Web site: www.bls.gov/ro3/ PLS - 4551
For Release:
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Information: Gerald Perrins
(215) 597-3282
Media Contact: Sheila Watkins
(215) 861-5600

WASHINGTON-BALTIMORE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: JUNE 2009 (PDF)

Largest One-Month Increase in Energy Prices Since June 2007

Prices for energy and shelter rose in the Washington-Baltimore area in June, while food at home prices fell, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent increase in the energy index was dominated by the continued rise in gasoline prices and the seasonal advance in electricity rates.  (See table 1.)

Energy prices rose 10.5 percent in June—the largest one-month increase in two years.  Gasoline prices advanced for the sixth consecutive month, up 44.8 percent since December and 14.6 percent since May.  The recent one-month increase in gasoline was the largest since April 2006 and led the recent advance in energy prices.  Due to strong declines in the second half of last year, gasoline prices were 36.3 percent below year-ago levels.  A smaller-than-usual seasonal increase in electricity prices, up 9.6 percent in June, was also a major contributor to the recent advance in the energy index.  Electricity prices normally increase in June as summer rate schedules are introduced, then decline in October; this month’s increase was the smallest May-June rise ever. The utility (piped) gas service index fell 0.5 percent in June following a 10.3-percent decrease in May.  Utility gas prices dropped 35.1 percent since June 2008.  Over the last 12 months, energy prices were 20.9 percent lower.

The Washington-Baltimore energy index stood at 200.143 on the November 1996=100 base, which means that area energy users would have spent $20.01 for a group of energy items that cost $10.00 in November 1996.

The shelter index rose 0.6 percent since May due to increases in both its published components—owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence (0.6 percent) and rent of primary residence (0.5 percent). These two components had over-the-year increases of 4.0 and 5.2 percent, respectively.  The shelter index increased 2.7 percent since June 2008.

The Washington-Baltimore area shelter index stood at 157.976 on the December 1997=100 base, which means that area residents would have spent $15.80 on various types of shelter that cost $10.00 in December 1997.

Due in part to lower prices for pork and frozen and freeze dried prepared foods, the food at home index fell 1.1 percent in June.  Over the year, food at home prices were essentially unchanged, inching down 0.1 percent.

The Washington-Baltimore area food at home index stood at 134.559 on the December 1997=100 base, which means that grocery shoppers in the Washington-Baltimore area would have spent $13.46 last month for a market basket of food items that cost $10.00 in December 1997.

The Washington-Baltimore, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va., Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) includes the District of Columbia; Baltimore City and the counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, and Washington in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, King George, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the counties of Berkeley and Jefferson in West Virginia.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Washington-Baltimore, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va. (December 1997=100 unless otherwise noted)
Expenditure category Indexes Percent change from-
Apr. 2009 May 2009 June 2009 June 2008 Apr. 2009 May 2009

All items (1)

 - 139.311 - - - -

Food and beverages (1)

 - 139.133 - - - -

Food (1)

 - 140.720 - - - -

Food at home

 135.515 136.050 134.559 -0.1 -0.7 -1.1

Food away from home (2)

 - 143.937 - - - -

Alcoholic beverages (2)

 - 117.660 - - - -

Housing (1)

 - 152.349 - - - -

Shelter

 156.131 156.979 157.976 2.7 1.2 0.6

Rent of primary residence (1) (3)

 168.139 168.638 169.543 5.2 0.8 0.5

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (3)

 155.658 156.272 157.144 4.0 1.0 0.6

Fuels and utilities

 - 180.493 - - - -

Household energy

 187.876 184.157 198.244 -3.0 5.5 7.6

Gas (piped) and electricity (3)

182.092 179.359 193.401 -1.3 6.2 7.8

Electricity (3)

185.888 187.022 205.019 9.8 10.3 9.6

Utility (piped) gas service (3)

 149.318 133.977 133.272 -35.1 -10.7 -0.5

Household furnishings and operations

 - 103.760 - - - -

Apparel (1)

 - 96.228 - - - -

Transportation (1)

 - 120.989 - - - -

Private transportation

 - 121.086 - - - -

Motor fuel

 169.481 182.489 209.135 -36.4 23.4 14.6

Gasoline (all types)

 169.413 182.478 209.172 -36.3 23.5 14.6

Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)

 170.172 184.339 212.232 -37.0 24.7 15.1

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4)

 171.589 182.607 207.769 -35.2 21.1 13.8

Gasoline,unleaded premium (4)

 171.296 183.179 207.496 -34.5 21.1 13.3

Medical care (1)

 - 142.187 - - - -

Recreation

 - 115.334 - - - -

Education and communication

 - 131.296 - - - -

Other goods and services (1)

 - 163.730 - - - -
Commodity and service group            

Commodities

 - 119.989 - - - -

Commodities less food and beverages

 - 109.136 - - - -

Nondurables less food and beverages

 - 130.454 - - - -

Durables

 - 85.718 - - - -

Services

 - 152.048 - - - -
Special aggregate indexes            

All items less medical care (1)

 - 139.104 - - - -

All items less shelter

 - 130.257 - - - -

Commodities less food

 - 109.612 - - - -

Nondurables

 - 134.362 - - - -

Nondurables less food

 - 129.477 - - - -

Services less rent of shelter

 - 146.708 - - - -

Services less medical care services

 - 152.873 - - - -

Energy (1)

 177.842 181.064 200.143 -20.9 12.5 10.5

All items less energy

 - 135.754 - - - -

All items less food and energy (1)

 - 135.831 - - - -

Footnotes
1 For Washington-Baltimore, index is on a November 1996=100 base.
2 For Washington-Baltimore, index is on a November 1997=100 base.
3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
4 Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
- Data not available.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 

Last Modified Date: September 23, 2009