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20-1190-DAL
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Prices in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), fell 1.1 percent for the two months ending in May 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak noted that the indexes for both energy and for all items less food and energy posted declines during the period. In contrast, food prices rose during the two months ending in May. (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 fell 0.5 percent, while the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.) During the 12-month period ending in May 2020, food prices increased 1.8 percent, while energy costs dropped 24.0 percent.
FoodFood prices rose 0.5 percent for the two months ending in May, after rising 0.6 percent in February and March. The latest movement was primarily the result of a 0.7-percent increase in the food at home index (grocery store prices), though prices for food away from home also rose, edging up 0.2 percent.
During the 12 months ending in May 2020, food prices advanced 1.8 percent, reflecting the combined effects of a 2.3-percent increase in prices for food at home and a 1.2-percent rise in prices for food away from home.
EnergyThe energy index fell 11.4 percent for the two months ending in May, after declining 8.3 percent in the previous bi-monthly period. During the latest period, the largest contributor was a 26.5-percent drop in motor fuel prices. In contrast, the price of electricity rose 1.1 percent and natural gas prices were up 2.7 percent during the latest two-month period.
Over the year, the energy index dropped 24.0 percent, matching the April annual decline, both marking the sharpest twelve-month decline since September 2009. The biggest factor in the latest annual decline was a 45.5-percent drop in motor fuel costs. The other components within the energy index registered increases, as natural gas costs were up 10.9 percent and electricity prices rose 1.1 percent during the year ending in May 2020.
All items less food and energyThe index for all items less food and energy fell 0.5 percent in April and May, after rising 0.6 percent in February and March. In the latest bi-monthly period, lower prices were registered for a number of components, including motor vehicle insurance (-23.8 percent), apparel (-8.1 percent), and other goods and services (-2.7 percent). These decreases were partially offset by price increases for shelter (0.7 percent), medical care (1.8 percent), and alcoholic beverages (5.7 percent).
Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent. Leading factors in the price increase included shelter (5.3 percent) and medical care (5.8 percent). Partly countering these gains were price declines for motor vehicle insurance (-25.6 percent), new vehicles (-10.6 percent), and apparel (-5.4 percent).
The July 2020 Consumer Price Index for All Items for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington is scheduled to be released Wednesday, August 12, 2020.
Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in May was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed. While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.
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.
Item and Group | Indexes | Percent change from - | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mar. 2020 | Apr. 2020 | May 2020 | May 2019 | Mar. 2020 | Apr. 2020 | |
All items | 238.865 | - | 236.317 | -0.5 | -1.1 | - |
All items (1967 = 100) | 749.305 | - | 741.312 | |||
Food and beverages | 261.443 | - | 263.803 | 2.3 | 0.9 | - |
Food | 255.909 | - | 257.102 | 1.8 | 0.5 | - |
Food at home | 215.773 | 216.651 | 217.341 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
Cereals and bakery products | 259.234 | - | 260.866 | -0.9 | 0.6 | - |
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs | 249.729 | - | 256.258 | 5.4 | 2.6 | - |
Dairy and related products | 194.100 | - | 197.639 | 3.4 | 1.8 | - |
Fruits and vegetables | 197.351 | - | 189.311 | -1.4 | -4.1 | - |
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1) | 186.977 | - | 193.775 | 6.4 | 3.6 | - |
Other food at home | 201.817 | - | 202.830 | 1.1 | 0.5 | - |
Food away from home | 316.173 | - | 316.759 | 1.2 | 0.2 | - |
Alcoholic beverages | 334.613 | - | 353.740 | 9.9 | 5.7 | - |
Housing | 237.318 | - | 238.598 | 4.6 | 0.5 | - |
Shelter | 266.409 | 267.105 | 268.233 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
Rent of primary residence | 284.827 | 285.386 | 286.580 | 4.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2) | 286.916 | 287.704 | 289.015 | 5.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2) | 286.916 | 287.704 | 289.015 | 5.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
Fuels and utilities | 247.288 | - | 249.574 | 3.0 | 0.9 | - |
Household energy | 215.790 | 216.825 | 218.326 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.7 |
Energy services | 212.209 | 213.371 | 214.998 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.8 |
Electricity | 206.218 | 206.085 | 208.514 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
Utility (piped) gas service | 181.819 | 190.220 | 186.639 | 10.9 | 2.7 | -1.9 |
Household furnishings and operations | 120.834 | - | 119.660 | 1.1 | -1.0 | - |
Apparel | 113.159 | - | 103.957 | -5.4 | -8.1 | - |
Transportation | 192.383 | - | 175.989 | -18.2 | -8.5 | - |
Private transportation | 196.742 | - | 178.563 | -18.1 | -9.2 | - |
New and used motor vehicles(3) | 100.529 | - | 100.780 | -7.2 | 0.2 | - |
New vehicles(1) | 184.054 | - | 186.620 | -10.6 | 1.4 | - |
Used cars and trucks(1) | 328.412 | - | 323.916 | -0.7 | -1.4 | - |
Motor fuel | 184.408 | 136.974 | 135.570 | -45.5 | -26.5 | -1.0 |
Gasoline (all types) | 183.021 | 135.615 | 134.345 | -45.7 | -26.6 | -0.9 |
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4) | 174.517 | 128.137 | 127.108 | -46.6 | -27.2 | -0.8 |
199.477 | 156.207 | 151.874 | -41.7 | -23.9 | -2.8 | |
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4) | 210.196 | 166.927 | 164.124 | -38.2 | -21.9 | -1.7 |
Motor vehicle insurance(1) | 764.690 | - | 582.991 | -25.6 | -23.8 | - |
Medical care | 469.228 | - | 477.670 | 5.8 | 1.8 | - |
Recreation(3) | 121.323 | - | 122.316 | -1.1 | 0.8 | - |
Education and communication(3) | 133.070 | - | 133.284 | 1.2 | 0.2 | - |
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1) | 1,292.468 | - | 1,292.397 | 2.2 | 0.0 | - |
Other goods and services | 425.990 | - | 414.663 | 0.0 | -2.7 | - |
Commodity and service group | ||||||
Commodities | 172.801 | - | 168.120 | -5.9 | -2.7 | - |
Commodities less food and beverages | 134.484 | - | 127.820 | -10.5 | -5.0 | - |
Nondurables less food and beverages | 168.012 | - | 152.821 | -15.5 | -9.0 | - |
Durables | 105.945 | - | 105.853 | -4.3 | -0.1 | - |
Services | 303.210 | - | 302.731 | 2.7 | -0.2 | - |
Special aggregate indexes | ||||||
All items less shelter | 226.599 | - | 221.947 | -3.5 | -2.1 | - |
All items less medical care | 227.746 | - | 224.733 | -1.0 | -1.3 | - |
Commodities less food | 139.375 | - | 133.199 | -9.8 | -4.4 | - |
Nondurables | 210.202 | - | 202.350 | -6.5 | -3.7 | - |
Nondurables less food | 175.553 | - | 161.931 | -13.9 | -7.8 | - |
Services less rent of shelter(2) | 351.932 | - | 347.668 | -0.5 | -1.2 | - |
Services less medical care services | 285.767 | - | 284.465 | 2.1 | -0.5 | - |
Energy | 201.026 | 177.968 | 178.030 | -24.0 | -11.4 | 0.0 |
All items less energy | 246.282 | - | 245.301 | 1.4 | -0.4 | - |
All items less food and energy | 244.495 | - | 243.196 | 1.3 | -0.5 | - |
Footnotes | ||||||
- Data not available. |
Last Modified Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2020