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News Release Information

15-1822-ATL
Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Consumer Price Index, South Region – August 2015

Prices down 0.2 percent over the month and 0.2 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South edged down 0.2 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The energy index declined by 3.8 percent over the month. The all items less food and energy index inched up 0.1 percent and the food index advanced 0.3 percent over the month. (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 all items CPI-U edged down 0.2 percent, the eighth consecutive month of over-the-year declines for this index. The all items less food and energy index advanced 1.8 percent over the year as several categories within this group recorded increases. (See chart 1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.3 percent in August. Prices for food at home increased 0.4 percent and prices for food away from home edged up 0.2 percent over the month.

Since August 2014, the food index advanced 1.7 percent, reflecting price increases for both food away from home and food at home, up 3.1 and 0.8 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index declined 3.8 percent in August, led by a 7.3-percent decrease in motor fuel prices. Over the month electricity prices also declined, down 0.3 percent, while prices for utility (piped) gas service inched up 0.1 percent.

Over the year, energy prices fell 17.1 percent, reflecting a 27.9-percent drop in motor fuel prices. Prices for electricity and utility (piped) gas service also declined, down 2.2 and 10.5 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index inched up 0.1 percent in August, as increases in several categories, led by education and communication (0.8 percent) and shelter (0.2 percent), were partially offset by a 0.4-percent decline in the recreation index.

Since August 2014, the all items less food and energy index advanced 1.8 percent as several indexes recorded increases, most notably shelter (3.1 percent) and medical care (2.5 percent). The apparel index declined 0.5 percent over the year.

Table A. South region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20112012201320142015
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.51.70.53.20.41.60.31.7-0.7-0.4

February

0.52.20.63.30.91.80.41.20.5-0.3

March

1.22.80.72.80.31.50.61.50.6-0.3

April

0.73.40.42.5-0.20.90.52.30.3-0.6

May

0.54.0-0.41.60.01.30.22.40.4-0.4

June

-0.23.8-0.21.70.41.90.22.30.5-0.1

July

0.24.1-0.21.40.22.2-0.12.0-0.1-0.1

August

0.44.30.61.60.11.7-0.21.7-0.2-0.2

September

0.04.10.52.10.01.30.11.7  

October

-0.23.7-0.22.1-0.21.3-0.31.6  

November

0.03.8-0.51.6-0.31.5-0.61.3  

December

-0.23.3-0.11.70.11.8-0.60.6  

The Consumer Price Index for September 2015 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 15, 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 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/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 cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

The South region is comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and 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
South (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Indexes
 
Percent change from-
Jun.
2015
Jul.
2015
Aug.
2015
Aug.
2014
Jun.
2015
Jul.
2015

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

232.026231.719231.260-0.2-0.3-0.2

All items (December 1977=100)

376.378375.880375.136---

Food and beverages

245.240245.647246.3471.70.50.3

Food

246.670247.118247.8551.70.50.3

Food at home

240.253240.573241.4610.80.50.4

Food away from home

259.094259.735260.2583.10.40.2

Alcoholic beverages

224.657224.514224.7021.20.00.1

Housing

222.222222.664222.8801.90.30.1

Shelter

250.743251.494251.8973.10.50.2

Rent of primary residence (1)

256.660257.795258.9804.10.90.5

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

252.938253.735254.2292.90.50.2

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

252.929253.724254.2192.90.50.2

Fuels and utilities

235.930236.532236.424-1.70.20.0

Household energy

195.537195.880195.374-3.5-0.1-0.3

Energy services (1)

195.913196.320195.803-3.2-0.1-0.3

Electricity (1)

197.714197.764197.147-2.2-0.3-0.3

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

167.997170.692170.870-10.51.70.1

Household furnishings and operations

122.551121.793121.579-1.0-0.8-0.2

Apparel

134.364130.264131.214-0.5-2.30.7

Transportation

206.437204.570200.086-8.4-3.1-2.2

Private transportation

203.934202.684198.354-8.7-2.7-2.1

New and used motor vehicles (3)

104.054103.762103.662-0.1-0.4-0.1

New vehicles

153.737153.000152.9570.1-0.50.0

New cars and trucks (3) (4)

104.662104.153104.1030.1-0.50.0

New cars (4)

155.010153.830153.609-0.4-0.9-0.1

Used cars and trucks

150.507150.635150.471-0.90.0-0.1

Motor fuel

235.267229.495212.686-27.9-9.6-7.3

Gasoline (all types)

234.270228.523211.730-27.8-9.6-7.3

Unleaded regular (4)

231.110224.939207.729-28.5-10.1-7.7

Unleaded midgrade (4) (5)

249.024245.005229.330-25.7-7.9-6.4

Unleaded premium (4)

243.022239.763226.214-23.6-6.9-5.7

Medical care

424.087424.259425.6732.50.40.3

Medical care commodities

340.501341.679345.7663.91.51.2

Medical care services

452.215451.948452.1772.00.00.1

Professional services

356.515356.626356.8171.20.10.1

Recreation (3)

116.487116.483115.9820.6-0.4-0.4

Education and communication (3)

134.843135.008136.1150.60.90.8

Other goods and services

406.407406.867407.0781.60.20.1
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

232.026231.719231.260-0.2-0.3-0.2

Commodities

185.371184.195182.861-3.8-1.4-0.7

Commodities less food and beverages

156.422154.644152.534-7.1-2.5-1.4

Nondurables less food and beverages

202.634199.505195.322-10.5-3.6-2.1

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

244.888242.254235.088-13.3-4.0-3.0

Durables

112.615112.021111.708-1.5-0.8-0.3

Services

279.264279.793280.1752.30.30.1

Rent of shelter (2)

257.266258.078258.4983.10.50.2

Transportation services

313.286312.300310.7682.6-0.8-0.5

Other services

330.904331.674333.0222.10.60.4
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

221.344221.020220.486-0.4-0.4-0.2

All items less food

229.539229.116228.476-0.5-0.5-0.3

All items less shelter

225.936225.189224.371-1.6-0.7-0.4

Commodities less food

158.588156.850154.795-6.8-2.4-1.3

Nondurables

223.112221.617219.690-4.5-1.5-0.9

Nondurables less food

203.653200.692196.754-9.9-3.4-2.0

Nondurables less food and apparel

241.960239.551233.041-12.3-3.7-2.7

Services less rent of shelter (2)

315.678315.864316.2091.50.20.1

Services less medical care services

263.476264.043264.4272.30.40.1

Energy

209.641207.200199.299-17.1-4.9-3.8

All items less energy

235.265235.197235.5721.80.10.2

All items less food and energy

233.667233.509233.8211.80.10.1

Commodities less food and energy commodities

149.007147.839147.897-0.6-0.70.0

Energy commodities

238.861233.040216.277-27.7-9.5-7.2

Services less energy services

287.919288.460288.9432.70.40.2

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 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.
 

- Data not available.
Regions defined as the four Census regions. South includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2015