Consumer Price Index, South Region — October 2024

Area prices rose 0.3 percent in October; up 2.5 percent over the past year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the South rose 0.3 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The monthly increase in the all items index was attributed to an increase in the shelter index. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The all items CPI-U for the South increased 2.5 percent for the 12 months ending in October, after increasing 2.1 percent for the 12-month period ending in September. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent over the past 12 months. The food index continued to increase, up 2.2 percent over the past year. In contrast, the energy index declined 3.5 percent over the same period. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.4 percent in October, reflecting increases for the food at home (+0.4 percent) and food away from home (+0.3 percent) indexes. Five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the month, including other food at home (+0.4 percent), cereals and bakery products (+0.8 percent), and fruits and vegetables (+0.5 percent). The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs was unchanged in October.

The food index rose 2.2 percent for the 12 months ending in October. The index for food away from home increased 3.6 percent over the past year, while the index for food at home rose 1.4 percent over the same period. Each of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the past year, led by a 3.0-percent increase in the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.

Energy

The energy index declined 0.8 percent in October, reflecting decreases in the gasoline (-1.2 percent) and electricity (-0.6 percent) indexes. In contrast, the natural gas index rose 1.4 percent in October.

The energy index fell 3.5 percent for the 12 months ending in October, reflecting a 9.1-percent fall in the gasoline index. The indexes for electricity (+2.9 percent) and natural gas (+1.7 percent) increased over the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent in October. The index for shelter continued to increase, up 0.4 percent over the month. The index for owners' equivalent rent rose 0.5 percent from September to October, while the index for rent of primary residence rose 0.3 percent over the same period.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent for the 12 months ending in October, after increasing 3.0 percent for the 12-month period ending in September. The index for shelter (+4.8 percent) was the largest contributor to the total 12-month increase in the all items less food and energy index. The indexes for owners' equivalent rent (+5.0 percent) and rent of primary residence (+4.3 percent) also increased over the past year.

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the three divisions of the South. In October, the all items index increased 0.3 percent in the West South Central division and 0.2 percent in both the South Atlantic and East South Central divisions.

Over the year, the all items index increased 3.5 percent in the East South Central division, 2.5 percent in the South Atlantic division, and 2.1 percent in the West South Central division.

Month	2020		2021		2022		2023		2024
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.3	2.3	0.5	1.6	0.9	7.8	0.8	6.9	0.6	3.4
February	0.2	1.9	0.5	2.0	1.1	8.4	0.6	6.4	0.9	3.7
March	-0.1	1.1	0.8	2.9	1.4	9.1	0.4	5.3	0.4	3.8
April	-0.8	-0.2	0.7	4.4	0.5	8.8	0.7	5.5	0.2	3.3
May	-0.2	-0.4	0.8	5.6	1.2	9.2	0.2	4.4	0.1	3.2
June	0.6	0.3	0.9	5.8	1.5	9.8	0.3	3.3	0.0	2.9
July	0.6	0.6	0.5	5.8	0.1	9.4	0.2	3.4	0.2	2.9
August	0.4	1.1	0.3	5.6	-0.2	8.9	0.6	4.1	0.0	2.3
September	0.2	1.3	0.3	5.8	0.2	8.7	0.2	4.2	0.1	2.1
October	0.1	1.3	1.0	6.6	0.4	8.1	-0.1	3.7	0.3	2.5
November	-0.1	1.2	0.4	7.2	0.1	7.7	-0.2	3.4
December	0.2	1.4	0.3	7.4	-0.3	7.0	-0.1	3.7

The Consumer Price Index for November 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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 Consumer Price Index for the South is published monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Aug. 2024	Sep. 2024	Oct. 2024	Oct. 2023	Aug. 2024	Sep. 2024
Expenditure category
All Items	305.761	306.078	306.889	2.5	0.4	0.3
All items (December 1977=100)	495.986	496.502	497.817	-	-	-
Food and beverages	323.095	324.177	325.457	2.2	0.7	0.4
Food	326.917	328.080	329.284	2.2	0.7	0.4
Food at home	304.572	305.802	307.013	1.4	0.8	0.4
Cereal and bakery products	362.385	365.993	368.887	1.7	1.8	0.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	322.885	326.451	326.302	3.0	1.1	0.0
Dairy and related products	270.454	272.076	274.119	2.5	1.4	0.8
Fruits and vegetables	331.694	335.299	336.949	1.2	1.6	0.5
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	217.373	215.122	216.045	0.7	-0.6	0.4
Other food at home	273.339	272.812	273.890	0.1	0.2	0.4
Food away from home	364.733	365.773	366.957	3.6	0.6	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	269.822	269.818	272.111	2.5	0.8	0.8
Housing	313.956	315.385	316.182	3.9	0.7	0.3
Shelter	368.172	369.883	371.389	4.8	0.9	0.4
Rent of primary residence	393.450	394.789	395.963	4.3	0.6	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences	370.934	372.695	374.541	5.0	1.0	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence	370.925	372.668	374.495	5.0	1.0	0.5
Fuels and utilities	301.030	303.836	303.107	3.0	0.7	-0.2
Household energy	244.776	247.090	246.184	2.5	0.6	-0.4
Energy services	244.856	247.243	246.366	2.7	0.6	-0.4
Electricity	241.769	244.758	243.270	2.9	0.6	-0.6
Utility (piped) gas service	245.117	243.267	246.568	1.7	0.6	1.4
Household furnishings and operations	146.658	146.462	145.703	-2.2	-0.7	-0.5
Apparel	141.999	145.106	142.819	-0.5	0.6	-1.6
Transportation	272.224	268.606	270.045	0.0	-0.8	0.5
Private transportation	275.514	271.302	271.898	-0.2	-1.3	0.2
New and used motor vehicles	125.138	125.006	125.050	-2.7	-0.1	0.0
New vehicles	184.591	184.444	184.200	-1.7	-0.2	-0.1
New cars and trucks	-	-	-	-	-	-
New cars	181.736	181.387	181.539	-2.2	-0.1	0.1
Used cars and trucks	177.629	177.432	178.076	-3.7	0.3	0.4
Motor fuel	281.052	262.527	259.447	-9.5	-7.7	-1.2
Gasoline (all types)	280.112	261.513	258.400	-9.1	-7.8	-1.2
Unleaded regular	273.037	254.223	251.151	-9.4	-8.0	-1.2
Unleaded midgrade	317.410	299.402	295.663	-7.7	-6.9	-1.2
Unleaded premium	310.992	294.942	291.780	-6.9	-6.2	-1.1
Medical care	530.700	535.448	537.012	3.3	1.2	0.3
Medical care commodities	385.232	384.229	384.526	0.3	-0.2	0.1
Medical care services	579.205	585.915	587.910	3.9	1.5	0.3
Professional services	400.174	407.690	409.389	4.4	2.3	0.4
Recreation	138.200	137.895	137.835	1.0	-0.3	0.0
Education and communication	142.344	141.121	141.356	0.6	-0.7	0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and child care	1,549.573	1,551.043	1,554.295	4.3	0.3	0.2
Other goods and services	534.771	535.578	538.645	3.9	0.7	0.6
Commodity and service group
All Items	305.761	306.078	306.889	2.5	0.4	0.3
Commodities	221.713	220.478	220.198	-0.8	-0.7	-0.1
Commodities less food and beverages	176.854	174.876	174.070	-2.6	-1.6	-0.5
Nondurables less food and beverages	233.468	229.343	227.736	-2.6	-2.5	-0.7
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	288.793	280.378	279.163	-3.2	-3.3	-0.4
Durables	125.568	125.070	124.823	-3.2	-0.6	-0.2
Services	390.689	392.557	394.460	4.5	1.0	0.5
Rent of shelter	379.226	380.998	382.517	4.9	0.9	0.4
Transportation services	498.913	501.927	511.834	7.7	2.6	2.0
Other services	401.059	399.998	401.417	2.6	0.1	0.4
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	293.161	293.267	294.037	2.4	0.3	0.3
All items less food	302.264	302.463	303.217	2.5	0.3	0.2
All items less shelter	282.276	281.983	282.497	1.2	0.1	0.2
Commodities less food	179.650	177.712	176.976	-2.5	-1.5	-0.4
Nondurables	275.775	274.058	273.787	0.1	-0.7	-0.1
Nondurables less food	235.148	231.264	229.881	-2.3	-2.2	-0.6
Nondurables less food and apparel	285.580	277.944	277.041	-2.8	-3.0	-0.3
Services less rent of shelter	416.514	418.566	421.061	4.1	1.1	0.6
Services less medical care services	372.648	374.146	376.020	4.6	0.9	0.5
Energy	257.084	249.271	247.333	-3.5	-3.8	-0.8
All items less energy	312.333	313.442	314.525	3.0	0.7	0.3
All items less food and energy	310.377	311.479	312.544	3.1	0.7	0.3
Commodities less food and energy commodities	167.416	167.503	167.058	-1.4	-0.2	-0.3
Energy commodities	285.904	267.532	264.422	-9.4	-7.5	-1.2
Services less energy services	406.028	407.857	410.026	4.6	1.0	0.5
- Data not available. Note: Data are not seasonally adjusted. 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.

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