PHILADELPHIA AREA CONSUMER PRICE INDEX:  JULY 2009 (PDF)

Philadelphia area prices for food at home, shelter, and energy all rose over the month, 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 despite four consecutive one-month advances, energy prices dropped 24.2 percent from July 2008 to July 2009—the largest 12-month decrease since the inception of the index in December 1977.  (See table 1.)

The food at home index increased 0.2 percent since June, led by higher prices for citrus fruits.  Moderating the advance were lower prices for a number of items such as snacks and uncooked ground beef.  Prices for food at home declined 1.5 percent over the last 12 months.

The Philadelphia area food at home index stood at 215.243 on the 1982-84 reference base, which means that grocery shoppers in the Philadelphia area would have had to spend $21.52 last month for a market basket of food items that cost $10.00 in 1982-84.

Shelter prices increased 1.1 percent in July due in large part to higher prices for owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence, which rose 1.0 percent over the month and 2.0 percent over the year.  Prices for the other published component of the shelter index, rent of primary residence, were 0.5 percent higher since June and 1.3 percent higher since last July.  The overall shelter index rose 1.3 percent over the last 12 months.

The Philadelphia area shelter index stood at 280.881 on the 1982-84 reference base, which means that local residents would have had to spend $28.09 last month for various types of shelter that cost $10.00 in 1982-84.

Energy prices rose for the fourth consecutive month, up 14.1 percent since March and 0.6 percent since June.  The recent one-month advance was largely due to higher gasoline prices, which increased 1.0 percent since June but were 35.7 percent below their year-ago levels.  Higher prices for electricity (0.4 percent) and propane, kerosene, and firewood also contributed to the recent rise in energy prices.  Over the year, electricity prices advanced 0.5 percent.  Utility (piped) gas service prices were unchanged since June, but fell 18.3 percent over the last 12 months.

The Philadelphia area energy index stood at 205.602 on the 1982-84 reference base, which means that energy users in the Philadelphia area would have had to spend $20.56 last month for a group of energy items that cost $10.00 in 1982-84.

The Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md., Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland.