Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

19-1298-PHI
Thursday, July 11, 2019

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Consumer Price Index, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson – June 2019

Area prices down 0.8 percent since February; up 1.0 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Baltimore-Columbia-Towson declined 0.8 percent from April to June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that the recent two-month decrease was due largely to a 6.2-percent decrease in the energy index. The all items less food and energy index and food index also decreased since April, down 0.3 and 0.2 percent, respectively. (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 increased 1.0 percent. The over-the-year rise was due almost entirely to an increase in the all items less food and energy index (1.6 percent). The food index also rose over the year, up 1.7 percent, while prices for energy decreased, down 6.9 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index edged down 0.2 percent over the last two months. Prices declined for both food at home and food away from home, down 0.2 percent each. Within the food at home component, prices were lower for various items including uncooked beef steak, while prices were higher for items including carbonated drinks and cheese and related products, among others.

Over the year, the food index increased 1.7 percent. Prices rose for both food away from home (3.5 percent) and food at home (0.1 percent).

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 6.2 percent. Prices were lower for electricity and gasoline since April, down 10.2 and 4.2 percent, respectively. Utility (piped) gas service prices rose over the last two months, up 6.3 percent.

Over the year, the energy index declined 6.9 percent. Prices were lower for gasoline (-9.6 percent) and electricity (-4.8 percent) since June 2018, while those for utility (piped) gas service increased 9.9 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged down 0.3 percent from April to June. Lower prices for medical care (-7.1 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-3.0 percent) were moderated by higher prices for shelter (2.0 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.6 percent since June 2018, led by higher prices for shelter (2.5 percent) and medical care (2.8 percent). Prices were also higher for recreation (2.8 percent), but were lower for apparel (-6.7 percent).

The Consumer Price Index for July 2019 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at 8:30 am (ET).


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Baltimore-Columbia-Towson 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, Core Based Statistical Area includes Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s Counties in Maryland.

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, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)
Expenditure categoryIndexesPercent change from
Historical
data
Apr.
2019
May
2019
Jun.
2019
Jun.
2018
Apr.
2019
May
2019

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESA0
258.816 256.7901.0-0.8 

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAF
263.698 263.1441.6-0.2 

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAF1
263.166 262.6321.7-0.2 

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAF11
233.468235.293233.0010.1-0.2-1.0

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAF111
289.296 292.247-0.31.0 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAF112
224.266 221.891-2.4-1.1 

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESEFJ
229.537 234.5984.52.2 

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAF113
288.342 282.7103.6-2.0 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAF114
176.082 173.212-0.9-1.6 

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAF115
208.123 210.144-1.11.0 

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESEFV
306.673 306.0423.5-0.2 

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAF116
268.291 267.4901.1-0.3 

Housing(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAH
261.553 264.0601.81.0 

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAH1
308.113311.297314.3102.52.01.0

Rent of primary residence

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESEHA
361.364360.589361.7661.10.10.3

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESEHC
321.188321.114321.7451.40.20.2

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESEHC01
321.188321.114321.7451.40.20.2

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAH2
234.621 217.004-2.7-7.5 

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAH21
206.744206.183189.194-3.5-8.5-8.2

Energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESEHF
221.682221.379202.385-3.5-8.7-8.6

Electricity

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESEHF01
210.553210.927189.160-4.8-10.2-10.3

Utility (piped) gas service

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESEHF02
175.172169.251186.1779.96.310.0

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAH3
121.764 121.6880.5-0.1 

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAA
122.489 118.413-6.7-3.3 

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAT
206.958 203.246-1.9-1.8 

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAT1
205.192 199.947-2.8-2.6 

New and used motor vehicles(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESETA
98.698 95.766-1.9-3.0 

New vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESETA01
200.337 192.810-2.3-3.8 

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESETA02
242.882 242.8831.10.0 

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESETB
239.138246.542229.006-9.6-4.2-7.1

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESETB01
234.063241.443224.125-9.6-4.2-7.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESS47014
236.660244.455226.192-9.9-4.4-7.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESS47015
250.564255.712241.084-8.2-3.8-5.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESS47016
241.397246.673234.616-8.0-2.8-4.9

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESETE
856.879 853.6423.6-0.4 

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAM
474.391 440.7772.8-7.1 

Recreation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAR
130.066 126.3992.8-2.8 

Education and communication(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAE
145.760 146.4971.30.5 

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESEEB
1,195.793 1,203.6973.50.7 

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAG
425.536 420.8550.0-1.1 

Commodity and service group

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAC
186.046 182.526-1.4-1.9 

Commodities less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESACL11
149.965 145.818-3.0-2.8 

Nondurables less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESANL11
197.019 191.278-4.3-2.9 

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAD
102.960 100.273-1.6-2.6 

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAS
329.936 329.2022.2-0.2 

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESA0L2
240.554 234.8290.1-2.4 

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESA0L5
248.037 247.6580.8-0.2 

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESACL1
153.593 149.488-2.8-2.7 

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESAN
228.051 224.508-1.4-1.6 

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESANL1
201.016 195.531-3.9-2.7 

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESASL2RS
367.970 357.3311.8-2.9 

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESASL5
316.031 318.3572.20.7 

Energy(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESA0E
227.395230.855213.241-6.9-6.2-7.6

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESA0LE
262.734 261.8711.6-0.3 

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ESA0L1E
262.547 261.6421.6-0.3 

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a March 1978=100 base.
(2) Indexes on a November 1982=100 base.
(3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, July 11, 2019