The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington increased 0.8 percent from December to February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Frank Waligorski noted that the recent increase was due to increases in the all items less food and energy index (0.9 percent) and the energy index (5.3 percent), while the food index decreased, down 1.6 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 rose 1.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The over-the-year rise was due largely to an increase in the all items less food and energy index (0.6 percent). The energy index and the food index also increased since February 2020, up 3.9 and 1.4 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index decreased 1.6 percent over the last 2 months. Prices for food at home declined 2.0 percent since December, and those for food away from home were down 1.2 percent. Within the food at home component, prices were lower for items such as cheese and related products and carbonated drinks, while prices were higher for bread as well as flour and prepared flour mixes.

Over the year, the food index increased 1.4 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.7 percent, while those for food at home were down 0.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 5.3 percent since December. The 2-month increase was due to a 9.2-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices were also higher for electricity (0.5 percent) and for utility (piped) gas service (0.3 percent) since December.

Over the year, the energy index increased 3.9 percent, led by an increase in gasoline prices, up 9.6 percent. Prices were lower for electricity and utility (piped) gas service, down 0.1 percent each.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.9 percent from December to February. Higher prices for medical care (4.0 percent) and apparel (3.4 percent), among others, were moderated by lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-0.5 percent).

Since February 2020, the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent. Prices were higher for household furnishings and operations (8.5 percent) and medical care (4.0 percent), among others.

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

Month	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	0.7	2.1	0.4	0.5	0.8	1.5	1.0	2.6	0.8	1.0
April	0.0	1.3	0.9	1.4	1.3	1.9	-1.3	-0.1
June	-0.3	0.7	0.2	1.9	0.5	2.1	0.6	0.1
August	0.5	1.4	0.3	1.7	0.5	2.3	0.8	0.4
October	0.0	0.8	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.9	0.0	0.8
December	-0.1	0.8	-0.7	1.0	-0.3	2.4	0.0	1.1

The Consumer Price Index for April 2021 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at 8:30 am (ET).

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Core Based Statistical Area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County 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, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Dec. 2020	Jan. 2021	Feb. 2021	Feb. 2020	Dec. 2020	Jan. 2021
All items		259.991		262.167	1.0	0.8
All items (1967 = 100)		751.098		757.386
Food and beverages		249.181		245.253	1.5	-1.6
Food		250.028		245.922	1.4	-1.6
Food at home		248.563	248.120	243.619	-0.4	-2.0	-1.8
Cereals and bakery products		323.827		318.730	3.5	-1.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		269.272		266.679	-2.5	-1.0
Dairy and related products		207.173		200.339	-3.6	-3.3
Fruits and vegetables		287.786		281.846	4.3	-2.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		163.582		158.151	-4.3	-3.3
Other food at home		225.244		220.814	-1.2	-2.0
Food away from home		245.658		242.652	3.7	-1.2
Alcoholic beverages		234.240		233.081	2.0	-0.5
Housing		272.542		272.948	0.9	0.1
Shelter		338.785	339.643	338.986	0.0	0.1	-0.2
Rent of primary residence		319.459	319.635	319.620	1.3	0.1	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		351.032	351.575	351.015	1.2	0.0	-0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		351.032	351.575	351.015	1.2	0.0	-0.2
Fuels and utilities		206.317		209.661	-0.3	1.6
Household energy		165.433	167.249	169.000	-0.3	2.2	1.0
Energy services		178.909	180.119	179.668	-0.1	0.4	-0.3
Electricity		179.036	180.296	179.906	-0.1	0.5	-0.2
Utility (piped) gas service		166.746	167.769	167.220	-0.1	0.3	-0.3
Household furnishings and operations		125.264		124.676	8.5	-0.5
Apparel		104.857		108.400	-3.3	3.4
Transportation		203.212		209.462	-0.4	3.1
Private transportation		206.816		212.180	1.5	2.6
New and used motor vehicles(3)		99.813		100.711	2.9	0.9
New vehicles(1)		178.269		182.884	2.7	2.6
Used cars and trucks(1)		279.545		277.591	8.8	-0.7
Motor fuel		231.620	244.347	253.167	9.4	9.3	3.6
Gasoline (all types)		228.858	241.366	249.958	9.6	9.2	3.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		225.129	237.636	246.430	9.6	9.5	3.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		242.613	251.724	257.509	9.2	6.1	2.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		236.041	248.047	254.775	9.7	7.9	2.7
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		649.834		645.662	-13.0	-0.6
Medical care		554.900		576.928	4.0	4.0
Recreation(3)		124.668		126.299	-0.1	1.3
Education and communication(3)		133.260		133.641	0.4	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,055.263		1,054.882	-0.1	0.0
Other goods and services		575.979		581.137	4.4	0.9
Commodity and service group
Commodities		185.216		186.636	2.8	0.8
Commodities less food and beverages		150.628		154.211	3.6	2.4
Nondurables less food and beverages		186.539		193.227	0.5	3.6
Durables		108.868		109.912	7.8	1.0
Services		335.334		338.275	0.0	0.9
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		233.994		236.851	1.4	1.2
All items less medical care		247.522		248.859	0.7	0.5
Commodities less food		153.674		157.162	3.6	2.3
Nondurables		218.800		220.320	1.0	0.7
Nondurables less food		189.362		195.625	0.5	3.3
Services less rent of shelter(2)		339.162		345.131	0.0	1.8
Services less medical care services		318.666		319.896	-0.7	0.4
Energy		189.281	195.055	199.369	3.9	5.3	2.2
All items less energy		269.652		271.134	0.8	0.5
All items less food and energy		275.535		278.099	0.6	0.9
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=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) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.