The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington rose 0.5 percent in February and March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that a 0.6-percent increase in the index for all items less food and energy was the biggest factor in the two-month rise, though a 0.7-percent increase in energy costs also contributed. In contrast, food prices fell 0.5 percent in February and March. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

During the year ended in March 2018, the all items CPI-U rose 2.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.2 percent during the latest 12-month period.

Food

Food prices fell 0.5 percent in February and March, after edging up 0.1 percent in December and January. During the latest period, prices for food at home fell at a faster pace, down 1.0 percent, as prices for food away from home were unchanged.

From March 2017 to March 2018, total food prices declined 0.4 percent. This movement reflected the combined effects of a 2.9-percent decrease in prices for food at home and a 2.2-percent increase in prices for food away from home.

Energy

The energy index rose 0.7 percent in February and March, following two consecutive bimonthly declines. The current increase was entirely the result of a 2.5-percent rise in motor fuel costs. Partially offsetting the motor fuel advance were lower household energy costs, as prices for electricity and natural gas fell 1.8 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

During the year ended in March 2018, the energy index rose 5.2 percent. Higher motor fuel prices, up 9.4 percent, were the largest factor in the energy index rise, but a 13.0-percent increase in natural gas prices also played a role. In contrast, electricity prices fell 2.6 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent in February and March, after slipping 0.1 percent in December and January. The current advance was broad-based, but led by higher prices for recreation and shelter, up 3.8 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively. Two categories which had recorded two consecutive bimonthly price declines registered increases in February and March; apparel prices rose 3.6 percent and medical care costs increased 0.6 percent.

From March 2017 to March 2018, the index for all items less food and energy rose 3.2 percent. Higher shelter costs, up 5.4 percent, were responsible for the largest share of the annual increase. Another large contributor to the annual increase was recreation prices, which rose 5.3 percent. Countering a portion of these advances, education and communication costs were down 1.3 percent during the previous 12 months.

The May 2018 Consumer Price Index for All Items for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is scheduled to be released Tuesday, June 12, 2018.

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is published bi-monthly. 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 approximately 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, Core Based Statistical Area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise 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-Arlington, TX (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from -
	Jan. 2018	Feb. 2018	Mar. 2018	Mar. 2017	Jan. 2018	Feb. 2018
All items	229.132	-	230.272	2.9	0.5	-
All items (1967 = 100)	718.773	-	722.349
Food and beverages	252.753	-	251.166	-0.3	-0.6	-
Food	246.691	-	245.461	-0.4	-0.5	-
Food at home	213.150	213.075	210.963	-2.9	-1.0	-1.0
Cereals and bakery products	254.351	-	263.028	-	3.4	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	242.470	-	240.950	-	-0.6	-
Dairy and related products	196.465	-	193.708	-	-1.4	-
Fruits and vegetables	200.879	-	191.863	-	-4.5	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	183.590	-	176.671	-	-3.8	-
Other food at home	198.712	-	199.424	-	0.4	-
Food away from home	297.506	-	297.648	2.2	0.0	-
Alcoholic beverages	335.313	-	324.083	0.1	-3.3	-
Housing	220.283	-	220.437	4.3	0.1	-
Shelter	244.428	244.772	245.915	5.4	0.6	0.5
Rent of primary residence(2)	260.571	260.202	262.322	6.6	0.7	0.8
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)(3)	263.016	263.308	264.447	6.1	0.5	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)(3)	263.016	263.308	264.447	6.1	0.5	0.4
Fuels and utilities	227.096	-	224.645	2.5	-1.1	-
Household energy	201.925	202.531	198.694	0.3	-1.6	-1.9
Energy services(2)	198.374	199.026	195.244	0.2	-1.6	-1.9
Electricity(2)	182.932	182.932	179.671	-2.6	-1.8	-1.8
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	229.267	233.685	227.933	13.0	-0.6	-2.5
Household furnishings and operations	123.827	-	120.659	-2.8	-2.6	-
Apparel	109.788	-	113.790	2.1	3.6	-
Transportation	204.554	-	206.655	4.7	1.0	-
Private transportation	208.607	-	209.699	5.3	0.5	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	106.787	-	106.975	-	0.2	-
New vehicles(1)	206.170	-	199.219	-	-3.4	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	319.433	-	328.209	-	2.7	-
Motor fuel	216.559	212.540	221.874	9.4	2.5	4.4
Gasoline (all types)	215.067	210.917	220.429	9.3	2.5	4.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	206.333	202.207	211.596	9.1	2.6	4.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	229.309	225.479	234.378	9.1	2.2	3.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	234.897	231.715	239.697	10.5	2.0	3.4
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	823.655	-	811.445	-	-1.5	-
Medical care	431.091	-	433.810	0.4	0.6	-
Recreation(4)	112.932	-	117.248	5.3	3.8	-
Education and communication(4)	134.259	-	134.581	-1.3	0.2	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,239.830	-	1,238.524	-	-0.1	-
Other goods and services	396.871	-	393.744	0.5	-0.8	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	173.684	-	173.494	0.9	-0.1	-
Commodities less food and beverages	138.241	-	138.477	1.5	0.2	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	172.004	-	174.002	3.2	1.2	-
Durables	109.462	-	108.348	-0.5	-1.0	-
Services	283.258	-	285.673	4.1	0.9	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	222.633	-	223.613	1.6	0.4	-
All items less medical care	219.319	-	220.383	3.1	0.5	-
Commodities less food	143.176	-	143.299	1.5	0.1	-
Nondurables	208.888	-	209.454	1.4	0.3	-
Nondurables less food	179.462	-	181.198	3.1	1.0	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	336.295	-	340.088	2.5	1.1	-
Services less medical care services	268.229	-	270.555	4.5	0.9	-
Energy	210.986	209.064	212.416	5.2	0.7	1.6
All items less energy	234.774	-	235.907	2.7	0.5	-
All items less food and energy	232.672	-	234.147	3.2	0.6	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a February 1978=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (6) Index on a December 1993=100.
- Data not available. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.