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News Release Information

16-1143-CHI
Thursday, June 16, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Consumer Price Index, Cleveland-Akron-Lorain — May 2016

Local prices increase 0.3 percent over the year

The Cleveland-Akron, Ohio, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.9 percent from March to May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that energy costs rose 7.5 percent and food prices were down 0.6 percent over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent. Within this last category, costs were higher for shelter and recreation over the two-month period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the past 12 months the Cleveland area all items CPI-U rose 0.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index fell 5.6 percent from its May 2015 level due to decreases in gasoline prices and utility (piped) gas service costs over the year. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent over the past 12 months. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices were down 0.6 percent from March to May, similar to the 0.6-percent decrease over the previous bi-monthly period. Between the food index’s two components, prices for food at home (groceries) decreased 1.0 percent, while prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) edged down 0.1 percent over the recent two-month period.

Over the year, overall food prices were 0.8 percent lower. Prices for food at home fell 2.5 percent and food away from home prices increased 1.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 7.5 percent from March to May following a 1.6-percent increase over the previous bi-monthly period. In the current period, increasing prices for gasoline (19.7 percent) contributed to the rise in the overall energy index. Utility (piped) gas service costs and electricity costs were 3.0 percent and 0.3 percent lower, respectively.

Over the year, the energy index fell 5.6 percent due to decreases in gasoline prices (-9.4 percent) and utility (piped) gas service costs (-15.8 percent). Electricity costs rose 5.7 percent from their May 2015 level.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.6 percent from March to May. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (1.1 percent) and recreation (3.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (1.7 percent), apparel (5.0 percent), and education and communication (1.6 percent) were major contributing factors.

Table A. Cleveland CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20122013201420152016
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

0.42.10.21.50.31.1-0.70.5-0.10.1

March

1.32.60.91.01.61.90.9-0.20.5-0.2

May

-0.11.10.41.50.21.70.4-0.10.90.3

July

0.01.40.72.20.51.40.90.4  

September

1.01.8-0.40.7-0.51.3-1.4-0.4  

November

-1.01.6-0.71.0-0.61.5-0.5-0.4  

The July 2016 Consumer Price Index for Cleveland is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, August 16, 2016.


Technical Note

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 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 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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 Cleveland-Akron, Ohio consolidated area covered in this release is comprised of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit Counties in Ohio.

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

Cleveland-Akron, OH (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Indexes
 
Percent change from-
Mar.
2016
Apr.
2016
May
2016
May
2015
Mar.
2016
Apr.
2016

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

219.970-221.9260.30.9-

All items (1967=100)

704.889-711.156---

Food and beverages

250.691-249.436-0.5-0.5-

Food

255.587-254.000-0.8-0.6-

Food at home

244.785247.509242.379-2.5-1.0-2.1

Food away from home

275.608-275.3771.9-0.1-

Alcoholic beverages

195.321-197.1482.60.9-

Housing

204.167-205.7191.20.8-

Shelter

237.377239.008239.9841.71.10.4

Rent of primary residence (1)

235.093235.804236.3621.80.50.2

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

231.431232.807233.1072.20.70.1

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

231.431232.807233.1072.20.70.1

Fuels and utilities

189.299-187.881-0.9-0.7-

Household energy

154.359151.228152.766-1.7-1.01.0

Energy services (1)

153.024149.881151.264-1.6-1.20.9

Electricity (1)

181.617180.982180.9825.7-0.30.0

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

99.43493.40396.416-15.8-3.03.2

Household furnishings and operations

117.291-117.6090.10.3-

Apparel

143.001-140.1705.0-2.0-

Transportation

190.888-196.456-2.92.9-

Private transportation

191.210-196.269-3.42.6-

Motor fuel

197.979213.719237.006-9.519.710.9

Gasoline (all types)

195.897211.511234.583-9.419.710.9

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

184.130199.307222.094-10.920.611.4

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

212.200228.591250.804-6.418.29.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

217.369231.431252.569-2.816.29.1

Medical care

418.152-418.7571.10.1-

Recreation (5)

113.311-117.2040.03.4-

Education and communication (5)

126.273-126.9651.60.5-

Other goods and services

417.416-421.5913.01.0-
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

219.970-221.9260.30.9-

Commodities

187.312-189.507-1.21.2-

Commodities less food & beverages

155.491-159.356-1.42.5-

Nondurables less food & beverages

197.768-205.753-1.54.0-

Durables

109.063-109.560-1.30.5-

Services

253.138-254.8921.30.7-
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

210.885-212.9050.21.0-

All items less shelter

215.049-216.781-0.30.8-

Commodities less food

157.062-160.826-1.32.4-

Nondurables

224.405-227.549-1.31.4-

Nondurables less food

197.261-204.631-1.43.7-

Services less rent of shelter (2)

275.668-276.5211.10.3-

Services less medical care services

240.668-242.5371.20.8-

Energy

172.146175.743185.107-5.67.55.3

All items less energy

226.645-227.6030.80.4-

All items less food and energy

221.749-223.1871.20.6-

Footnotes
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(2) Index is on a December 1982=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
 

- Data not available.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, June 16, 2016