Prices in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), rose 0.3 percent for the 2 months ending in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A). Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that June’s rise was mainly due to an increase in the all items less food and energy index (also rising 0.3 percent) influenced by higher prices for shelter and household furnishings and operations. The food index was up 0.2 percent, and the energy index declined -0.2 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 3.6 percent, led by the index for all items less food and energy, up 4.0 percent largely due to rising shelter prices. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices also rose, up 2.8 percent. The energy index advanced 0.6 percent, in part due to higher prices for electricity. (See table 1). 

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, June 2021–June 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Jun 2021	4.9	4.5
Aug 2021	4.6	4.1
Oct 2021	5.6	4.6
Dec 2021	6.6	5.6
Feb 2022	7.3	5.9
Apr 2022	8.4	6.3
Jun 2022	8.8	5.6
Aug 2022	8.1	5.8
Oct 2022	7.8	5.8
Dec 2022	6.4	5.2
Feb 2023	6.9	6.3
Apr 2023	4.7	5.0
Jun 2023	3.1	4.6
Aug 2023	3.9	4.6
Oct 2023	3.5	4.4
Dec 2023	3.9	4.7
Feb 2024	3.4	4.2
Apr 2024	4.1	4.6
Jun 2024	3.6	4.0

In the two months ending in June, the food index advanced 0.2 percent, mostly due to the food away from home index, which rose 1.4 percent. Prices for food at home declined -0.7 percent, led by lower prices for fruits and vegetables, down -3.8 percent (the largest decrease since August 2021). Prices for cereals and bakery products decreased -4.2 percent, the largest decline since the index began in 2018. Other declining grocery prices comprised other food at home (-2.1 percent), and dairy and related products (-2.0 percent). Partially offsetting the food at home index decrease, were nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (up 8.2 percent); and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (up 1.3 percent).

Over the year, food prices rose 2.8 percent. For the same period, prices for food away from home increased 5.1 percent and prices for food at home were up 1.3 percent. Leading the increase for food at home was the nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials index, up 10.8 percent. Prices also rose for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, up 5.5 percent, the first increase since April 2023. Declining prices for fruits and vegetables (-3.9 percent) and dairy and related products (-3.7 percent) helped temper the rise in the grocery index. The food at home index was also moderated by prices for cereals and bakery products which decreased -3.0 percent, the first decline since August 2021 and well below the peak high of 25.7 percent in August 2022.

The energy index was down -0.2 percent for the 2 months ending in June. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices in the gasoline index (-2.1 percent), and the fuel oil index. Moderating the decline, prices for electricity rose 3.4 percent, and prices for natural gas service increased 1.5 percent for the same period.

From June 2023 to June 2024, energy prices advanced 0.6 percent—the smallest increase since October 2016, and well below June 2022’s peak high (46.0 percent). Led by a higher electricity index, prices for electricity increased 5.2 percent. Offsetting the increase, prices for gasoline were down -2.5 percent and the utility (piped) gas service index was down -1.7 percent (marking a year of over-the-year declines).

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.3 percent in the latest 2-month period. The rise was led by higher prices for shelter (1.3 percent) and household furnishings and operations (2.1 percent). Within the shelter index, both the owners’ equivalent rent of residences index and the rent of primary residence index increased 1.2 percent. Other advances in the all items less food and energy index also included medical care (0.5 percent), alcoholic beverages (1.2 percent), used cars and trucks (0.8 percent), and other goods and services (0.1 percent). Mitigating the overall rise were lower prices for apparel (-2.2 percent), recreation (-1.2 percent), education and communication (-0.5 percent), and public transportation.

During the past year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.0 percent, mainly driven by a 5.8-percent increase in the shelter index. Within shelter, the indexes for owners’ equivalent rent of residences advanced 6.7 percent, rent of primary residence rose 7.3 percent and lodging away from home decreased. The household furnishings and operations index rose 4.7 percent over the year. Other categories also had increases— prices for education and communication were up 2.1 percent, prices for recreation advanced 2.2 percent, and prices for apparel rose 1.8 percent. Prices for medical care increased 1.0 percent after a six bi-month trend of over-the-year declines. Partially tempering the overall index increase was a decrease in prices for new and used motor vehicles, down -1.2 percent, a decline in prices for public transportation, and lowering prices for other goods and services, (down -0.5 percent and the first decline since April 2020).

The August 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area is scheduled to be released on September 11, 2024.

The Consumer Price Index for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington is published bi-monthly. 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 Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: (1) a CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) which covers approximately 93 percent of the total U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. population. The CPI-U includes, in addition to wage earners and clerical workers, groups such as professional, managerial, and technical workers, the self-employed, short-term workers, the unemployed, and retirees and others not in the labor force.

The CPI is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, fuels, transportation fares, charges for doctors' and dentists' services, drugs, and the other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. Each month, prices are collected in 75 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 retail establishments—department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other types of stores and service establishments. All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included in the index.

The index measures price changes from a designated reference date; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods available on the internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.

In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each location are averaged together with weights that represent their importance in the spending of the appropriate population group. Local data are then combined to obtain a U.S. city average. Because the sample size of a local area is smaller, the local area index is subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error than the national index. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although their long-term trends are quite similar. 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Core Based Statistical Area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland.

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.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Apr. 2024	May 2024	Jun. 2024	Jun. 2023	Apr. 2024	May 2024
All items		313.505		314.328	3.6	0.3
All items (1967 = 100)		905.699		908.076
Food and beverages		300.471		301.174	2.6	0.2
Food		303.369		303.882	2.8	0.2
Food at home		309.060	307.671	307.039	1.3	-0.7	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		426.376	419.542	408.259	-3.0	-4.2	-2.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		340.135	339.391	344.392	5.5	1.3	1.5
Dairy and related products		240.800	239.807	235.964	-3.7	-2.0	-1.6
Fruits and vegetables		304.571	299.238	293.049	-3.9	-3.8	-2.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		209.964	223.124	227.267	10.8	8.2	1.9
Other food at home		299.262	291.677	292.920	1.0	-2.1	0.4
Food away from home		287.000		291.154	5.1	1.4
Alcoholic beverages		256.615		259.756	0.7	1.2
Housing		333.401		337.851	5.3	1.3
Shelter		412.179	418.377	417.433	5.8	1.3	-0.2
Rent of primary residence		388.598	392.258	393.168	7.3	1.2	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		423.814	428.261	429.041	6.7	1.2	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		423.814	428.261	429.041	6.7	1.2	0.2
Fuels and utilities		274.132		276.848	2.4	1.0
Household energy		226.828	225.512	229.788	2.9	1.3	1.9
Energy services		236.728	237.270	243.727	3.4	3.0	2.7
Electricity		241.144	241.363	249.455	5.2	3.4	3.4
Utility (piped) gas service		208.047	209.403	211.077	-1.7	1.5	0.8
Household furnishings and operations		145.958		149.084	4.7	2.1
Apparel		114.818		112.299	1.8	-2.2
Transportation		278.646		273.632	2.4	-1.8
Private transportation		292.476		287.447	3.5	-1.7
New and used motor vehicles(3)		133.731		133.709	-1.2	0.0
New vehicles(1)		238.993		238.351	0.0	-0.3
Used cars and trucks(1)		339.717		342.372	-9.2	0.8
Motor fuel		327.702	333.363	320.656	-2.5	-2.2	-3.8
Gasoline (all types)		323.599	329.233	316.674	-2.5	-2.1	-3.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		319.068	324.553	311.509	-2.8	-2.4	-4.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		335.153	341.949	331.787	-1.1	-1.0	-3.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		332.180	338.276	328.839	-0.5	-1.0	-2.8
Medical care		595.658		598.605	1.0	0.5
Recreation(3)		139.434		137.692	2.2	-1.2
Education and communication(3)		139.430		138.697	2.1	-0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,158.588		1,158.750	4.0	0.0
Other goods and services		693.191		693.827	-0.5	0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		224.088		223.300	0.7	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages		183.463		181.876	-0.4	-0.9
Nondurables less food and beverages		229.944		227.183	1.7	-1.2
Durables		130.144		129.667	-3.2	-0.4
Services		402.079		404.472	5.0	0.6
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		279.769		278.892	2.3	-0.3
All items less medical care		301.472		302.206	3.8	0.2
Commodities less food		186.452		185.038	-0.4	-0.8
Nondurables		265.770		264.847	2.1	-0.3
Nondurables less food		231.516		229.201	1.5	-1.0
Services less rent of shelter(2)		398.767		397.854	4.1	-0.2
Services less medical care services		387.015		389.528	5.5	0.6
Energy		265.436	266.519	264.970	0.6	-0.2	-0.6
All items less energy		321.745		322.676	3.8	0.3
All items less food and energy		328.176		329.202	4.0	0.3
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.