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News Release Information

24-509-ATL
Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Consumer Price Index, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell — February 2024

Area prices up 3.3 percent over the past 12 months

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell rose 1.3 percent from December to February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the shelter index continued to rise from December to February and was a major contributor to the bi-monthly all items increase. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The all items CPI-U advanced 3.3 percent for the 12 months ending in February. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.2 percent over the past year. The food index and the energy index also increased over the last 12 months, up 3.9 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)


Food

The food index was unchanged from December to February. A 1.1 percent increase in the food away from home index over the bi-monthly period was offset by a 0.7 percent decrease in the food at home index. Two of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the two-month period: other food at home (+1.0 percent) and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+0.6 percent). The indexes for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-2.0 percent) and dairy and related products (-4.4 percent) were among the food group indexes to decline from December to February.  

The food index advanced 3.9 percent for the 12 months ending in February, led by a 5.9-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index also increased over the past year, up 2.6 percent. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the last 12 months, including the indexes for other food at home (+4.9 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+4.2 percent). In contrast, the index for dairy and related products declined 4.4 percent over the past year and the index for cereals and bakery products declined 2.0 percent over the last 12 months.

Energy

The energy index rose 2.9 percent from December to February, reflecting increases in the natural gas (+10.3 percent), electricity (+2.2 percent), and gasoline (+1.7 percent) indexes.

The energy index advanced 3.6 percent for the 12 months ending in February, led by a 14.0-percent increase in the electricity index. The natural gas index also increased over the past year. In contrast, the index for gasoline declined 4.0 percent over the last 12 months.  

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent from December to February, led by a 1.6-percent increase in the shelter index. Within shelter, owners’ equivalent rent increased 1.2 percent and rent of primary residence increased 1.1 percent over the bi-monthly period. The index for apparel (+7.9 percent) was also among the indexes to increase from December to February.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.2 percent for the 12 months ending in February. Shelter (+6.1 percent) was the largest contributor as owners’ equivalent (+6.4 percent) and rent of primary residence (+6.5 percent) continued to increase over the past year.

Table A. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month

February

0.8 2.9 1.6 2.4 2.3 10.6 1.5 7.2 1.3 3.3

April

-1.8 -0.3 1.6 6.0 1.9 10.8 0.5 5.8

June

1.1 0.9 1.8 6.7 2.4 11.5 1.2 4.6

August

1.2 0.7 1.1 6.6 1.3 11.7 1.1 4.4

October

0.3 1.2 1.5 7.9 0.5 10.7 -0.6 3.2

December

0.1 1.6 1.9 9.8 -0.5 8.1 -0.1 3.6

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell Consumer Price Index for April 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Atlanta 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Core Based Statistical Area is comprised of Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Morgan, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton Counties in Georgia.

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
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

Indexes Percent change from-
Dec.
2023
Jan.
2024
Feb.
2024
Feb.
2023
Dec.
2023
Jan.
2024

Expenditure category

All Items

305.978 - 309.912 3.3 1.3 -

All items (1967=100)

922.737 - 934.599 - - -

Food and beverages

321.379 - 321.557 3.7 0.1 -

Food

339.289 - 339.361 3.9 0.0 -

Food at home

308.096 306.538 305.832 2.6 -0.7 -0.2

Cereals and bakery products

260.456 261.562 257.053 -2.0 -1.3 -1.7

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

362.110 357.014 354.777 4.2 -2.0 -0.6

Dairy and related products

269.679 267.567 257.863 -4.4 -4.4 -3.6

Fruits and vegetables

341.029 341.426 339.921 3.5 -0.3 -0.4

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

334.377 341.708 336.484 3.2 0.6 -1.5

Other food at home

266.215 262.407 268.978 4.9 1.0 2.5

Food away from home

392.601 - 397.113 5.9 1.1 -

Alcoholic beverages

165.994 - 167.452 0.5 0.9 -

Housing

330.023 - 335.371 5.6 1.6 -

Shelter

374.496 377.454 380.304 6.1 1.6 0.8

Rent of primary residence

401.148 403.970 405.636 6.5 1.1 0.4

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

370.276 372.956 374.587 6.4 1.2 0.4

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

370.276 372.956 374.587 6.4 1.2 0.4

Fuels and utilities

370.985 - 382.212 9.8 3.0 -

Household energy

312.276 321.169 325.246 11.6 4.2 1.3

Energy Services

310.742 319.903 324.176 12.0 4.3 1.3

Electricity

254.466 257.887 260.041 14.0 2.2 0.8

Utility (piped) gas service

409.284 439.641 451.290 - 10.3 2.6

Household furnishings and operations

145.606 - 146.484 -2.4 0.6 -

Apparel

151.983 - 164.024 -0.4 7.9 -

Transportation

271.262 - 277.583 1.3 2.3 -

Private transportation

274.197 - 279.961 1.9 2.1 -

New and used motor vehicles(3)

136.703 - 136.712 0.2 0.0 -

New vehicles(1)

304.024 - 304.287 -0.1 0.1 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

275.517 - 265.964 -2.5 -3.5 -

Motor fuel

271.028 264.665 275.471 -4.2 1.6 4.1

Gasoline (all types)

268.749 262.406 273.248 -4.0 1.7 4.1

Unleaded regular(4)

261.897 255.391 266.430 -4.4 1.7 4.3

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

347.582 340.421 352.279 -2.0 1.4 3.5

Unleaded premium(4)

302.273 297.394 306.362 -0.9 1.4 3.0

Medical Care

- - - - - -

Recreation(3)

99.954 - 100.607 0.8 0.7 -

Education and communication(3)

141.112 - 142.058 1.9 0.7 -

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

1,540.963 - 1,552.781 4.2 0.8 -

Other goods and services

496.076 - 505.360 6.8 1.9 -

Commodity and service group

All Items

305.978 - 309.912 3.3 1.3 -

Commodities

219.553 - 221.800 0.6 1.0 -

Commodities less food & beverages

173.238 - 176.098 -1.4 1.7 -

Nondurables less food & beverages

220.072 - 225.933 -0.4 2.7 -

Durables

128.817 - 129.248 -2.7 0.3 -

Services

387.847 - 393.378 5.0 1.4 -

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

294.128 - 299.024 4.0 1.7 -

All items less shelter

282.314 - 285.480 1.8 1.1 -

Commodities less food

172.610 - 175.426 -1.3 1.6 -

Nondurables

265.502 - 268.875 2.1 1.3 -

Nondurables less food

214.492 - 220.037 -0.3 2.6 -

Services less rent of shelter(2)

415.055 - 420.156 3.4 1.2 -

Services less medical care services

372.471 - 379.568 5.9 1.9 -

Energy

266.570 267.511 274.424 3.6 2.9 2.6

All items less energy

309.609 - 313.193 3.3 1.2 -

All items less food and energy

305.180 - 309.286 3.2 1.3 -

Footnotes
(1) Index is on a December 1977=100 base.
(2) Index is 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.

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

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, March 12, 2024