Bureau of Labor Statistics
|
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: |
FOR RELEASE: |
|
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR ST. LOUIS, MO-IL
Prices increase 3.2 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the St. Louis metropolitan area increased 3.2 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. According to Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman, rising prices for energy largely attributable to rising gasoline prices accounted for nearly one-half of the increase in the overall index. Energy prices, which include prices for motor fuel and household fuels, advanced 17.1 percent over the year. Excluding the impact of energy, the CPI for St. Louis rose 1.7 percent.
Among the eight major expenditure categories, rising prices for transportation had the largest impact on the overall index, reflecting higher motor fuel costs. Transportation prices rose 7.3 percent over the year driven by a 30.8 percent surge in motor fuel costs. Private transportation costs, which include prices for vehicles and motor fuel, were up 7.5 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008.
Housing costs had the second largest effect on the overall index, increasing 1.5 percent due largely to a 1.8 percent rise in shelter costs. Within shelter, rent of primary residence increased 1.8 percent and owners' equivalent rent of primary residence rose 1.4 percent. Electricity prices were virtually unchanged after rising 6.4 percent in the same period one year ago. In contrast, charges for utility (piped) gas service were down 1.0 percent over the year. Prices for household furnishings and operations were up 0.6 percent.
Prices for food and beverages also contributed upward pressure on the all items index, as costs rose 3.7 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008. Prices for food at home were up 4.3 percent and prices for food away from home increased 2.5 percent. Alcoholic beverages prices were 3.3 percent higher.
The index for education and communication rose 5.2 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008, the second largest increase since semiannual reporting began in 1999. Over the same period, increases in the prior three years ranged from 1.0 percent to 2.3 percent.
Combined, the four remaining major groups accounted for less than one-eighth of the increase in the overall index. Recreation prices, which include admissions to movies, concerts, and sporting events, rose 3.1 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008. Prices for other goods and services, which include tobacco and smoking products and personal care items, increased 3.9 percent since the first half of 2007 and the apparel index was up 1.7 percent. Medical care costs were 0.5 percent lower over the year after increasing more than 3 percent during the same period in each of the previous four years.
The St. Louis CPI-U stood at 198.278 for the first half of 2008. This means that a market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in 1982-84 cost $198.28 in the first half of 2008. 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.
___________________________________________________________________________
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.
Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number (Federal Relay Service):
1-800-877-8339.
___________________________________________________________________________
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)
Semiannual average indexes Percent change to
1st half 2008 from-
Item and Group
1st half 2nd half 1st half
2007 2007 2008 1st half 2nd half
2007 2007
Expenditure category
All items.................................... 192.125 194.338 198.278 3.2 2.0
All items (1967=100)......................... 570.642 577.214 588.919 - -
Food and beverages.......................... 194.464 197.064 201.675 3.7 2.3
Food....................................... 193.009 195.671 200.189 3.7 2.3
Food at home.............................. 185.218 187.230 193.191 4.3 3.2
Food away from home....................... 207.037 210.777 212.115 2.5 .6
Alcoholic beverages........................ 198.153 199.926 204.759 3.3 2.4
Housing..................................... 184.323 185.961 187.115 1.5 .6
Shelter.................................... 208.193 209.558 211.913 1.8 1.1
Rent of primary residence................. 186.814 189.558 190.131 1.8 .3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary
residence (1) ........................ 215.722 216.290 218.842 1.4 1.2
Fuels and utilities........................ 175.060 182.620 176.550 .9 -3.3
Household energy.......................... 160.785 175.864 161.667 .5 -8.1
Gas (piped) and electricity.............. 164.134 179.640 163.438 -.4 -9.0
Electricity............................. 128.369 149.336 128.511 .1 -13.9
Utility (piped) gas service............. 204.489 206.334 202.514 -1.0 -1.9
Household furnishings and operations....... 134.903 133.281 135.694 .6 1.8
Apparel..................................... 123.821 125.583 125.935 1.7 .3
Transportation.............................. 176.631 180.346 189.492 7.3 5.1
Private transportation..................... 177.436 181.261 190.663 7.5 5.2
Motor fuel................................ 241.060 261.217 315.425 30.8 20.8
Gasoline (all types)..................... 237.204 257.046 310.825 31.0 20.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular (2).......... 231.553 249.524 302.708 30.7 21.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (2) (3)..... 272.231 297.469 357.775 31.4 20.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium (2).......... 227.885 252.169 301.686 32.4 19.6
Medical care................................ 344.824 342.893 343.086 -.5 .1
Recreation (4).............................. 119.257 119.138 122.946 3.1 3.2
Education and communication (4)............. 122.171 125.765 128.582 5.2 2.2
Other goods and services.................... 260.852 260.630 271.104 3.9 4.0
Commodity and service group
All items.................................... 192.125 194.338 198.278 3.2 2.0
Commodities................................. 165.968 167.959 173.994 4.8 3.6
Commodities less food and beverages........ 149.701 151.382 157.897 5.5 4.3
Nondurables less food and beverages....... 185.656 190.782 208.914 12.5 9.5
Durables.................................. 115.661 114.599 111.790 -3.3 -2.5
Services.................................... 219.928 222.383 224.312 2.0 .9
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care.................. 184.501 186.855 190.900 3.5 2.2
All items less shelter....................... 188.303 190.882 195.498 3.8 2.4
Commodities less food........................ 151.980 153.669 160.147 5.4 4.2
Nondurables.................................. 190.366 194.236 205.718 8.1 5.9
Nondurables less food........................ 187.045 191.918 209.009 11.7 8.9
Services less rent of shelter (1) ........... 237.630 241.441 243.011 2.3 .7
Services less medical care services.......... 208.222 211.038 212.984 2.3 .9
Energy....................................... 195.436 212.682 228.763 17.1 7.6
All items less energy........................ 194.316 195.627 197.646 1.7 1.0
All items less food and energy.............. 194.906 195.963 197.529 1.3 .8
1 Index is on a November 1982=100 base.
2 Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
3 Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
4 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
Consumer Price Index for Urban 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)
Semiannual average indexes Percent change to
1st half 2008 from-
Item and Group
1st half 2nd half 1st half
2007 2007 2008 1st half 2nd half
2007 2007
Expenditure category
All items.................................... 190.919 193.393 197.848 3.6 2.3
All items (1967=100)......................... 561.693 568.973 582.079 - -
Food and beverages.......................... 194.530 197.422 202.211 3.9 2.4
Food....................................... 193.791 196.658 201.427 3.9 2.4
Food at home.............................. 185.487 187.496 193.360 4.2 3.1
Food away from home....................... 207.684 211.483 213.080 2.6 .8
Alcoholic beverages........................ 187.890 190.955 194.618 3.6 1.9
Housing..................................... 186.825 188.574 188.886 1.1 .2
Shelter.................................... 208.133 209.265 211.641 1.7 1.1
Rent of primary residence................. 186.814 189.558 190.131 1.8 .3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary
residence (1)........................ 197.632 198.152 200.491 1.4 1.2
Fuels and utilities........................ 177.957 185.728 179.468 .8 -3.4
Household energy.......................... 161.982 177.410 162.635 .4 -8.3
Gas (piped) and electricity.............. 165.719 181.460 164.978 -.4 -9.1
Electricity............................. 128.369 149.334 128.510 .1 -13.9
Utility (piped) gas service............. 204.490 206.335 202.514 -1.0 -1.9
Household furnishings and operations....... 132.219 130.042 129.677 -1.9 -.3
Apparel..................................... 123.765 125.929 127.014 2.6 .9
Transportation.............................. 179.553 183.362 194.208 8.2 5.9
Private transportation..................... 179.067 182.921 193.931 8.3 6.0
Motor fuel................................ 241.045 261.202 315.426 30.9 20.8
Gasoline (all types)..................... 237.204 257.047 310.826 31.0 20.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular (2).......... 231.542 249.512 302.693 30.7 21.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (2) (3)..... 272.231 297.469 357.775 31.4 20.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium (2).......... 227.895 252.181 301.700 32.4 19.6
Medical care................................ 343.641 342.482 342.151 -.4 -.1
Recreation (4).............................. 120.920 120.762 124.897 3.3 3.4
Education and communication (4)............. 119.223 122.789 125.230 5.0 2.0
Other goods and services.................... 259.408 259.208 269.651 3.9 4.0
Commodity and service group
All items.................................... 190.919 193.393 197.848 3.6 2.3
Commodities................................. 169.312 171.595 178.420 5.4 4.0
Commodities less food and beverages........ 154.678 156.655 164.173 6.1 4.8
Nondurables less food and beverages....... 186.592 192.048 212.871 14.1 10.8
Durables.................................. 122.137 121.559 117.938 -3.4 -3.0
Services.................................... 217.846 220.554 222.343 2.1 .8
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care.................. 184.529 187.095 191.634 3.9 2.4
All items less shelter....................... 186.651 189.505 194.803 4.4 2.8
Commodities less food........................ 156.387 158.399 165.836 6.0 4.7
Nondurables.................................. 190.582 194.761 207.927 9.1 6.8
Nondurables less food........................ 187.028 192.374 212.091 13.4 10.2
Services less rent of shelter (1)........... 218.195 222.204 223.639 2.5 .6
Services less medical care services.......... 206.613 209.614 211.420 2.3 .9
Energy....................................... 196.165 213.545 230.764 17.6 8.1
All items less energy........................ 192.241 193.653 195.575 1.7 1.0
All items less food and energy.............. 191.770 192.854 194.209 1.3 .7
1 Index is on a November 1984=100 base.
2 Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
3 Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
4 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
Last Modified Date: August 14, 2008
