The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta rose 0.6 percent over the March-April pricing period, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the all items less food and energy index increased 0.5 percent. The energy index advanced 2.7 percent and the food index rose 0.5 percent over the two months. (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 all items CPI-U increased 3.2 percent. The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.6 percent over the year and the energy index advanced 5.0 percent. The food index edged up 0.2 percent since April 2016. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.5 percent during the March-April pricing period reflecting price increases for food at home (0.6 percent) and for food away from home (0.4 percent).

Over the year, the food index edged up 0.2 percent, led by a 2.1-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index decreased 1.2 percent since April 2016.

Energy

The energy index rose 2.7 percent over the two-month pricing period, led by a 4.9-percent increase in motor fuel prices. Prices for utility (piped) gas service and for electricity also increased, up 0.9 and 0.3 percent, respectively.

Over the year, the energy index advanced 5.0 percent, reflecting price increases for motor fuel (9.4 percent) and for utility (piped) gas service (13.3 percent). Prices for electricity declined 3.1 percent from April 2016 to April 2017.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.5 percent during the March-April pricing period as a 1.5 percent increase in the shelter index was partially offset by a 2.7 decrease in the education and communication index.

From April 2016 to April 2017, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.6 percent led by increases for shelter (6.6 percent) and medical care (4.9 percent).

Table A. Atlanta CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	1.9	2.1	1.3	1.8	0.0	-0.3	0.3	1.6	1.2	3.5
April	0.1	1.1	0.8	2.5	0.7	-0.5	1.0	1.9	0.6	3.2
June	1.0	1.4	1.5	3.0	2.5	0.6	1.3	0.7
August	0.7	1.5	-0.1	2.2	-0.1	0.6	0.5	1.2
October	-1.0	1.6	-1.1	2.2	-1.2	0.5	-0.1	2.4
December	-0.2	2.4	-1.5	0.9	-0.6	1.4	-0.4	2.6

The Consumer Price Index for May 2017 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Technical Note

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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 percent of the total 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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 (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period "market basket" of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch17.pdf.

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 Atlanta, Ga. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton Counties in Georgia.

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
Atlanta, GA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Feb. 2017	Mar. 2017	Apr. 2017	Apr. 2016	Feb. 2017	Mar. 2017
Expenditure category
All Items	229.493	-	230.974	3.2	0.6	-
All items (1967=100)	692.079	-	696.547	-	-	-
Food and beverages	248.679	-	249.980	0.3	0.5	-
Food	259.219	-	260.503	0.2	0.5	-
Food at home	243.554	243.873	245.026	-1.2	0.6	0.5
Food away from home	284.641	-	285.653	2.1	0.4	-
Alcoholic beverages	154.606	-	156.065	1.6	0.9	-
Housing	229.104	-	232.037	5.6	1.3	-
Shelter	252.104	254.133	255.990	6.6	1.5	0.7
Rent of primary residence(1)	258.199	259.385	261.112	6.7	1.1	0.7
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	246.556	248.061	249.461	6.6	1.2	0.6
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	246.556	248.061	249.461	6.6	1.2	0.6
Fuels and utilities	272.609	-	273.768	0.8	0.4	-
Household energy	231.329	230.715	232.627	1.0	0.6	0.8
Energy Services(1)	229.883	229.076	230.934	0.8	0.5	0.8
Electricity(1)	198.249	198.537	198.868	-3.1	0.3	0.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	271.048	266.409	273.365	13.3	0.9	2.6
Household furnishings and operations	122.986	-	122.772	3.5	-0.2	-
Apparel	141.676	-	141.380	-0.8	-0.2	-
Transportation	191.422	-	194.306	3.4	1.5	-
Private transportation	190.920	-	192.967	3.4	1.1	-
Motor fuel	196.879	197.223	206.563	9.4	4.9	4.7
Gasoline (all types)	195.515	195.905	205.349	9.3	5.0	4.8
Unleaded regular(3)	191.462	191.899	200.766	9.1	4.9	4.6
Unleaded midgrade(3)(4)	244.156	244.822	258.098	10.4	5.7	5.4
Unleaded premium(3)	212.191	212.027	225.720	10.3	6.4	6.5
Medical Care	456.506	-	454.421	4.9	-0.5	-
Recreation(5)	86.807	-	87.084	0.7	0.3	-
Education and communication(5)	134.929	-	131.328	-2.7	-2.7	-
Other goods and services	369.183	-	372.413	2.1	0.9	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	229.493	-	230.974	3.2	0.6	-
Commodities	176.197	-	177.386	1.1	0.7	-
Commodities less food & beverages	143.767	-	144.896	1.6	0.8	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	177.901	-	179.511	3.5	0.9	-
Durables	108.436	-	109.076	-1.3	0.6	-
Services	279.739	-	281.500	4.4	0.6	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	217.555	-	219.187	3.0	0.8	-
All items less shelter	224.104	-	224.499	1.5	0.2	-
Commodities less food	143.796	-	144.935	1.6	0.8	-
Nondurables	208.515	-	209.972	1.7	0.7	-
Nondurables less food	174.914	-	176.502	3.3	0.9	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	326.344	-	325.058	2.0	-0.4	-
Services less medical care services	262.124	-	263.790	4.3	0.6	-
Energy	194.517	194.417	199.729	5.0	2.7	2.7
All items less energy	232.995	-	234.104	3.0	0.5	-
All items less food and energy	229.298	-	230.381	3.6	0.5	-
Footnotes (1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (2) Index is on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.