Web site: www.bls.gov/ro3/

 PLS – 4470
FOR RELEASE:
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008
INFORMATION: Gerald Perrins
(215) 597-3282
MEDIA CONTACT:

Sheila Watkins
(215) 861-5600

Consumer Price Index for Shelter, Energy, and Food at Home  in the Washington-Baltimore Area: October 2008 (PDF)

Shelter and energy prices in the Washington-Baltimore area declined, while food at home prices rose in October, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent drop in energy prices (-7.3 percent) was the largest one-month decline since October 2006.  Over the last 12 months, energy prices advanced 14.1 percent, well above the 7.3-percent rise in food at home prices and the 4.0-percent increase in shelter prices.  (See table 1.)

The shelter index, which includes rent of primary residence, owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence, lodging away from home, and tenants’ and household insurance, edged down 0.3 percent in October.  Both published components of the shelter index, owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence (0.1 percent) and rent of primary residence (0.2 percent) inched up since September; these two components had over-the-year increases of 3.7 and 5.3 percent, respectively. 

The Washington-Baltimore area shelter index stood at 153.921 on the December 1997=100 base, which means that area residents would have spent $15.39 on various types of shelter that cost $10.00 in December 1997.

Energy prices fell for the third consecutive month, down 14.7 percent since July and 7.3 percent since September.  The recent decline was dominated by lower gasoline prices, which also fell for the third straight month, down 21.5 percent since July and 12.6 percent since September.  Also contributing to the decline in the energy index were lower prices for electricity and utility (piped) gas service.  Electricity prices, which normally increase each June when summer rate schedules are introduced and then decline in October, fell 1.8 percent since September but were 10.6 percent higher than year-ago levels.  Utility gas prices fell for the third consecutive month, down 24.4 percent since July and 0.9 percent since September.  Despite the recent declines, utility gas prices were 17.4 percent higher than last October.

The Washington-Baltimore energy index stood at 223.911 on the November 1996=100 base, which means that area energy users would have spent $22.39 for a group of energy items that cost $10.00 in November 1996.

The food at home index advanced for the fifth straight month, up 4.4 percent since May and 0.7 percent since September.  The recent one-month advance was led by higher prices for uncooked ground beef, other meats, and fresh vegetables. 

The Washington-Baltimore area food at home index stood at 138.605 on the December 1997=100 base, which means that grocery shoppers in the Washington-Baltimore area would have spent $13.86 last month for a market basket of food items that cost $10.00 in December 1997.

The Washington-Baltimore, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va., Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) includes the District of Columbia; Baltimore City and the counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, and Washington in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, King George, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the counties of Berkeley and Jefferson in West Virginia.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Washington-Baltimore, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.Va. (December 1997=100 unless otherwise noted)
Expenditure category Indexes Percent change from-
Aug. 2008 Sep. 2008 Oct. 2008 Oct. 2007 Aug. 2008 Sep. 2008

All items (1)

 - 142.036 - - - -

Food and beverages (1)

 - 139.410 - - - -

Food (1)

 - 140.852 - - - -

Food at home

 136.493 137.697 138.605 7.3 1.5 0.7

Food away from home (2)

 - 142.375 - - - -

Alcoholic beverages (2)

 - 119.364 - - - -

Housing (1)

 - 151.671 - - - -

Shelter

 154.922 154.309 153.921 4.0 -0.6 -0.3

Rent of primary residence (1) (3)

 163.865 164.570 164.887 5.3 0.6 0.2

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (3)

 152.509 153.206 153.354 3.7 0.6 0.1

Fuels and utilities

 - 197.859 - - - -

Household energy

 207.492 205.055 201.486 12.0 -2.9 -1.7

Gas (piped) and electricity (3)

199.209 197.297 194.135 11.1 -2.5 -1.6

Electricity (3)

193.141 197.484 193.928 10.6 0.4 -1.8

Utility (piped) gas service (3)

 197.469 174.887 173.388 17.4 -12.2 -0.9

Household furnishings and operations

 - 102.681 - - - -

Apparel (1)

 - 95.933 - - - -

Transportation (1)

 - 142.709 - - - -

Private transportation

 - 142.637 - - - -

Motor fuel

 310.231 300.079 262.288 16.6 -15.5 -12.6

Gasoline (all types)

 310.047 299.959 262.154 16.6 -15.4 -12.6

Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)

 315.359 305.389 264.907 15.9 -16.0 -13.3

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4)

 306.819 296.617 262.498 18.2 -14.4 -11.5

Gasoline,unleaded premium (4)

 304.075 293.362 260.911 18.4 -14.2 -11.1

Medical care (1)

 - 140.865 - - - -

Recreation

 - 117.400 - - - -

Education and communication

 - 131.330 - - - -

Other goods and services (1)

 - 157.226 - - - -
Commodity and service group            

Commodities

 - 127.401 - - - -

Commodities less food and beverages

 - 120.539 - - - -

Nondurables less food and beverages

 - 152.652 - - - -

Durables

 - 86.045 - - - -

Services

 - 151.707 - - - -
Special aggregate indexes            

All items less medical care (1)

 - 142.036 - - - -

All items less shelter

 - 135.929 - - - -

Commodities less food

 - 120.547 - - - -

Nondurables

 - 144.994 - - - -

Nondurables less food

 - 149.818 - - - -

Services less rent of shelter

 - 149.582 - - - -

Services less medical care services

 - 152.559 - - - -

Energy (1)

 247.122 241.537 223.911 14.1 -9.4 -7.3

All items less energy

 - 134.845 - - - -

All items less food and energy (1)

 - 134.750 - - - -

Footnotes
1 For Washington-Baltimore, index is on a November 1996=100 base.
2 For Washington-Baltimore, index is on a November 1997=100 base.
3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
4 Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
- Data not available.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 

Last Modified Date: November 19, 2008