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Home My Public Portal AboutExhibit RC 91E - Bureau of Labor Statistics February 26, 2015Exhibit RC 91 E 'qk BLS BUREAU OF LABOR S7:A1lSTICS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR NEWS RELEASE For Release: Thursday, February 26, 2015 15-279-KAN MOUNTAIN -PLAINS INFORMATION OFFICE: Kansas City, Mo. Technical information: (816) 285-7000 • BLSinfoKansasCity@bls.gov www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains/ Media contact: (816) 285-7000 Consumer Price Index, St. Louis Second Half 2014 Prices increased 0.7 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014 The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the St. Louis, Mo.-Ill., metropolitan area rose 0.7 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This is the smallest annual increase since 2009. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that the increase was led by higher prices for food and shelter, but was moderated by lower motor fuel costs. Costs for energy declined 3.5 percent over the year, food prices advanced 3.8 percent, and the all items less food and energy index increased 0.8 percent. Chart 1. Over -the -year percent change in CPI-U, St. Louis, second half 2011-second half 2014 Percent change 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 -. • All items n/LJI items less food and energy Second half 2011 First half 2012 Second half 2012 First half 2013 Second half 2013 First half 2014 Second half 2014 Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food Food prices rose 3.8 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014. Costs for food at home were up 2.4 percent and prices for food away from home were 5.4 percent higher over the year. During the same period one year ago, these indexes rose 3.1 and 3.2 percent, respectively. Energy The energy index, which includes motor fuel and household fuels, was down 3.5 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014, after registering little movement (0.1 percent) in the same period one year ago. Motor fuel prices fell 8.7 percent with all of the decrease occurring in the most recent six months of the period. In contrast, costs for utility (piped) gas service advanced 5.3 percent, and prices for electricity were little changed (0.1 percent) over the year. All items less food and energy The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014, the smallest over -the -year gain. since 2006. Among the expenditure categories posting higher costs were shelter (1.9 percent) and medical care (2.5 percent). In contrast, the index for education and communication (-2.3 percent) was among the components that registered lower prices over the year. The St. Louis CPI-U stood at 219.994 for the second half of 2014. This means that a market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in 1982-84 cost $219.99 in the second half of 2014. Because metropolitan area CPI data are not adjusted for seasonal price variation, consumers and businesses should be cautious in drawing conclusions about long-term retail price trends from short-term changes in the metropolitan area indexes. CPI-W The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the St. Louis, Mo.-Ill., metropolitan area for the second half of 2014 was 219.353. The CPI-W increased 0.4 percent from the second half of 2013 to the second half of 2014. The Consumer Price Index for the First Half of 2015 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 19, 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 88 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 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. -2 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 wwwbls.gov/opub/hom/homchl7 a.htm. 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 areas; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period. The St. Louis, Mo.-Ill., area covered in this release includes Clinton, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair Counties in Illinois; and Crawford (part), Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis, and Warren Counties and St. Louis City in Missouri. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339. - 3 - Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods St. Louis, MO -IL (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) Item and Group Semiannual average indexes Percent change to 2nd half 2014 from - 2nd half 2013 1st half 2014 2nd half 2014 2nd half 2013 1st half 2014 Expenditure category All Items 218.499 220.440 219.994 0.7 -0.2 Ai] items (1967=100) 648.977 654.744 653.419 Food and beverages 237.242 243.849 245.947 3.7 0.9 Food 235.785 242.699 244.783 3.8 0.9 Food at home 225.575 230.201 231.083 2.4 0.4 Food away from home 252.933 261.371 266.488 5.4 2.0 Alcoholic beverages 230.717 232.535 234.548 1.7 0.9 Housing 204.757 205.896 208.167 1.7 1.1 Shelter 233.797 236.697 238.199 1.9 0.6 Rent of primary residence r1 212.149 214.555 215.472 1.6 0.4 Owners' equiv. rent of residences {1) (2) 242.977 244.529 247.253 1.8 1.1 Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2) 242.977 244.529 247.253 1.8 1.1 Fuels and utilities 212.496 207.060 216.335 1.8 4.5 Household energy 198.108 184.906 203.050 2.5 9.8 Energy services (1) 203.365 186.231 206.746 1.7 11.0 Electricity (1 216.058 186.446 216.266 0.1 16.0 Utility (piped) gas service c1 152.782 158.443 160.894 5.3 1.5 Household furnishings and operations 123.852 124.060 123.328 -0.4 -0.6 Apparel 150.927 154.377 152,919 1.3 -0.9 Transportation 203.499 205.429 196.580 -3.4 -4.3 Private transportation 203.352 204.930 196.615 -3.3 -4.1 Motor fuel 311.710 325.137 284.676 -8.7 -12.4 Gasoline (al] types) 308.755 319.708 279.782 -8.8 -12.5 Gasoline, unleaded regular (3) 298.815 311.496 272.066 -9.0 -12,7 Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4) 351.855 366.468 322.183 -8.4 -12.1 Gasoline, unleaded premium (3) 295.659 307.870 272.622 -7.8 -11.4 Medical Care 387.348 393.188 397.113 2.5 1.0 Recreation 0) 117.155 117.052 115.898 -1.1 -1.0 Education and communication (3) 142.539 139.373 139.194 -2.3 -0.1 Other goods and services 308.908 310.630 309.398 0.2 -0.4 Commodity and Service Group All Items 218.499 220.440 219.994 0.7 -0.2 Commodities 190.130 193.181 190.242 0.1 -1.5 Commodities less food & beverages 165.234 186.671 161.572 ^ ' -3.1 Nondurables less food & beverages 225.053 230.786 220.749 -1.9 -4.3 Note: See footnotes at end of table. -4 Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods St. Louis, MO -IL (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) - Continued Item and Group Semiannual average indexes Percent change to 2nd half 2014 from - 2nd half 2013 1st half 2014 2nd half 2014 2nd half 2013 1st half 2014 Durables 110.219 108.635 107.543 -2.4 -1.0 Services 248.754 249.655 251.576 1.1 0.8 Special aggregate indexes: All items less medical care 210.050 211.865 211.188 0.5 -0.3 All items less shelter 215.361 216.817 215.563 0.1 -0.6 Commodities less food 168.429 169.872 164.944 -2.1 -2.9 Nondurables 231.689 237.726 233.736 0.9 -1.7 Nondurables less food 226.938 232.375 223.047 -1.7 -4.0 Services less rent of shelter (2) 271.393 269.835 272.130 0.3 0.9 Services less medical care services 235.906 236.538 238.360 1.0 0.8 Energy 247.814 245.934 239.112 -3.5 -2.8 All items less energy 218.712 220.869 221.537 1.3 0.3 All items Tess food and energy 216.068 217.354 217.761 0.8 0.2 (1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimate . All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (2) Index is on a November 1982=100 base. (8) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1997=1no hasp. 5 Table 2. Consumer Price Index for Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Indexes tor semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods St. Louis, MO -IL (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) Item and Group Semiannual average indexes Percent change to 2nd half 2014 from - 2nd half 2013 1st half 2014 2nd half 2014 2nd half 2013 1st half 2014 Expenditure category All Items 218.549 220.003 219.353 0.4 -0.3 All items (1967=100) 642.983 647.262 645.349 Food and beverages 237.810 244.628 247.695 4.2 1.3 Food 237.224 244.206 247.326 4.3 1.3 Food at home 226.991 231.907 234.247 3.2 1.0 Food away from home 253.192 261.850 267.355 5.6 2.1 Alcoholic beverages 220.227 223,788 225.698 2.5 0.9 Housing 208.167 208.531 211.041 1,4 1.2 Shelter 234.543 237.305 238,999 1.9 0.7 Rent of primary residence (1) 212.149 214.555 215.472 1.6 0.4 Owners' equiv. rent of residences (11{2) 222.601 224.024 226.519 1.8 1.1 Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence 0) (2) 222.601 224.024 226.519 1.8 1.1 Fuels and utilities 217.586 210.633 220.702 1.4 4.8 Household energy 202.136 186.650 206.149 2.0 10.4 Energy services {0) 208.165 189.533 210.884 1.3 11.3 Electricity 0) 216.057 186.445 216.264 0.1 16.0 Utility (piped) gas service 0) 152.783 158.444 160.895 5.3 1,5 Household furnishings and operations 117.316 116.720 115,333 -1.7 -1.2 Apparel 149.447 152.146 149.043 -0.3 -2.0 Transportation 208.670 209.914 200.730 -3.8 -4.4 Private transportation 207.698 208.694 199.750 -3.8 -4.3 Motor fuel 311.725 325.120 284.719 -8.7 -12.4 Gasoline (all types) 306.755 319.709 279.783 -8.8 -12.5 Gasoline, unleaded regular {3) 298.801 311.481 272.054 -9.0 -12.7 Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4) 351.855 366.468 322.183 -8.4 -12.1 Gasoline, unleaded premium {3) 295.674 307.885 272.635 -7.8 -11.4 Medical Care 389.590 395.545 399.388 2.5 1.0 Recreation {5) 119,824 119.941 118.548 -1.1 -1.2 Education and communication (5) 135.634 132.432 132.548 -2.3 0.1 Other goads and services 320,208 323.076 324.182 1.2 0.3 Commodity and Service Group All Items 218.549 220.003 219.353 0,4 -0.3 Commodities 195.182 197.656 194.331 -0.4 -1.7 Commodities less food & beverages 172.710 173.455 167.308 -3.1 -3.5 Nondurables less food & beverages 228.532 233.828 220.907 -3.3 -5.5 Note: See footnotes at end citable. -6- Table 2. Consumer Price Index for Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods St. Louis, MO -IL (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) - Continued Item and Group Semiannual average indexes Percent change to 2nd half 2014 from - 2nd half 2013 1st half 2014 2nd half 2014 2nd half 2013 1st half 2014 Durables 118.983 116.813 115.990 -2.5 -0.7 Services 247.505 247.790 250.094 1.0 0.9 Special aggregate indexes: All items less medical care 211.429 212.775 211.951 0,2 -0.4 All items less shelter 214.922 215.809 214.332 -0.3 -0.7 Commodities less food 175.114 175.908 169.950 -2.9 -3.4 Nondurabies 233.028 238.565 233.771 0.3 -2.0 Nondurables less food 229.035 234.098 222.045 -3.1 -5.1 Services less rent of shelter (2) 250.392 248.072 250.894 0.2 1.1 Services less medical care services 235.038 235.090 237.333 1.0 1.0 Energy 250.226 248.343 239.587 -4.3 -3.5 Ail items less energy 217.344 219.145 219.994 1.2 0.4 All items less food and energy 213.262 214.009 214.384 0.5 0.2 (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 November 1984=100 base. (2) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (s) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. --7-