The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater inched down 0.1 percent from July to September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the energy index declined 4.9 percent since July. During this same period, the all items less food and energy index was up 0.4 percent and the food index was up 0.1 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U increased 1.5 percent. The all items less food and energy index advanced 2.3 percent and the food index rose 1.9 percent over the year. The energy index fell 8.0 percent over the past 12 months. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index was little changed from July to September, up 0.1 percent. An increase in the food at home index (0.3 percent) was partially offset by a decline in the food away from home index (-0.2 percent).

The food index rose 1.9 percent from September 2018 to September 2019, reflecting increases in both the food away from home (2.9 percent) and food at home (1.3 percent) indexes.

Energy

The energy index declined 4.9 percent from July to September, fueled by a 9.2- percent drop in the gasoline index. The electricity and the utility (piped) gas service indexes were unchanged since July.

The energy index fell 8.0 percent for the 12 months ending September 2019, led by a 13.3-percent decline in the gasoline index. The electricity index also declined over the past 12 months, down 1.5 percent, while the utility (piped) gas service index rose 2.0 percent over the year.  

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent from July to September. Several indexes increased since July including apparel (10.4 percent) and medical care (1.1 percent). In contrast, the shelter index edged down 0.2 percent over the bi-monthly period.

From September 2018 to September 2019, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.3 percent, led by a 3.7-percent increase in the shelter index. Over the past 12 months, the education and communication index declined 4.8 percent.

Table A. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2018		2019
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	0.8		-1.1	0.4
March	0.6		1.9	1.7
May	0.4		0.9	2.2
July	0.3		0.1	2.1
September	0.6		-0.1	1.5
November	-0.3	2.3

The Consumer Price Index for October 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 13, 2019.

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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, Core Based Statistical Area includes Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties.

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