Prices in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were little changed for the two months ending in January 2020, edging up 0.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that the indexes for food and for all items less food and energy posted a 0.1-percent rise during the period. In contrast, due primarily to lower gasoline costs, the energy index fell 0.5 percent during the two months ending in January. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U advanced 2.1 percent, while the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.) During the 12-month period ending in January 2020, food prices increased 2.7 percent and energy costs climbed 10.3 percent.

Food

Food prices were essentially unchanged, edging up 0.1 percent for the two months ending in January, after rising 0.4 percent in October and November. The latest movement was entirely the result of a 0.3-percent increase in the food at home index (grocery store prices), as prices for food away from home slipped 0.1 percent during the period. Though only a modest decline in prices for food away from home, it was the first bimonthly decrease since January 2015.

During the 12 months ending in January 2020, food prices advanced 2.7 percent, reflecting the combined effects of a 3.0-percent increase in prices for food at home and a 2.4-percent rise in prices for food away from home.

Energy

The energy index fell 0.5 percent for the two months ending in January, after falling 1.4 percent in October and November. The latest decrease was primarily the result of lower prices for gasoline (-2.3 percent), though prices for natural gas service also declined (-4.0 percent). In contrast, electricity costs rose 2.5 percent during the two-month period.

Over the year, the energy index advanced 10.3 percent, the first double-digit increase since October 2018. All sub-components contributed to the latest rise, but higher prices for gasoline, up 17.8 percent, were the biggest factor. Prices for electricity rose 3.0 percent and prices for natural gas service increased 2.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was essentially unchanged, edging up 0.1 percent in December and January, after falling 0.5 percent in October and November. In the latest bi-monthly period, higher prices were registered for a number of components, including shelter (0.6 percent), new vehicles (1.6 percent), medical care (0.8 percent), education and communication (1.0 percent), and recreation (0.7 percent). These increases were nearly balanced by price declines for other components, including apparel (-4.4 percent), alcoholic beverages (-5.2 percent), and used cars and trucks (-0.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.4 percent. Leading factors in the price increase included shelter (3.8 percent) and medical care (4.2 percent). Partly offsetting these gains were price declines for household furnishings and operations (-6.1 percent), apparel (-4.2 percent), and new and used motor vehicles (-2.6 percent). Prices also fell for recreation (-1.1 percent) and education and communication (-0.5 percent). The index for education and communication has recorded nearly uninterrupted annual declines since the 12 months ending in March 2017.

The March 2020 Consumer Price Index for All Items for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is scheduled to be released Friday, April 10, 2020.

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 the counties of Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise.

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 -
	Nov. 2019	Dec. 2019	Jan. 2020	Jan. 2019	Nov. 2019	Dec. 2019
All items	238.768	-	238.935	2.1	0.1	-
All items (1967 = 100)	749.002	-	749.526
Food and beverages	260.308	-	259.487	2.3	-0.3	-
Food	254.165	-	254.505	2.7	0.1	-
Food at home	212.821	213.268	213.543	3.0	0.3	0.1
Cereals and bakery products	259.458	-	252.772	-1.0	-2.6	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	232.372	-	243.305	2.1	4.7	-
Dairy and related products	199.671	-	199.131	5.6	-0.3	-
Fruits and vegetables	193.527	-	201.215	4.9	4.0	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	187.931	-	182.257	6.1	-3.0	-
Other food at home	204.286	-	198.946	1.6	-2.6	-
Food away from home	316.334	-	316.094	2.4	-0.1	-
Alcoholic beverages	342.456	-	324.746	-1.6	-5.2	-
Housing	233.371	-	235.154	2.7	0.8	-
Shelter	261.578	263.203	263.105	3.8	0.6	0.0
Rent of primary residence	278.661	280.054	280.434	3.7	0.6	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)	282.597	283.553	282.877	4.0	0.1	-0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)	282.597	283.553	282.877	4.0	0.1	-0.2
Fuels and utilities	246.367	-	252.360	3.5	2.4	-
Household energy	218.812	218.793	222.266	2.9	1.6	1.6
Energy services	215.206	215.180	218.544	2.8	1.6	1.6
Electricity	205.831	205.831	210.942	3.0	2.5	2.5
Utility (piped) gas service	203.735	203.560	195.650	2.1	-4.0	-3.9
Household furnishings and operations	118.587	-	119.099	-6.1	0.4	-
Apparel	114.340	-	109.365	-4.2	-4.4	-
Transportation	205.345	-	202.133	2.5	-1.6	-
Private transportation	207.149	-	204.851	2.1	-1.1	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	104.335	-	104.388	-2.6	0.1	-
New vehicles(1)	196.181	-	199.406	-2.6	1.6	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	320.620	-	318.974	-2.1	-0.5	-
Motor fuel	219.505	213.038	214.459	17.5	-2.3	0.7
Gasoline (all types)	218.084	211.585	212.963	17.8	-2.3	0.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	208.861	202.692	203.803	18.0	-2.4	0.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	236.472	228.189	229.866	16.7	-2.8	0.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	240.990	233.553	237.245	16.4	-1.6	1.6
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	762.402	-	755.625	-6.1	-0.9	-
Medical care	459.300	-	462.745	4.2	0.8	-
Recreation(3)	121.064	-	121.966	-1.1	0.7	-
Education and communication(3)	131.331	-	132.628	-0.5	1.0	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,286.296	-	1,286.352	1.7	0.0	-
Other goods and services	425.207	-	428.813	5.7	0.8	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	175.790	-	175.257	2.0	-0.3	-
Commodities less food and beverages	138.592	-	138.210	1.8	-0.3	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	175.811	-	173.596	5.6	-1.3	-
Durables	107.168	-	108.182	-2.4	0.9	-
Services	300.132	-	300.965	2.2	0.3	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	228.758	-	228.284	1.3	-0.2	-
All items less medical care	228.078	-	228.101	2.0	0.0	-
Commodities less food	143.603	-	142.844	1.6	-0.5	-
Nondurables	214.317	-	212.622	3.9	-0.8	-
Nondurables less food	183.427	-	180.432	5.1	-1.6	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	352.047	-	351.725	0.4	-0.1	-
Services less medical care services	283.516	-	284.091	1.8	0.2	-
Energy	220.331	216.782	219.249	10.3	-0.5	1.1
All items less energy	244.604	-	244.920	1.5	0.1	-
All items less food and energy	242.830	-	243.141	1.4	0.1	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a February 1978=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Index on a December 1993=100.
- Data not available.