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News Release Information

22-227-ATL
Thursday, February 10, 2022

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

Consumer Price Index, South Region — January 2022

Prices in the South up 0.9 percent over the month and 7.8 percent over the past year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South increased 0.9 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent over the month. The food and the energy indexes also increased in January, up 1.1 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The all items CPI-U for the South advanced 7.8 percent for the 12 months ending in January, after increasing 7.4-percent over the 12-month period ending in December. The index for all items less food and energy increased 6.5 percent over the past year, while the energy index rose 25.3 percent. The food index also increased over the past 12 months, up 6.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)


Food

The food index increased 1.1 percent in January, reflecting increases in the food at home (+1.2 percent) and food away from home (+0.9 percent) indexes.

The food index advanced 6.6 percent for the 12 months ending in January, led by a 7.1-percent jump in the food at home index. The food away from home index also increased over the past 12 months, up 5.9 percent

Energy

The energy index rose 1.5 percent in January, led by a 3.2-percent increase in the electricity index. The gasoline index also rose in January, up 0.5 percent. In contrast, the utility (piped) gas service index declined 0.5 percent in January.  

The energy index advanced 25.3 percent for the 12 months ending in January, led by a 40.2-percent increase in the gasoline index. The electricity and the utility (piped) gas service indexes also increased over the year, up 10.0 percent and 19.1 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent in January. Several indexes increased over the pricing period, including shelter (+0.6 percent), household furnishings and operations (+2.2 percent), and medical care (0.8 percent). The new and used motor vehicles index rose 0.9 percent in January, led by a 1.5-percent increase in the used cars and trucks index.  

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 6.5 percent for the 12 months ending in January, reflecting increases across many indexes. The new and used motor vehicles index advanced 23.7 percent over the past 12 months, led by a 40.5-percent increase in the used cars and trucks index; the new vehicles index increased 12.0 percent over the year. Shelter (+4.9 percent) was also among the indexes to increase over the past year.

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the three divisions of the South. The all items CPI-U advanced 1.0 percent in the South Atlantic division in January. The all items index also rose in the West South Central and East South Central divisions, up 0.8 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively.   

Over the year, the all items index advanced 7.9 percent in the South Atlantic division and 7.8 percent in the West South Central division. The all items index rose 6.9 percent in the East South Central division over the past 12 months.

Table A. South region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20182019202020212022
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.51.80.21.20.32.30.51.60.97.8

February

0.62.10.51.10.21.90.52.0

March

0.22.30.71.6-0.11.10.82.9

April

0.42.40.51.8-0.8-0.20.74.4

May

0.32.7-0.11.4-0.2-0.40.85.6

June

0.22.7-0.11.10.60.30.95.8

July

0.02.90.31.40.60.60.55.8

August

-0.12.4-0.11.40.41.10.35.6

September

0.01.70.01.30.21.30.35.8

October

0.22.10.21.30.11.31.06.6

November

-0.31.90.01.6-0.11.20.47.2

December

-0.51.50.02.10.21.40.37.4

The Consumer Price Index for February 2022 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, March 10, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 6,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods 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

IndexesPercent change from-
Nov.
2021
Dec.
2021
Jan.
2022
Jan.
2021
Nov.
2021
Dec.
2021

Expenditure category

All Items

268.360269.263271.6347.81.20.9

All items (December 1977=100)

435.318436.781440.628---

Food and beverages

278.681280.189283.1866.41.61.1

Food

280.901282.547285.6776.61.71.1

Food at home

263.105264.292267.5807.11.71.2

Cereal and bakery products

302.109303.279308.5366.22.11.7

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

291.974290.014291.56412.6-0.10.5

Dairy and related products

232.282236.759237.7842.92.40.4

Fruits and vegetables

301.598305.219310.4526.02.91.7

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

178.935180.205183.1093.72.31.6

Other food at home

229.087230.121233.4846.61.91.5

Food away from home

310.275312.602315.4115.91.70.9

Alcoholic beverages

247.772247.440248.5883.50.30.5

Housing

263.137264.204266.6985.81.40.9

Shelter

303.697304.944306.7654.91.00.6

Rent of primary residence

319.290320.899323.1264.61.20.7

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)

306.203307.423309.1354.51.00.6

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)

306.201307.419309.1334.51.00.6

Fuels and utilities

259.340259.761264.9299.42.22.0

Household energy

208.792208.745214.14911.62.62.6

Energy services

208.328208.240213.64411.22.62.6

Electricity

201.238201.523207.88010.03.33.2

Utility (piped) gas service

238.236235.685234.42719.1-1.6-0.5

Household furnishings and operations

134.633135.470138.4348.32.82.2

Apparel

131.720130.807133.1947.31.11.8

Transportation

247.393248.267250.05521.11.10.7

Private transportation

250.302251.439253.31822.21.20.7

New and used motor vehicles(2)

126.095128.947130.12623.73.20.9

New vehicles

170.555173.476173.65912.01.80.1

New cars and trucks(2)(3)

116.172118.174118.30112.01.80.1

New cars(3)

168.572172.405172.25012.12.2-0.1

Used cars and trucks

201.401208.283211.45840.55.01.5

Motor fuel

279.337270.690272.02740.1-2.60.5

Gasoline (all types)

277.881269.218270.54040.2-2.60.5

Unleaded regular(3)

271.915263.132264.46241.1-2.70.5

Unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

307.364299.601300.74336.7-2.20.4

Unleaded premium(3)

298.386291.388292.51133.6-2.00.4

Medical care

501.880503.320507.5822.81.10.8

Medical care commodities

354.119354.585359.0893.01.41.3

Medical care services

551.899553.667557.8242.81.10.8

Professional services

385.936386.052386.6781.90.20.2

Recreation(2)

126.223125.775127.2533.20.81.2

Education and communication(2)

139.463139.850139.6952.30.2-0.1

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)

1,398.0501,399.8721,399.3951.60.10.0

Other goods and services

463.349466.509471.8035.41.81.1

Commodity and service group

All Items

268.360269.263271.6347.81.20.9

Commodities

206.450207.337209.74112.71.61.2

Commodities less food and beverages

171.821172.447174.52916.81.61.2

Nondurables less food and beverages

217.396214.968217.67214.70.11.3

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

269.182265.874268.84916.8-0.11.1

Durables

127.132129.439130.94618.93.01.2

Services

330.289331.192333.4974.61.00.7

Rent of shelter(1)

312.305313.597315.5345.01.00.6

Transportation services

368.356366.845369.0385.00.20.6

Other services

366.303367.034368.4692.80.60.4

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

255.548256.420258.6878.31.20.9

All items less food

266.156266.944269.2048.01.10.8

All items less shelter

255.701256.473259.0739.11.31.0

Commodities less food

174.243174.848176.92016.31.51.2

Nondurables

246.322245.776248.62110.00.91.2

Nondurables less food

218.772216.474219.08813.80.11.2

Nondurables less food and apparel

265.900262.876265.68315.6-0.11.1

Services less rent of shelter(1)

363.312363.761366.6054.30.90.8

Services less medical care services

310.379311.207313.3504.91.00.7

Energy

236.921232.871236.30525.3-0.31.5

All items less energy

273.069274.471276.7506.51.30.8

All items less food and energy

272.156273.519275.6656.51.30.8

Commodities less food and energy commodities

161.937163.612165.75212.62.41.3

Energy commodities

284.012275.425276.89339.9-2.50.5

Services less energy services

343.221344.228346.2094.30.90.6

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
(2) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1977=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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, February 10, 2022