care services	245.882	-	246.445	2.8	0.2	-
Energy	204.113	202.488	193.324	-17.7	-5.3	-4.5
All items less energy	222.473	-	223.021	1.7	0.2	-
All items less food and energy	219.094	-	219.238	1.9	0.1	-
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Prior to January 2011 this series was titled Gas (piped) and electricity. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (6) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.