September 2011 Consumer Price Index

Historical release narrative reproduced from the official public-domain source. Statistical tables, standard technical appendices, administrative material and attendance rosters are omitted; formatting is adapted for reading. Figures retain the release's historical context and may have been revised. Consult the linked source for the complete document.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent in September on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.9 percent before seasonal adjustment.

Increases in energy and food indexes were the main cause of the seasonally adjusted all items increase. The gasoline index continued to rise, and indexes for electricity and natural gas increased as well. Broad increases in food indexes also continued in September, with the food at home index rising 0.6 percent for the third month in a row and no major grocery store food group indexes declining.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent in September, its smallest increase since March. The index for apparel declined in September after a series of sharp increases, and the indexes for used cars and recreation turned down as well. The indexes for new vehicles and household furnishings and operations were both flat. The shelter index rose, but posted its smallest increase since April, while the indexes for medical care, airline fares, and tobacco all increased.

The 12-month change in the all items index, which was 3.8 percent in August, edged up to 3.9 percent in September. The 12-month change for all items less food and energy remained at 2.0 percent for the second straight month. The energy index has risen 19.3 percent over the last year, while the food index has increased 4.7 percent.

Seasonally adjusted changes from preceding month Un- adjusted 12-mos. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep. ended 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 Sep. 2011

Consumer Price Index Data for September 2011

Food

The food index, which rose 0.5 percent in August, increased 0.4 percent in September. The index for food at home repeated its July and August increase of 0.6 percent. The index for nonalcoholic beverages was unchanged, while the remaining major grocery store food groups all posted increases. The dairy and related products index rose the most, increasing 1.2 percent, followed by 0.9 percent increases in both the cereals and bakery products index and the fruits and vegetables index. Within the latter group, the indexes for apples and tomatoes both posted significant increases. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 0.4 percent as the index for eggs rose sharply, and the index for other food at home rose 0.6 percent. The food at home index has now risen 6.3 percent over the past 12 months with the dairy index up 10.2 percent over that period. After rising 0.4 percent in August, the index for food away from home increased 0.2 percent in September and has risen 2.6 percent over the last 12 months.

Energy

The energy index rose 2.0 percent in September after a 1.2 percent increase in August. The gasoline index, which was up 1.9 percent in August, rose 2.9 percent in September. (Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices fell 0.7 percent in September.) Over the past 12 months, the gasoline index has increased 33.3 percent. The household energy index also rose in September, advancing 0.7 percent after a 0.4 percent increase in August. The electricity index advanced 0.7 percent while index for natural gas rose 0.8 percent; the fuel oil index declined 0.7 percent. Over the past year, the household energy index has increased 3.7 percent. The electricity index has risen 2.7 percent and the index for natural gas has increased 0.2 percent, while the fuel oil index has risen sharply, increasing 33.4 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent in September, a deceleration from recent months. Several factors contributed to the smaller increase in September. The apparel index, which had risen over one percent for four months in a row, declined 1.1 percent in September. The index for used cars and trucks also turned down, falling 0.6 percent after a long series of increases, and the recreation index declined 0.1 percent after rising in August. The shelter index decelerated, increasing 0.1 percent in September following a 0.3 percent increase in July and a 0.2 percent increase in August. The rent index increased 0.2 percent while the index for owners' equivalent rent increased 0.1 percent and the lodging away from home index declined 0.7 percent. The index for household furnishings and operations, which rose 0.3 percent in August, was unchanged in September, and the index for new vehicles was unchanged for the third month in a row. In contrast the medical care index continued to increase, rising 0.2 percent for the fifth month in a row. The indexes for airline fares, tobacco, and personal care all increased as well.

After increasing steadily through most of the year, the 12-month change in the index for all items less food and energy remained at 2.0 percent for the second month in a row. The shelter index has increased 1.7 percent over the last 12 months. The index for medical care has risen 2.8 percent while the apparel index has increased 3.5 percent. The new vehicles index has increased 3.6 percent and the index for used cars and trucks has increased 5.1 percent.

Not seasonally adjusted CPI measures

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 3.9 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 226.889 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.2 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 4.4 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 223.688 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.2 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.

The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 3.7 percent over the last 12 months. For the month, the index increased 0.1 percent on a not seasonally adjusted basis. Please note that the indexes for the post-2009 period are subject to revision.

Redesigning the Consumer Price Index (CPI) News Release Tables

In August 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) restructured the text of the CPI news release to focus on the price movements of three broad expenditure categories; namely Food, Energy, and All items less food and energy. Table A within the CPI news release text was also updated in August 2009 to reflect this new structure. Before August 2009, the text of the CPI news release had focused on eight CPI 'major groups' (Food and beverages; Housing; Apparel; Transportation; Medical care; Recreation; Education and communication; and Other goods and services).

While the text of the CPI news release was restructured in 2009, seven additional CPI news release tables continued to be published using the eight major groups. BLS is redesigning these news release tables, to reflect the focus on Food, Energy, and All items less food and energy. Within these three broad categories, CPI item series will be further divided into commodities and services.

A mock-up of the new CPI news release tables can be found at http://beta.bls.gov/cpi/redesigned_cpi_tables/cpiprmockup.htm. Comments or questions about these new tables can be forwarded to cpi_info@bls.gov. The public comment period runs through October 31, 2011.

Beyond the redesign in the structure of the CPI news release tables, several other improvements to these tables have been made:

The new Table 1 gives a summary of the index series which typically contribute to changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U).

The new Table 2 will show the full publication stub using the new structure for the CPI-U, including 11 new items series that were created to augment the redesign in the publication structure.

Second, standard errors for percent changes will be shown on tables 6 and 7. Confidence intervals for statistics can be created using standard errors; e.g., roughly 95% confidence intervals can be constructed using two standard errors. For example, if an item increased 3.7 percent, and its standard error was 0.6 percent, the 95% confidence interval for that price change can be said to be 3.7 percent plus or minus two standard errors, or 3.7 percent plus or minus 1.2 percent.

Each item series in tables 6 and 7 will show the last time that item had a price change as large (or as small) as the percent change published that period. For example, if bananas rose 3.7 percent, and that was its largest increase since November 2007, that would be noted in the new tables.

In addition, most of the existing tables show the relative importance, or weight, of each item category as of the previous December. The relative importance columns in the new tables will be improved in that they will be updated monthly to reflect the change in relative prices over time.

Finally, there will no longer be any news release tables that focus on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). That said, the CPI-W All items index level and percent changes will still be noted in the text of the news release.

Facilities for Sensory Impaired

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