The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Dallas-Fort Worth rose 1.5 percent in August and September, the largest two-month increase since February and March 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that a 1.0-percent rise in the index for all items less food and energy, combined with an 8.9-percent increase in energy prices were the largest contributors to the bimonthly advance. A 0.9-percent rise in food prices played a smaller role. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bimonthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

During the year ended in September 2017, the all items CPI-U rose 3.2 percent, the fastest annual rate of gain since November 2011. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.7 percent during the latest 12-month period, returning to rates last seen in 2016. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.9 percent in August and September, after rising 0.2 percent in June and July. During the latest period, prices for food away from home were up 0.9 percent and prices for food at home (grocery stores) rose 0.8 percent.

From September 2016 to September 2017, food prices rose 1.2 percent. The increase reflected the combined effects of a 2.0-percent rise in prices for food away from home and a 0.3-percent rise in prices for food at home. The 0.3-percent annual increase in grocery store prices was the highest since July 2016.

Energy

The energy index climbed 8.9 percent in August and September, its largest bimonthly gain since January and February 2013. The increase was almost entirely due to an 18.3-percent jump in motor fuel prices, though higher natural gas prices (1.5 percent) also contributed. The price of electricity was unchanged.

During the year ended in September 2017, the energy index increased 13.0 percent. As in the bimonthly period, higher prices for motor fuel, up 31.1 percent, were the largest contributor, with a 4.6-percent increase in natural gas prices also playing a role. In contrast, electricity costs fell 3.6 percent during the previous 12 months.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.0 percent in August and September. A 15.1-percent jump in the highly seasonal apparel index was the biggest contributor, although a 1.1-percent rise in shelter costs accounted for nearly as much of the overall rise. Within the shelter component, prices for owners’ equivalent rent were up 1.0 percent and renters’ costs rose 1.1 percent. Offsetting a portion of these increases, prices fell for education and communication (-0.7 percent) and other goods and services (-0.9 percent).

From September 2016 to September 2017, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.7 percent. Higher shelter costs, up 6.7 percent, were responsible for nearly 70 percent of the annual increase. This was the highest 12-month percentage increase in shelter costs since April 1986 and reflected a 6.6-percent advance in owners’ equivalent rent and a 7.3-percent increase in renters’ costs. Partially countering these increases, prices declined over the year for three components: education and communication (-3.9 percent); medical care (-1.0 percent); and other goods and services (-0.9 percent).

The November 2017 Consumer Price Index for All Items for Dallas-Fort Worth is scheduled to be released Wednesday, December 13, 2017.

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 -
	Jul. 2017	Aug. 2017	Sep. 2017	Sep. 2016	Jul. 2017	Aug. 2017
All items	225.613	-	229.056	3.2	1.5	-
All items (1967 = 100)	707.734	-	718.537
Food and beverages	251.754	-	255.004	1.4	1.3	-
Food	246.791	-	248.899	1.2	0.9	-
Food at home	217.445	218.002	219.152	0.3	0.8	0.5
Food away from home	291.832	-	294.530	2.0	0.9	-
Alcoholic beverages	315.899	-	335.388	4.1	6.2	-
Housing	216.164	-	218.044	5.2	0.9	-
Shelter	239.285	240.436	241.939	6.7	1.1	0.6
Rent of primary residence(1)	252.819	254.497	255.682	7.3	1.1	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	256.879	258.063	259.576	6.6	1.0	0.6
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	256.879	258.063	259.576	6.6	1.0	0.6
Fuels and utilities	224.211	-	225.345	0.3	0.5	-
Household energy	204.354	205.177	204.906	-1.9	0.3	-0.1
Energy services(1)(3)	200.890	201.707	201.437	-2.0	0.3	-0.1
Electricity(1)	185.345	185.638	185.316	-3.6	0.0	-0.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	232.827	236.138	236.207	4.6	1.5	0.0
Household furnishings and operations	123.144	-	122.296	-1.2	-0.7	-
Apparel	99.166	-	114.143	2.3	15.1	-
Transportation	200.638	-	207.623	6.7	3.5	-
Private transportation	203.199	-	210.841	7.3	3.8	-
Motor fuel	202.500	212.743	239.464	31.1	18.3	12.6
Gasoline (all types)	201.578	211.837	238.503	31.3	18.3	12.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	192.972	203.095	230.010	32.2	19.2	13.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	217.288	227.528	246.381	27.3	13.4	8.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	223.949	232.382	250.440	25.1	11.8	7.8
Medical care	432.125	-	432.588	-1.0	0.1	-
Recreation(6)	110.851	-	112.198	0.7	1.2	-
Education and communication(6)	134.873	-	133.865	-3.9	-0.7	-
Other goods and services	393.424	-	389.735	-0.9	-0.9	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	170.495	-	176.010	2.9	3.2	-
Commodities less food and beverages	134.535	-	140.481	3.8	4.4	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	164.303	-	178.021	8.7	8.3	-
Durables	108.836	-	108.826	-1.7	0.0	-
Services	279.405	-	280.890	3.4	0.5	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	219.882	-	223.718	1.5	1.7	-
All items less medical care	215.596	-	219.171	3.6	1.7	-
Commodities less food	139.162	-	145.429	3.8	4.5	-
Nondurables	203.983	-	213.311	4.8	4.6	-
Nondurables less food	171.311	-	185.292	8.3	8.2	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	334.724	-	334.206	-0.3	-0.2	-
Services less medical care services	264.225	-	265.729	4.1	0.6	-
Energy	204.941	210.364	223.254	13.0	8.9	6.1
All items less energy	231.424	-	233.624	2.5	1.0	-
All items less food and energy	228.813	-	231.024	2.7	1.0	-
Footnotes (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.