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

15-278-KAN
Thursday, February 26, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (816) 285-7000

Consumer Price Index, Kansas City – Second Half 2014

Prices increased 0.6 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Kansas City, Mo.-Kan., metropolitan area increased 0.6 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that the indexes for food and shelter had the largest upward impact on the all items index. Costs for energy declined 2.9 percent, food prices advanced 3.9 percent, and the all items less food and energy index rose 0.4 percent over the year.

 

Food

Food prices rose 3.9 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014. Within the food index, costs for food at home led the advance with a 4.7-percent increase, the largest annual gain since 2011. Prices for food away from home also contributed to the increase, up 3.3 percent. These compared with gains of 0.9 and 1.1 percent, respectively, in the same period one year ago.  

Energy

The energy index, which includes motor fuel and household fuels, declined 2.9 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014, registering the first over-the-year decrease in this component since 2009. Falling prices for motor fuel (-5.4 percent), which occurred in the most recent six months of the period, were largely responsible for the decline in the energy index. Costs for electricity, down 2.8 percent over the year, also contributed to the decrease. In contrast, prices for utility (piped) gas service advanced 4.6 percent from the second half of 2013.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014, following a gain of 0.7 percent in the same period one year ago. Shelter costs advanced 1.8 percent and had the largest upward impact on the all items less food and energy index. In contrast, apparel (-4.2 percent) and recreation (-2.1 percent) were among the expenditure categories posting lower prices over the year.

The Kansas City CPI-U stood at 222.470 for the second half of 2014. This means that a market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in 1982-84 cost $222.47 in the second half of 2014. Because metropolitan area CPI data are not adjusted for seasonal price variation, consumers and businesses should be cautious in drawing conclusions about long-term retail price trends from short-term changes in the metropolitan area indexes.

CPI-W

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Kansas City, Mo.-Kan., metropolitan area for the second half of 2014 was 214.311. The CPI-W increased 0.5 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014.

The Consumer Price Index for the First Half of 2015 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 19, 2015.


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 88 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 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/cpi/.

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 areas; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

The Kansas City, Mo.-Kan., area covered in this release includes Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami, and Wyandotte Counties in Kansas; and Cass, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Lafayette, Platte, and Ray Counties in Missouri.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods

Kansas City, MO-KS (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Semiannual average indexes
 
Percent change to
2nd half 2014 from-
2nd half
2013
1st half
2014
2nd half
2014
2nd half
2013
1st half
2014

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

221.168222.842222.4700.6-0.2

All items (1967=100)

656.728661.697660.592  

Food and beverages

245.839249.749255.3183.92.2

Food

251.032255.052260.7383.92.2

Food at home

239.889245.461251.2464.72.4

Food away from home

267.350271.526276.2723.31.7

Alcoholic beverages

186.036188.608192.8183.62.2

Housing

205.725207.730208.8291.50.5

Shelter

227.290229.512231.3831.80.8

Rent of primary residence (1)

231.179233.518236.6412.41.3

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

224.288225.719227.9321.61.0

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

224.288225.719227.9321.61.0

Fuels and utilities

227.862232.356232.6192.10.1

Household energy

197.745200.999197.587-0.1-1.7

Energy services (1)

195.379198.208195.3050.0-1.5

Electricity (1)

162.759156.491158.233-2.81.1

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

197.406218.245206.4384.6-5.4

Household furnishings and operations

124.209124.098122.360-1.5-1.4

Apparel

121.369120.186116.323-4.2-3.2

Transportation

209.137212.086204.681-2.1-3.5

Private transportation

206.124209.281202.169-1.9-3.4

Motor fuel

293.340306.027277.639-5.4-9.3

Gasoline (all types)

293.351305.006276.570-5.7-9.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

286.887298.380270.348-5.8-9.4

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

356.776370.843335.535-6.0-9.5

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

285.500296.360270.634-5.2-8.7

Medical Care

338.640336.849339.4350.20.8

Recreation (5)

130.811130.336128.090-2.1-1.7

Education and communication (5)

128.337127.780127.697-0.5-0.1

Other goods and services

378.223380.770383.3061.30.7
 

Commodity and Service Group

 
 

All Items

221.168222.842222.4700.6-0.2

Commodities

189.752190.720188.832-0.5-1.0

Commodities less food & beverages

162.513162.366157.413-3.1-3.1

Nondurables less food & beverages

220.081220.256210.795-4.2-4.3

Durables

108.921108.145107.107-1.7-1.0

Services

252.158254.498255.5191.30.4
 

Special aggregate indexes:

 
 

All items less medical care

214.611216.459215.9090.6-0.3

All items less shelter

220.654222.129220.8120.1-0.6

Commodities less food

163.487163.401158.785-2.9-2.8

Nondurables

232.799234.689232.345-0.2-1.0

Nondurables less food

218.289218.537210.096-3.8-3.9

Services less rent of shelter (2)

290.439292.831292.7690.80.0

Services less medical care services

240.130242.062243.0521.20.4

Energy

243.102250.577236.031-2.9-5.8

All items less energy

220.334221.493222.5041.00.5

All items less food and energy

215.355216.040216.2690.40.1

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.
 

Table 2. Consumer Price Index for Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods

Kansas City, MO-KS (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Semiannual average indexes
 
Percent change to
2nd half 2014 from-
2nd half
2013
1st half
2014
2nd half
2014
2nd half
2013
1st half
2014

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

213.175214.905214.3110.5-0.3

All items (1967=100)

624.604629.671627.932  

Food and beverages

248.473252.235258.0743.92.3

Food

252.789256.689262.5763.92.3

Food at home

239.069244.696250.5264.82.4

Food away from home

274.036277.819282.9023.21.8

Alcoholic beverages

189.549191.419196.5703.72.7

Housing

197.025198.978200.2501.60.6

Shelter

215.170216.955219.0051.80.9

Rent of primary residence (1)

231.179233.518236.6412.41.3

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

204.200205.503207.5181.61.0

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

204.200205.503207.5181.61.0

Fuels and utilities

227.794232.043232.5602.10.2

Household energy

198.273201.318198.146-0.1-1.6

Energy services (1)

196.348198.887195.968-0.2-1.5

Electricity (1)

162.761156.493158.235-2.81.1

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

197.405218.244206.4374.6-5.4

Household furnishings and operations

112.698112.691110.902-1.6-1.6

Apparel

109.300109.178106.853-2.2-2.1

Transportation

197.614201.722193.153-2.3-4.2

Private transportation

196.207200.502192.053-2.1-4.2

Motor fuel

293.351305.973277.544-5.4-9.3

Gasoline (all types)

293.344304.999276.563-5.7-9.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

286.884298.377270.345-5.8-9.4

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

356.776370.843335.535-6.0-9.5

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

285.490296.349270.624-5.2-8.7

Medical Care

346.416344.466347.2060.20.8

Recreation (5)

130.190129.064126.438-2.9-2.0

Education and communication (5)

117.928117.148116.407-1.3-0.6

Other goods and services

404.123407.396410.5821.60.8
 

Commodity and Service Group

 
 

All Items

213.175214.905214.3110.5-0.3

Commodities

186.705188.214186.006-0.4-1.2

Commodities less food & beverages

158.594159.601154.045-2.9-3.5

Nondurables less food & beverages

219.909222.040211.670-3.7-4.7

Durables

110.447109.080107.937-2.3-1.0

Services

243.687245.722246.6801.20.4
 

Special aggregate indexes:

 
 

All items less medical care

207.457209.334208.5750.5-0.4

All items less shelter

213.569215.275213.6150.0-0.8

Commodities less food

159.884160.876155.612-2.7-3.3

Nondurables

234.269236.928234.074-0.1-1.2

Nondurables less food

219.068221.118211.599-3.4-4.3

Services less rent of shelter (2)

255.266257.138256.7630.6-0.1

Services less medical care services

231.616233.250234.1881.10.4

Energy

242.329249.848234.850-3.1-6.0

All items less energy

211.391212.323213.5231.00.6

All items less food and energy

203.185203.598203.9550.40.2

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 1984=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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, February 26, 2015