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News Release Information

23-2220-SAN
Thursday, October 12, 2023

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Consumer Price Index, San Diego Area — September 2023

Area prices were up 1.3 percent over the past two months, up 4.7 percent from a year ago

Prices in the San Diego area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 1.3 percent for the two months ending in September 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the September increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and gasoline. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U advanced 4.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices increased 3.0 percent. Energy prices advanced 6.7 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of electricity. The index for all items less food and energy increased 4.8 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.7 percent for the two months ending in September. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 0.2 percent, led by lower prices for fruits and vegetables (-2.2 percent). Prices for food away from home advanced 2.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 3.0 percent. Prices for food at home rose 1.0 percent since a year ago, with higher prices in three of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home advanced 5.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 9.5 percent for the two months ending in September. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (16.0 percent). Prices for natural gas service increased 0.7 percent, while prices for electricity were unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices advanced 6.7 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for electricity (16.2 percent). Prices paid for gasoline increased 5.0 percent, but prices for natural gas service decreased 11.4 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for medical care (2.8 percent) and shelter (1.5 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for new and used motor vehicles (-3.2 percent) and apparel (-3.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (8.4 percent) and household furnishings and operations (3.9 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in used cars and trucks (-7.7 percent) and apparel (-3.1 percent).

Table A. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20192020202120222023
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

2.60.32.30.41.72.08.21.86.4

March

0.52.20.01.82.44.12.17.91.05.3

May

1.03.8-0.40.30.75.31.18.30.95.2

July

-0.31.41.42.12.16.01.27.30.34.3

September

0.61.7-0.41.10.16.50.98.21.34.7

November

0.22.60.61.60.76.6-0.76.7

The November 2023 Consumer Price Index for the San Diego area is scheduled to be released on December 12, 2023.


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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, and 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 San Diego-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan area includes San Diego County in California.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods

San Diego-Carlsbad (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Historical
data
Jul.
2023
Aug.
2023
Sep.
2023
Sep.
2022
Jul.
2023
Aug.
2023

Expenditure category

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0
362.412-367.1854.71.3-

All items (1967=100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49EAA0
1,225.425-1,241.565---

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF
314.561-316.6522.90.7-

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF1
312.567-314.7623.00.7-

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF11
286.958286.719286.4731.0-0.2-0.1

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF111
375.087371.227375.0648.90.01.0

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF112
274.934276.680282.350-2.72.72.0

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEFJ
237.722239.776237.5084.6-0.1-0.9

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF113
293.152292.756286.717-5.8-2.2-2.1

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF114
314.997308.652310.099-0.2-1.60.5

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF115
282.015283.122280.8054.3-0.4-0.8

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEFV
342.513-350.0255.82.2-

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF116
323.968-324.8652.10.3-

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAH
436.348-441.9137.91.3-

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAH1
493.354494.753500.5328.41.51.2

Rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHA
491.218491.425497.2778.81.21.2

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHC
522.874525.164531.3408.61.61.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHC01
522.874525.164531.3408.61.61.2

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAH2
490.385-491.2997.60.2-

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAH21
496.884500.886497.7659.80.2-0.6

Energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHF
493.378497.424493.91010.40.1-0.7

Electricity

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHF01
492.646492.646492.64616.20.00.0

Utility (piped) gas service

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHF02
327.911344.732330.121-11.40.7-4.2

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAH3
217.473-218.7913.90.6-

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAA
180.436-174.914-3.1-3.1-

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAT
294.025-302.4811.12.9-

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAT1
293.160-302.6853.03.2-

New and used motor vehicles(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESETA
138.150-133.662-3.9-3.2-

New vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESETA01
263.106-261.6561.9-0.6-

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESETA02
334.706-310.552-7.7-7.2-

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESETB
393.371416.953457.1425.016.29.6

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESETB01
392.885415.887455.8635.016.09.6

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESS47014
406.670430.761472.5875.016.29.7

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESS47015
342.936362.391396.5104.915.69.4

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESS47016
402.446424.939464.1865.015.39.2

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAM
554.244-569.9422.52.8-

Recreation(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAR
188.211-190.7384.01.3-

Education and communication(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAE
141.717-141.231-0.5-0.3-

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEEB
1,665.861-1,668.127-0.1-

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAG
504.259-503.7056.8-0.1-

Commodity and service group

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0
362.412-367.1854.71.3-

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAC
244.799-248.5361.51.5-

Commodities less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESACL11
208.042-212.2130.52.0-

Nondurables less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESANL11
251.417-264.9493.65.4-

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAD
163.994-160.972-3.0-1.8-

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAS
465.756-471.4156.41.2-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0L5
353.239-357.5064.81.2-

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0L2
310.097-313.8762.41.2-

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESACL1
213.139-217.2400.61.9-

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAN
284.799-293.2703.53.0-

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESANL1
258.443-271.2393.55.0-

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESASL2RS
455.554-459.2663.50.8-

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESASL5
453.592-458.4636.91.1-

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0E
425.419441.624465.6556.79.55.4

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0LE
362.055-364.9074.60.8-

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0L1E
372.095-375.0664.80.8-

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a November 1977=100 base.
(2) Indexes on a November 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.

- Data not available
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, October 12, 2023