The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released August 2019 Consumer Price Indexes (CPI) today. The all items category was unchanged over the last month & rose by 1.7% over the last year while All items less food and energy increased 0.2% from July – August ’19 and rose by 2.4% from August ’18 – ’19. The Men’s and boys’ apparel category rose by 1.3% over the last month and increased by 3.1% over the last year. Tobacco and smoking products increased by 0.4% from July – August ’19 and rose by 5.6% from August ’18 – ’19. Candy & chewing gum rose by 0.4% over the last month and increased by 3.7% over the last year. Recreational reading materials increased 1.0% from July – August ’19 and rose by 3.5% from August ’18 – ’19. Newspapers & magazines rose by 1.4% over the last month and increased by 6.9% over the last year. All inflation rates mentioned within are seasonally unadjusted.
CPI Historical Average Annual Inflation Rates for Selected Commodities Through August 2019
| BLS CPI Code | BLS CPI Category Description | 1 Month Aug '19 | YTD Aug '19 | 1 Yr. Aug '19 | 3 Yr. Aug '19 | 5 Yr. Aug '19 | 10 Yr. Aug '19 | 20 Yr. Aug '19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAF | FOOD & BEVERAGES | 0.05% | 1.23% | 1.72% | 1.43% | 1.18% | 1.72% | 2.27% |
| SAF11 | Food at home | -0.09% | 0.49% | 0.47% | 0.43% | 0.04% | 1.21% | 1.94% |
| SAF114 | Nonalcoholic beverages & beverage materials | 0.23% | 1.03% | 1.70% | 0.60% | 0.53% | 0.43% | 1.18% |
| SEFN | Juices & nonalcoholic drinks | 0.28% | 1.13% | 2.36% | 0.99% | 0.94% | 0.51% | 1.28% |
| SEFN01 | Carbonated drinks | 1.33% | 2.74% | 2.34% | 1.61% | 1.29% | 0.94% | 1.81% |
| SEFN03 | Nonfrozen noncarbonated juices & drinks | -0.48% | 0.01% | 2.44% | 0.51% | 0.67% | 0.15% | 0.73% |
| SEFP | Beverage materials including coffee & tea | 0.08% | 0.77% | 0.10% | -0.32% | -0.48% | 0.27% | 0.94% |
| SEFP01 | Coffee | 0.75% | 1.15% | -0.16% | -0.61% | -1.02% | 0.36% | 1.15% |
| SEFP02 | Other beverage materials including tea | -1.09% | 0.09% | 0.58% | 0.18% | 0.41% | 0.37% | 1.08% |
| SAF115 | Other food at home | -0.05% | 0.53% | 0.32% | 0.17% | 0.34% | 0.98% | 1.58% |
| SEFT06 | Other miscellaneous foods | 0.00% | -0.93% | 0.36% | 0.10% | 0.24% | 0.77% | 1.14% |
| SEFW | Alcoholic beverages at home | 0.15% | 1.09% | 2.38% | 1.36% | 0.87% | 0.78% | 1.47% |
| SEFW01 | Beer, ale & other malt beverages at home | -0.17% | 0.18% | 2.55% | 1.87% | 1.52% | 1.49% | 2.09% |
| SEFW02 | Distilled spirits at home | 0.04% | 2.09% | 1.92% | 0.69% | 0.40% | 0.31% | 1.15% |
| SEFW03 | Wine at home | 0.52% | 1.75% | 2.36% | 0.97% | 0.28% | 0.05% | 0.72% |
| SEHE | FUEL OIL & OTHER FUELS | -1.71% | -4.21% | -7.13% | 6.80% | -3.98% | 1.28% | 5.69% |
| SAH3 | HOUSEHOLD FURNISHINGS & OPERATIONS | -0.44% | 1.27% | 2.21% | 0.76% | 0.17% | -0.36% | -0.12% |
| SAA | APPAREL | 1.21% | 2.58% | 0.98% | -0.33% | -0.33% | 0.54% | -0.15% |
| SAM1 | MEDICAL CARE COMMODITIES | 0.59% | 1.14% | 0.09% | 0.90% | 2.10% | 2.26% | 2.52% |
| SEMF | Medicinal drugs | 0.61% | 1.16% | 0.01% | 0.90% | 2.17% | ||
| SEMF01 | Prescription drugs | 0.34% | 0.87% | -0.67% | 0.91% | 2.70% | 2.98% | 3.28% |
| SEMF02 | Nonprescription drugs | 1.63% | 2.26% | 2.65% | 0.85% | 0.12% | ||
| SEMG | Medical equipment and supplies | -0.01% | 0.82% | 2.48% | 0.79% | 0.30% | ||
| SAR | RECREATION | 0.27% | 0.63% | 1.25% | 0.94% | 0.88% | 0.49% | 0.83% |
| SEEA | EDUCATIONAL BOOKS & SUPPLIES | 1.56% | -0.08% | -0.42% | 0.33% | 2.21% | 3.54% | 4.94% |
| SEGA | TOBACCO & SMOKING PRODUCTS | 0.36% | 3.87% | 5.64% | 5.07% | 4.43% | 3.94% | 6.01% |
| SEGB | PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS | 0.01% | 0.23% | -0.13% | -0.46% | -0.38% | -0.09% | 0.28% |
| SEGE | MISCELLANEOUS PERSONAL GOODS | 2.18% | 6.69% | 0.68% | -0.76% | -2.22% | -1.49% | -1.31% |
| SAG | OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES | 0.30% | 1.80% | 2.29% | 2.23% | 2.07% | 1.97% | 2.86% |
| SERE | Other recreational goods | 0.26% | -3.05% | -5.12% | -7.12% | -6.63% | -5.32% | -4.74% |
| SERG | Recreational reading materials | 1.05% | 3.17% | 3.54% | 2.33% | 1.87% | 1.53% | 1.67% |
| Capitalized descriptions denotes a Major BLS Category Group (i.e. IPIC pool) |
CPI vs. PPI Supermarket Inflation Comparison Through August 2019
| Inflation Rate Period | CPI Inflation | PPI Inflation | DIFF: CPI VS PPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Months Ended August '19 | 0.64% | 0.29% | 0.35% |
| 7 Months Ended July '19 | 0.60% | 0.39% | 0.21% |
| 6 Months Ended June '19 | 0.56% | 0.52% | 0.04% |
| 5 Months Ended May '19 | 0.80% | -0.04% | 0.84% |
| 4 Months Ended April '19 | 0.79% | -0.04% | 0.83% |
| 3 Months Ended March '19 | 0.80% | 0.17% | 0.63% |
| 2 Months Ended February '19 | 0.64% | -0.19% | 0.83% |
| 1 Month Ended January '19 | 0.49% | 0.13% | 0.36% |
| 12 Months Ended December '18 | 0.41% | 2.85% | -2.44% |
| 12 Months Ended December '17 | 0.47% | 2.85% | -2.39% |
| 12 Months Ended December '16 | 0.10% | 1.32% | -1.22% |
| 12 Months Ended December '15 | 0.11% | 0.19% | -0.08% |
| 12 Months Ended December '14 | 2.46% | 5.07% | -2.61% |
| 12 Months Ended December '13 | 0.14% | 2.04% | -1.90% |
| 12 Months Ended December '12 | 1.00% | 2.72% | -1.71% |
| 12 Months Ended December '11 | 4.07% | 5.20% | -1.13% |
| 12 Months Ended December '10 | 0.90% | 2.92% | -2.03% |
| 12 Months Ended December '09 | -0.59% | 1.72% | -2.30% |
| 3 Year Average Ended Dec. '18 | 0.32% | 2.34% | -2.02% |
| 5 Year Average Ended Dec. '18 | 0.71% | 2.46% | -1.75% |
| 10 Year Average Ended Dec. '18 | 0.91% | 2.69% | -1.78% |
Rates are representative of a supermarket’s actual inventory balances, product mix & applicable BLS categories; inflation rates calculated using a supermarket that has the following departments: bakery, beer/wine, dairy, deli, frozen foods, gen. merch., grocery, health & beauty aids, meat, pharmacy, produce & tobacco. PPI inflation calculated uses BLS Table 9 preliminary indexes; CPI inflation calculated uses U.S. City averages for all urban consumers, seasonally unadjusted.