On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on October 15. The increase was less than the 0.4 percent rise in August. The index has decreased 1.3 percent over the last 12 months on a not seasonally adjusted basis.
The seasonally adjusted increase in the all items index was broad based, although tempered by a decline in the food index. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.2 percent in September after increasing 0.1 percent in each of the previous two months. Contributing to this increase were advances in the indexes for lodging away from home, medical care, new vehicles, used cars and trucks, and public transportation. The increase occurred despite declines in the indexes for rent and owners' equivalent rent, the first decreases in those indexes since 1992. The energy index also increased in September, as increases in the indexes for gasoline, fuel oil and electricity more than offset a decline in the index for natural gas.
In contrast to these increases, the food index declined, falling for the sixth time in the last eight months. The index for food away from home increased, but the food at home index declined as the indexes for fruits and vegetables and for meats, poultry, fish and eggs fell sharply. Both the food and energy indexes have declined over the past 12 months. The decline in the food index is the first 12-month decrease in that index in over 40 years.
Food
After rising 0.1 percent in August, the food index declined 0.1 percent in September. The index for food away from home rose 0.1 percent while the food at home index declined 0.3 percent, its eighth decline in the last 10 months. The September decrease was driven by declines in the indexes for fruits and vegetables, which fell 1.2 percent, and for meats, poultry, fish and eggs, which decreased 1.0 percent. The index for non-alcoholic beverages was unchanged in September, while the other grocery store food groups posted increases. After declining for nine straight months, the index for dairy and related products rose 0.5 percent in September. The cereals and bakery products index increased 0.3 percent and the index for other food at home rose 0.1 percent. Over the past year, the food at home index has decreased 2.5 percent, with the fruits and vegetables, dairy, and meat groups all posting significant declines. The food index has declined 0.2 percent since September 2008, the first 12-month decrease since April 1967.
Energy
The energy index rose 0.6 percent in September after increasing 4.6 percent in August. The index for energy commodities rose 1.1 percent, with the gasoline index increasing 1.0 percent. (Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices fell 2.1 percent in September.) The index for energy services, which was unchanged in August, rose 0.1 percent in September. The electricity index rose 0.6 percent while the index for natural gas declined 1.7 percent. Over the past 12 months, the energy index has fallen 21.6 percent with all its major components declining. The gasoline index decreased 29.7 percent, the index for natural gas declined 28.0 percent, and the electricity index fell 0.1 percent.
All items less food and energy
The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in September after increasing 0.1 percent in both July and August. One contributor to the increase was the medical care index, which rose 0.4 percent in September. The index for medical care commodities rose 0.6 percent in September, with the prescription drugs index rising 0.6 percent and the index for non-prescription drugs advancing 1.1 percent. Several transportation indexes contributed to the increase in the index for all items less food and energy. The new vehicles index, which declined 1.3 percent in August, rose 0.4 percent in September. The index for used cars and trucks increased sharply for the second month in a row, rising 1.6 percent, and the index for public transportation rose 2.1 percent as the airline fares index increased 3.4 percent. The tobacco index rose 1.0 percent in September and has risen 26.1 percent since February. The shelter index was unchanged in September, as a 1.5 percent increase in the index for lodging away from home was offset by declines of 0.1 percent in the heavily weighted rent and owners' equivalent rent indexes. For the past 12 months, the index for all items less food and energy has risen 1.5 percent. The indexes for shelter, new vehicles, medical care and tobacco have all risen during the period, while the indexes for used cars and trucks and public transportation have declined.