The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Washington-Baltimore inched down 0.1 percent from September to November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent decrease was due largely to a 4.2-percent decrease in the energy index. The food index also decreased since September, down 0.1 percent, while the all items less food and energy index edged up 0.3 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U advanced 1.6 percent, mainly reflecting a 1.3-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. (See chart 1 and table A.) Since November 2016, the energy index and food index also increased, up 5.9 and 1.0 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index inched down 0.1 percent over the last two months. Prices for food at home declined 0.5 percent, while those for food away from home rose 0.3 percent. Within the food at home component, lower prices for various items including carbonated drinks and bacon, breakfast sausage, and related products were moderated by higher prices for citrus fruits, among others.

Food prices increased 1.0 percent over the year. Prices were higher for both food away from home and food at home since last November, up 1.8 and 0.2 percent, respectively.

Energy

Since September, the energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, declined 4.2 percent, mainly due to lower prices for gasoline, down 5.8 percent. Prices were also lower for electricity and utility (piped) gas service, 3.9 and 1.7 percent, respectively.

Energy prices rose 5.9 percent over the year. The advance was led by a 13.2-percent increase in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for utility (piped) gas service (3.6 percent), while those for electricity declined (-0.8 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.3 percent since September. Higher prices for a number of items including medical care (0.5 percent) and education and communication (0.3 percent) were moderated by a seasonal price decrease for apparel (-5.7 percent), among others. 

Since November 2016, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent. Higher prices for a number of items, including shelter (1.9 percent) and medical care (2.6 percent), contributed to the 12-month increase in the all items less food and energy index.

Table A. Washington, D.C. CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	0.1	1.8	0.4	1.9	-1.0	-0.2	-0.2	1.4	0.2	1.7
March	0.9	1.4	0.6	1.6	1.0	0.2	0.6	1.0	0.3	1.3
May	-0.2	1.2	0.4	2.2	0.6	0.4	0.8	1.2	0.2	0.7
July	0.5	1.9	0.0	1.7	-0.2	0.2	-0.1	1.4	0.0	0.7
September	0.6	1.2	0.2	1.3	0.5	0.5	-0.1	0.8	0.9	1.7
November	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.2	-0.3	0.6	0.1	1.2	-0.1	1.6

The Consumer Price Index for January 2018 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 14, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Washington-Baltimore 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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 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 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 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 Washington-Baltimore, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va., Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area 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, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, King George, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the counties of Berkeley and Jefferson in West Virginia.

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, Washington-Baltimore, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va., (December 1997=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Sep. 2017	Oct. 2017	Nov. 2017	Nov. 2016	Sep. 2017	Oct. 2017
All items(1)		160.293		160.157	1.6	-0.1
Food and beverages(1)		159.027		158.820	0.9	-0.1
Food(1)		160.622		160.390	1.0	-0.1
Food at home		147.630	147.195	146.884	0.2	-0.5	-0.2
Food away from home(2)		174.627		175.092	1.8	0.3
Alcoholic beverages(2)		136.727		136.856	-0.3	0.1
Housing(1)		174.155		173.796	1.7	-0.2
Shelter		186.540	186.352	186.603	1.9	0.0	0.1
Rent of primary residence(1)(3)		208.288	208.836	209.612	3.0	0.6	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(3)(4)		185.643	186.111	186.429	1.5	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(3)(4)		185.634	186.100	186.417	1.5	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities		197.332		192.925	0.7	-2.2
Household energy		185.945	184.852	180.450	0.4	-3.0	-2.4
Gas (piped) and electricity(3)		179.028	176.751	172.866	0.1	-3.4	-2.2
Electricity(3)		190.471	187.952	183.110	-0.8	-3.9	-2.6
Utility (piped) gas service(3)		127.830	126.472	125.660	3.6	-1.7	-0.6
Household furnishings and operations		86.990		86.859	0.3	-0.2
Apparel(1)		109.650		103.351	-1.9	-5.7
Transportation(1)		143.871		144.933	4.4	0.7
Private transportation		142.078		142.681	4.0	0.4
Motor fuel		230.523	214.895	217.391	13.2	-5.7	1.2
Gasoline (all types)		230.558	214.669	217.167	13.2	-5.8	1.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)		228.885	212.596	215.166	13.5	-6.0	1.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)		241.913	227.544	230.171	11.1	-4.9	1.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)		248.159	235.351	237.267	10.6	-4.4	0.8
Medical care(1)		189.131		190.116	2.6	0.5
Recreation		113.904		114.086	-3.0	0.2
Education and communication		151.819		152.263	0.1	0.3
Other goods and services(1)		178.513		178.446	-0.7	0.0
Commodity and service group
Commodities		127.841		126.562	0.7	-1.0
Commodities less food and beverages		110.661		108.941	0.6	-1.6
Nondurables less food and beverages		146.901		141.345	2.4	-3.8
Durables		76.363		77.123	-1.3	1.0
Services		182.172		182.846	2.0	0.4
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		147.326		147.103	1.4	-0.2
All items less medical care(1)		158.446		158.231	1.5	-0.1
Commodities less food		111.943		110.268	0.5	-1.5
Nondurables		152.423		149.686	1.6	-1.8
Nondurables less food		146.361		141.196	2.2	-3.5
Services less rent of shelter		177.946		179.283	2.0	0.8
Services less medical care services		181.386		182.028	2.0	0.4
Energy(1)		204.166	197.025	195.502	5.9	-4.2	-0.8
All items less energy		156.351		156.675	1.3	0.2
All items less food and energy(1)		156.651		157.058	1.3	0.3
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 1996=100 base. (2) Indexes 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) This index series underwent a change in composition in January 2010. The expenditure class now includes weight from secondary residences, and has been re-titled "Owners' equivalent rent of residences." The item stratum "Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence" excludes secondary residences. (5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.