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News Release Information

24-683-SAN
Wednesday, April 10, 2024

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

Consumer Price Index, Honolulu Area — March 2024

Area prices were up 1.5 percent over the past two months, up 4.8 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Honolulu area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.5 percent for the two months ending in March 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the March increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter. (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 4.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 4.4 percent. Energy prices fell 2.8 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy rose 5.6 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices declined 0.3 percent for the two months ending in March. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 0.5 percent, led by lower prices for fruits and vegetables (-2.7 percent). Prices for food away from home were unchanged for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 4.4 percent. Prices for food at home increased 2.2 percent since a year ago, with higher prices in four of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 7.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index fell 0.3 percent for the two months ending in March. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for electricity (-2.3 percent). Prices for natural gas service advanced 5.5 percent, and prices for gasoline rose 1.0 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 2.8 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-3.8 percent). Prices paid for electricity fell 2.1 percent and prices for natural gas service decreased 1.6 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.0 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for shelter (2.5 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for other goods and services (-2.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 5.6 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (9.5 percent), other goods and services (4.4 percent) and recreation (3.8 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in new and used motor vehicles (-5.2 percent) and education and communication (-1.5 percent).

Table A. Urban Hawaii CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20202021202220232024
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

0.51.70.31.40.96.00.35.20.53.9

March

0.61.80.91.82.47.50.63.31.54.8

May

0.21.32.13.81.67.00.32.0

July

0.01.30.84.60.66.80.72.1

September

0.61.91.05.00.86.60.92.2

November

-0.21.60.15.4-0.65.80.83.6

The May 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Honolulu area is scheduled to be released on June 12, 2024.


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 Urban Hawaii area covered in this release consists of Honolulu in the State of Hawaii.

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

Urban Hawaii (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Historical
data
Jan.
2024
Feb.
2024
Mar.
2024
Mar.
2023
Jan.
2024
Feb.
2024

Expenditure category

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSA0
333.172-338.0604.81.5-

All items (1967=100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FAA0
917.214-930.670---

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAF
361.686-360.8534.2-0.2-

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAF1
366.034-364.9264.4-0.3-

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAF11
347.976350.390346.2372.2-0.5-1.2

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAF111
395.720398.620388.776-3.5-1.8-2.5

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAF112
322.865324.924329.7783.82.11.5

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSEFJ
289.320286.027283.982-1.7-1.8-0.7

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAF113
407.129407.205396.0150.4-2.7-2.7

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAF114
428.038428.457427.8403.00.0-0.1

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAF115
350.889358.183350.3156.1-0.2-2.2

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSEFV
381.486-381.3217.40.0-

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAF116
286.528-292.9330.82.2-

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAH
362.002-369.2347.82.0-

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAH1
392.584395.727402.4639.52.51.7

Rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSEHA
395.080397.271403.84311.02.21.7

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSEHC
403.658407.903414.7969.22.81.7

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSEHC01
403.658407.903414.7969.22.81.7

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAH2
463.982-463.097-0.3-0.2-

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAH21
397.108393.353389.891-2.1-1.8-0.9

Energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSEHF
390.515386.678383.321-2.0-1.8-0.9

Electricity

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSEHF01
390.313385.328381.228-2.1-2.3-1.1

Utility (piped) gas service

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSEHF02
328.572339.879346.484-1.65.51.9

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAH3
169.849-167.3290.3-1.5-

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAA
126.701-126.207-2.9-0.4-

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAT
265.135-273.1320.63.0-

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAT1
275.140-281.0330.12.1-

New and used motor vehicles(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSETA
121.004-121.676-5.20.6-

New vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSETA01
188.256-187.209-2.7-0.6-

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSETA02
308.181-311.276-2.71.0-

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSETB
360.907363.345364.643-3.81.00.4

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSETB01
370.381372.800374.154-3.81.00.4

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSS47014
384.400386.987388.554-3.81.10.4

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSS47015
308.091309.392310.486-4.00.80.4

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSS47016
347.720349.794350.534-4.00.80.2

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAM
507.812-----

Recreation(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAR
149.924-155.2603.83.6-

Education and communication(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAE
153.765-153.397-1.5-0.2-

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSEEB
2,007.393-2,007.3934.40.0-

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAG
637.126-619.8524.4-2.7-

Commodity and service group

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSA0
333.172-338.0604.81.5-

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAC
250.973-250.972-0.20.0-

Commodities less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSACL11
185.602-186.004-3.70.2-

Nondurables less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSANL11
243.724-246.797-2.51.3-

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAD
127.015-125.955-4.9-0.8-

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAS
405.056-414.1297.42.2-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSA0L5
323.806-328.6205.11.5-

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSA0L2
307.581-309.8401.50.7-

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSACL1
189.701-190.212-3.60.3-

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSAN
304.917-305.7911.40.3-

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSANL1
246.511-249.741-2.31.3-

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSASL2RS
416.949-424.2923.81.8-

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSASL5
395.511-405.4007.92.5-

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSA0E
377.077376.869376.132-2.8-0.3-0.2

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSA0LE
332.645-337.8905.41.6-

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49FSA0L1E
328.691-335.1685.62.0-

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

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, April 10, 2024