Prices in the San Diego area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 2.0 percent for the two months ending in January 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the January increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and electricity. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 8.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) This was the largest over-the-year increase in the CPI-U for San Diego since July 1982. Food prices rose 9.6 percent. Energy prices jumped 39.9 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy rose 6.0 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 2.6 percent for the two months ending in January. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 2.0 percent led by higher prices for dairy and related products (8.5 percent). Prices for food away from home advanced 3.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 9.6 percent. Prices for food at home increased 7.6 percent since a year ago influenced by higher prices for other food at home (10.3 percent). Prices for food away from home advanced 11.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 5.8 percent for the two months ending in January. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for electricity (15.0 percent). Prices for natural gas service increased 13.8 percent, and prices for gasoline rose 0.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 39.9 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (39.6 percent). Prices paid for electricity increased 43.4 percent, and prices for natural gas service advanced 25.6 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.6 percent in the latest two-month period. The increase was influenced by higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (3.1 percent), recreation (3.0 percent), and shelter (0.9 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 6.0 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used motor vehicles (18.4 percent), recreation (10.0 percent), and shelter (5.7 percent).

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

Month	2019		2020		2021		2022
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	0.6	2.6	0.3	2.3	0.4	1.7	2.0	8.2
March	0.5	2.2	0.0	1.8	2.4	4.1
May	1.0	3.8	-0.4	0.3	0.7	5.3
July	-0.3	1.4	1.4	2.1	2.1	6.0
September	0.6	1.7	-0.4	1.1	0.1	6.5
November	0.2	2.6	0.6	1.6	0.7	6.6

The March 2022 Consumer Price Index for the San Diego area is scheduled to be released on April 12, 2022.

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	Indexes				Percent change from-
	Historical data	Nov. 2021	Dec. 2021	Jan. 2022	Jan. 2021	Nov. 2021	Dec. 2021
Expenditure category
All items		326.422	-	332.990	8.2	2.0	-
All items (1967=100)		1,103.731	-	1,125.942	-	-	-
Food and beverages		293.324	-	300.803	9.4	2.5	-
Food		292.039	-	299.586	9.6	2.6	-
Food at home		253.044	253.662	258.043	7.6	2.0	1.7
Cereals and bakery products		303.192	-	304.170	6.6	0.3	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		275.625	-	281.539	9.2	2.1	-
Dairy and related products		175.372	-	190.294	1.0	8.5	-
Fruits and vegetables		277.851	-	278.612	4.2	0.3	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		288.130	-	293.836	9.1	2.0	-
Other food at home		234.906	-	238.258	10.3	1.4	-
Food away from home		344.401	-	355.765	11.9	3.3	-
Alcoholic beverages		295.942	-	302.434	7.3	2.2	-
Housing		382.385	-	388.707	6.7	1.7	-
Shelter		432.903	433.816	436.746	5.7	0.9	0.7
Rent of primary residence(2)		427.019	429.084	431.709	5.0	1.1	0.6
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		458.760	460.130	461.762	5.2	0.7	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		458.760	460.130	461.762	5.2	0.7	0.4
Fuels and utilities		404.285	-	449.347	26.2	11.1	-
Household energy		394.037	394.598	451.519	39.2	14.6	14.4
Energy services		388.800	389.353	446.094	39.1	14.7	14.6
Electricity		377.798	377.798	434.562	43.4	15.0	15.0
Utility (piped) gas service		299.747	301.704	341.219	25.6	13.8	13.1
Household furnishings and operations		197.678	-	200.147	2.2	1.2	-
Apparel		171.108	-	176.236	6.6	3.0	-
Transportation		265.840	-	274.672	18.7	3.3	-
Private transportation		266.891	-	272.627	21.0	2.1	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		128.958	-	132.950	18.4	3.1	-
New vehicles(1)		246.949	-	247.010	3.5	0.0	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		327.223	-	342.618	38.5	4.7	-
Motor fuel		365.928	367.682	367.249	39.6	0.4	-0.1
Gasoline (all types)		365.760	367.456	366.923	39.6	0.3	-0.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		379.155	380.902	380.301	40.6	0.3	-0.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		318.518	320.178	319.575	37.8	0.3	-0.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		372.228	373.970	373.643	35.6	0.4	-0.1
Medical care		525.700	-	526.359	1.1	0.1	-
Recreation(3)		164.671	-	169.615	10.0	3.0	-
Education and communication(3)		139.258	-	140.022	3.3	0.5	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,606.250	-	1,608.239	3.5	0.1	-
Other goods and services		441.269	-	452.146	1.6	2.5	-
Commodity and service group
All items		326.422	-	332.990	8.2	2.0	-
Commodities		228.740	-	234.316	11.8	2.4	-
Commodities less food & beverages		194.671	-	199.412	14.1	2.4	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		230.490	-	234.789	14.7	1.9	-
Durables		156.890	-	161.898	13.2	3.2	-
Services		411.365	-	418.637	6.2	1.8	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		317.018	-	323.801	8.8	2.1	-
All items less shelter		283.989	-	291.702	9.7	2.7	-
Commodities less food		199.235	-	204.030	13.5	2.4	-
Nondurables		263.315	-	269.193	11.4	2.2	-
Nondurables less food		236.869	-	241.343	13.7	1.9	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)		406.635	-	419.044	7.0	3.1	-
Services less medical care services		398.014	-	405.709	6.7	1.9	-
Energy		371.285	372.621	392.716	39.9	5.8	5.4
All items less energy		326.757	-	332.549	6.6	1.8	-
All items less food and energy		334.078	-	339.586	6.0	1.6	-
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.