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News Release Information

24-989-ATL
Wednesday, May 15, 2024

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

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

Area prices up 3.1 percent over the past 12 months

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell rose 0.3 percent from February to April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the bi-monthly all items increase was largely attributed to increases in the gasoline and shelter indexes. (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 3.1 percent for the 12 months ending in April. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent over the past year. The energy index and the food index also increased over the last 12 months, up 6.9 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)


Food

The food index rose 0.3 percent from February to April, reflecting increases in the food at home (+0.3 percent) and the food away from home (+0.2 percent) indexes. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the two-month period, including nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+3.6 percent) and cereals and bakery products (+2.5 percent). In comparison, the indexes for fruits and vegetables (-2.2 percent) and other food at home (-0.8 percent) declined from February to April.  

The food index advanced 2.6 percent for the 12 months ending in April, led by a 4.0-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index also increased over the past year, up 1.7 percent. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the last 12 months, including the indexes for fruits and vegetables (+4.4 percent) and cereals and bakery products (+5.1 percent).

Energy

The energy index rose 2.4 percent from February to April, reflecting a 9.3-percent jump in the gasoline index. The index for electricity changed little over the bi-monthly period, up 0.1 percent. In comparison, the index for natural gas declined 13.2 percent from February to April.  

The energy index advanced 6.9 percent for the 12 months ending in April, primarily due to a 15.0-percent increase in the electricity index. The gasoline (+2.6 percent) and natural gas (+4.0 percent) indexes also increased over the 12-month span.  

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent from February to April. The shelter index contributed to the increase, up 0.3 percent over the two-month period. The index for owners’ equivalent rent rose 0.7 percent, while the index for rent of primary residence declined 0.2 percent over the bi-monthly period. Among the other indexes to decline from February to April include household furnishings and operations (-4.2 percent), new and used motor vehicles (-1.0 percent), and apparel (-1.5 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.8 percent for the 12 months ending in April. Shelter (+4.9 percent) was the largest contributor as owners’ equivalent (+5.9 percent) and rent of primary residence (+3.9 percent) also increased 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
Month20202021202220232024
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

February

0.82.91.62.42.310.61.57.21.33.3

April

-1.8-0.31.66.01.910.80.55.80.33.1

June

1.10.91.86.72.411.51.24.6

August

1.20.71.16.61.311.71.14.4

October

0.31.21.57.90.510.7-0.63.2

December

0.11.61.99.8-0.58.1-0.13.6

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell Consumer Price Index for June 2024 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, July 11, 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

IndexesPercent change from-
Feb.
2024
Mar.
2024
Apr.
2024
Apr.
2023
Feb.
2024
Mar.
2024

Expenditure category

All Items

309.912-310.8363.10.3-

All items (1967=100)

934.599-937.386---

Food and beverages

321.557-322.4182.50.3-

Food

339.361-340.2182.60.3-

Food at home

305.832308.260306.6651.70.3-0.5

Cereals and bakery products

257.053265.812263.4395.12.5-0.9

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

354.777360.838356.0392.00.4-1.3

Dairy and related products

257.863270.985262.984-1.02.0-3.0

Fruits and vegetables

339.921336.385332.3184.4-2.2-1.2

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

336.484340.976348.4563.33.62.2

Other food at home

268.978265.118266.696-0.9-0.80.6

Food away from home

397.113-398.0024.00.2-

Alcoholic beverages

167.452-168.5001.60.6-

Housing

335.371-334.0744.4-0.4-

Shelter

380.304381.179381.4894.90.30.1

Rent of primary residence

405.636405.606404.6933.9-0.2-0.2

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

374.587375.178377.3425.90.70.6

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

374.587375.178377.3425.90.70.6

Fuels and utilities

382.212-371.2649.6-2.9-

Household energy

325.246318.729313.58711.6-3.6-1.6

Energy Services

324.176317.464312.35012.0-3.6-1.6

Electricity

260.041260.041260.18915.00.10.1

Utility (piped) gas service

451.290417.824391.6654.0-13.2-6.3

Household furnishings and operations

146.484-140.282-5.0-4.2-

Apparel

164.024-161.488-1.0-1.5-

Transportation

277.583-284.4532.42.5-

Private transportation

279.961-288.3593.13.0-

New and used motor vehicles(3)

136.712-135.338-3.3-1.0-

New vehicles(1)

304.287-302.685-1.1-0.5-

Used cars and trucks(1)

265.964-265.399-8.1-0.2-

Motor fuel

275.471291.288300.4362.59.13.1

Gasoline (all types)

273.248289.406298.7352.69.33.2

Unleaded regular(4)

266.430282.981292.2922.49.73.3

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

352.279369.639381.2083.88.23.1

Unleaded premium(4)

306.362319.125328.1084.07.12.8

Medical Care

------

Recreation(3)

100.607-100.4412.2-0.2-

Education and communication(3)

142.058-142.4252.70.3-

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

1,552.781-1,552.7814.20.0-

Other goods and services

505.360-513.3467.41.6-

Commodity and service group

All Items

309.912-310.8363.10.3-

Commodities

221.800-222.9360.30.5-

Commodities less food & beverages

176.098-177.275-1.20.7-

Nondurables less food & beverages

225.933-230.6500.82.1-

Durables

129.248-127.669-4.0-1.2-

Services

393.378-394.1014.80.2-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

299.024-299.8573.60.3-

All items less shelter

285.480-286.3082.10.3-

Commodities less food

175.426-176.597-1.10.7-

Nondurables

268.875-271.9062.11.1-

Nondurables less food

220.037-224.4921.02.0-

Services less rent of shelter(2)

420.156-420.2994.70.0-

Services less medical care services

379.568-380.2145.50.2-

Energy

274.424279.003281.0426.92.40.7

All items less energy

313.193-313.6072.80.1-

All items less food and energy

309.286-309.6332.80.1-

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: Wednesday, May 15, 2024