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errata

Incorrect prices for prescription drugs were used for the CPI-U and CPI-W indexes from May through August 2016 in a number of areas. Several indexes were affected, including the all items and medical care indexes. A list of the series affected can be found at (www.bls.gov/bls/errata/cpi-price-corrections-10182016.htm), and the corrected data are available in the CPI database (www.bls.gov/cpi/data.htm).

News Release Information

16-2037-ATL
Tuesday, October 18, 2016

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

Consumer Price Index, South Region – September 2016

Prices up 0.2 percent over the month and 1.4 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South edged up 0.2 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The energy index advanced 1.7 percent since August. The all items less food and energy and the food indexes each inched up 0.1 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 rose 1.4 percent. The all items less food and energy index increased 2.1 percent over the year reflecting price increases for several categories, most notably shelter and medical care. (See chart 1.)

  Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, South Region, September 2013–September 2016
Food

Prices for food inched up 0.1 percent in September. Prices for food away from home and for food at home each inched up 0.1 percent over the month.

The food index declined 0.4 percent over the year, reflecting a 2.1 percent decline in the food at home index. The food away from home index was up 1.9 percent from September 2015 to September 2016.

Energy

The energy index advanced 1.7 percent in September, led by a 3.1 percent increase in motor fuel prices. The electricity and the utility (piped) gas service indexes also advanced over the month, up 0.5 and 0.8 percent, respectively.

From September 2015 to September 2016, energy prices decreased 2.0 percent, reflecting price declines for motor fuel (-2.6 percent) and electricity (-2.0 percent). Utility (piped) gas service prices were up 3.8 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index inched up 0.1 percent in September. Price increases for apparel (2.9 percent) and shelter (0.2 percent) were largely offset by a price decline for recreation (-1.0 percent).

Since September 2015, the all items less food and energy index advanced 2.1 percent, led by increases in several indexes, most notably shelter (2.8 percent) and medical care (5.3 percent).

Table A. South region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month

January

0.5 3.2 0.4 1.6 0.3 1.7 -0.7 -0.4 0.0 1.2

February

0.6 3.3 0.9 1.8 0.4 1.2 0.5 -0.3 0.1 0.7

March

0.7 2.8 0.3 1.5 0.6 1.5 0.6 -0.3 0.6 0.7

April

0.4 2.5 -0.2 0.9 0.5 2.3 0.3 -0.6 0.4 0.9

May

-0.4 1.6 0.0 1.3 0.2 2.4 0.4 -0.4 0.4 0.9

June

-0.2 1.7 0.4 1.9 0.2 2.3 0.5 -0.1 0.4 0.8

July

-0.2 1.4 0.2 2.2 -0.1 2.0 -0.1 -0.1 -0.2 0.7

August

0.6 1.6 0.1 1.7 -0.2 1.7 -0.2 -0.2 0.1 1.0

September

0.5 2.1 0.0 1.3 0.1 1.7 -0.2 -0.4 0.2 1.4

October

-0.2 2.1 -0.2 1.3 -0.3 1.6 0.0 -0.1    

November

-0.5 1.6 -0.3 1.5 -0.6 1.3 -0.2 0.3    

December

-0.1 1.7 0.1 1.8 -0.6 0.6 -0.4 0.5    

The Consumer Price Index for October 2016 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, November 17, 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 https://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 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-
Jul.
2016
Aug.
2016
Sep.
2016
Sep.
2015
Jul.
2016
Aug.
2016

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

(R) 233.292 (R) 233.561 234.069 1.4 (R) 0.3 (R) 0.2

All items (December 1977=100)

(R) 378.432 (R) 378.869 379.692 - - -

Food and beverages

245.569 245.933 246.124 -0.3 0.2 0.1

Food

246.816 247.244 247.447 -0.4 0.3 0.1

Food at home

236.861 236.995 237.115 -2.1 0.1 0.1

Food away from home

264.492 265.365 265.693 1.9 0.5 0.1

Alcoholic beverages

227.781 227.167 227.177 1.1 -0.3 0.0

Housing

226.738 227.181 227.706 2.0 0.4 0.2

Shelter

258.147 258.699 259.223 2.8 0.4 0.2

Rent of primary residence (1)

266.237 267.107 267.808 3.1 0.6 0.3

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

259.773 260.583 261.457 2.7 0.6 0.3

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

259.762 260.572 261.447 2.7 0.6 0.3

Fuels and utilities

234.047 234.622 235.682 -0.3 0.7 0.5

Household energy

191.331 191.542 192.583 -1.4 0.7 0.5

Energy services (1)

191.968 192.289 193.282 -1.3 0.7 0.5

Electricity (1)

192.323 192.398 193.321 -2.0 0.5 0.5

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

173.645 175.598 176.981 3.8 1.9 0.8

Household furnishings and operations

121.494 121.468 121.655 0.0 0.1 0.2

Apparel

132.727 131.921 135.785 -0.4 2.3 2.9

Transportation

196.101 194.845 195.556 0.4 -0.3 0.4

Private transportation

193.899 192.984 193.812 0.5 0.0 0.4

New and used motor vehicles (3)

103.238 103.168 102.438 -0.7 -0.8 -0.7

New vehicles

152.600 152.844 152.553 -0.2 0.0 -0.2

New cars and trucks (3) (4)

103.837 104.035 103.834 -0.2 0.0 -0.2

New cars (4)

152.591 152.825 152.288 -0.8 -0.2 -0.4

Used cars and trucks

145.811 145.339 143.055 -3.5 -1.9 -1.6

Motor fuel

185.421 181.044 186.719 -2.6 0.7 3.1

Gasoline (all types)

184.548 180.147 185.815 -2.5 0.7 3.1

Unleaded regular (4)

179.823 175.370 181.138 -2.7 0.7 3.3

Unleaded midgrade (4) (5)

204.883 200.720 205.793 -1.6 0.4 2.5

Unleaded premium (4)

205.078 201.483 205.730 -1.1 0.3 2.1

Medical care

(R) 441.004 (R) 448.279 449.332 5.3 (R) 1.9 (R) 0.2

Medical care commodities

(R) 353.014 (R) 363.459 365.160 5.5 (R) 3.4 (R) 0.5

Medical care services

(R) 470.682 (R) 476.586 477.364 5.2 (R) 1.4 (R) 0.2

Professional services

366.261 366.437 367.080 2.6 0.2 0.2

Recreation (3)

117.984 117.345 116.218 0.3 -1.5 -1.0

Education and communication (3)

136.731 137.224 136.917 0.1 0.1 -0.2

Other goods and services

415.302 415.343 416.491 1.9 0.3 0.3
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

(R) 233.292 (R) 233.561 234.069 1.4 (R) 0.3 (R) 0.2

Commodities

(R) 179.674 (R) 179.538 180.284 -0.7 (R) 0.3 (R) 0.4

Commodities less food and beverages

(R) 148.471 (R) 148.138 149.086 -1.0 (R) 0.4 (R) 0.6

Nondurables less food and beverages

(R) 188.954 (R) 188.364 191.404 0.0 (R) 1.3 (R) 1.6

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

(R) 224.100 (R) 223.612 226.285 0.1 (R) 1.0 (R) 1.2

Durables

109.986 109.861 109.229 -2.0 -0.7 -0.6

Services

(R) 287.263 (R) 287.926 288.208 2.7 (R) 0.3 (R) 0.1

Rent of shelter (2)

264.924 265.498 266.051 2.8 0.4 0.2

Transportation services

327.766 326.442 326.236 4.7 -0.5 -0.1

Other services

339.955 340.084 338.969 1.5 -0.3 -0.3
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

221.907 221.849 222.327 1.0 0.2 0.2

All items less food

(R) 230.980 (R) 231.224 231.778 1.7 (R) 0.3 (R) 0.2

All items less shelter

(R) 224.671 (R) 224.826 225.330 0.7 (R) 0.3 (R) 0.2

Commodities less food

(R) 150.915 (R) 150.575 151.503 -0.9 (R) 0.4 (R) 0.6

Nondurables

(R) 215.797 (R) 215.664 217.340 -0.2 (R) 0.7 (R) 0.8

Nondurables less food

(R) 190.924 (R) 190.333 193.211 0.1 (R) 1.2 (R) 1.5

Nondurables less food and apparel

(R) 223.318 (R) 222.822 225.268 0.2 (R) 0.9 (R) 1.1

Services less rent of shelter (2)

(R) 324.353 (R) 325.150 325.096 2.6 (R) 0.2 (R) 0.0

Services less medical care services

270.664 270.966 271.211 2.4 0.2 0.1

Energy

184.712 182.890 185.958 -2.0 0.7 1.7

All items less energy

(R) 239.491 (R) 239.992 240.219 1.7 (R) 0.3 (R) 0.1

All items less food and energy

(R) 238.614 (R) 239.128 239.360 2.1 (R) 0.3 (R) 0.1

Commodities less food and energy commodities

(R) 147.481 (R) 147.713 147.984 -0.5 (R) 0.3 (R) 0.2

Energy commodities

188.721 184.244 189.972 -2.6 0.7 3.1

Services less energy services

(R) 297.250 (R) 297.949 298.150 3.0 (R) 0.3 (R) 0.1

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) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(R) Revised
 

- 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: Tuesday, October 18, 2016