Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

24-308-PHI
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Consumer Price Index, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area – January 2024

Area prices were up 0.5 percent over the past 2 months, up 3.6 percent from a year ago.

Prices in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.5 percent over the 2 months ending in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the January increase was due in large part to higher prices for shelter and medical care. For the same period, the all items less food and energy index and the food index rose, up 0.7 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. Tempering the index’s overall increase was the energy index, down 3.1 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U index advanced 3.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index was mostly responsible for the total increase as it rose 4.6 percent. Food prices were up 2.0 percent over the year; in contrast, energy prices declined 5.5 percent, partially offsetting increases elsewhere. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 0.8 percent for the 2-month period ending in January. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 0.9 percent, and prices for food away from home were up 0.7 percent for the same period. Within the food at home index, prices increased for fruits and vegetables (+4.1 percent); nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+5.8 percent); and dairy and related products (+1.7 percent). Slightly offsetting the rise in prices for the grocery index was a decrease in prices for other food at home (-1.5 percent). Other declines in the grocery categories included prices for cereals and bakery products (-1.1 percent); and prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-0.3 percent).

Over the year, food prices increased 2.0 percent with prices for food away from home up 4.7 percent. For the same period, prices for food at home rose 0.3 percent— the smallest 12-month percent increase since July 2021. For the grocery index, rising prices in other food at home (+3.5 percent); fruits and vegetables (+2.7 percent); and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+3.2 percent) contributed to the advance. The increase in grocery prices was moderated by price drops in the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index, down 4.9 percent, the largest over-the-year decline since the index began in 2018. Contributing to the tempering as well were the cereals and bakery products index (-1.6 percent) and the dairy and related products index (-1.2 percent).

Energy

The energy index fell 3.1 percent for the two months ending in January. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-6.4 percent). Prices for electricity fell 0.7 percent, while prices for natural gas service increased 3.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 5.5 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-7.2 percent). The utility (piped) service index decreased 19.3 percent—during the past year, 12-month percentage declines have ranged from 27.1 percent to 11.2 percent. Prices paid for electricity rose 2.8 percent, slightly moderating the energy index decline.

All items less food and energy

In the latest 2-month period, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.7 percent. The overall index rise was led by higher prices for shelter (+0.6 percent), medical care (+2.9 percent—the largest increase since March 2022), and other goods and services (+3.0 percent). Within the shelter index, the owners’ equivalent rent of residences index increased (+0.6 percent) as did rent of primary residence (+ 0.7 percent); but declining prices for lodging away from home softened the rise in the shelter index. Partially offsetting the all items less food and energy index were declines in prices for new and used motor vehicles, down 1.3 percent, led by used cars and trucks (-3.9 percent). Other declining prices included prices for apparel, down 3.0 percent.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.6 percent. Components contributing to the January rise included shelter (5.2 percent) and medical care (5.8 percent—the first increase since last January). In the shelter index, owners’ equivalent rent of residences was up 6.1 percent and the index for rent of primary residence advanced 2.9 percent. Other increases in the overall index included other goods and services (+6.6 percent); tuition, other school fees, and childcare (+5.3 percent); household furnishing and operations (+3.2 percent); and recreation (+2.3 percent). The only declines were the apparel index (-0.5 percent); and used cars and trucks, down 3.3 percent—the smallest decline since November 2022.

Table A. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 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

0.51.60.71.50.96.0-0.34.40.53.6

March

-0.40.40.72.61.97.31.33.7

May

0.1-0.11.33.81.57.50.93.1

July

0.60.81.24.41.17.5-0.11.8

September

0.61.20.74.5-0.26.51.33.3

November

0.01.41.25.80.35.6-0.32.8

The March 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area is scheduled to be released on April 10, 2024. .


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, Core Based Statistical Area includes the District of Columbia; the counties of Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the county of Jefferson in West Virginia.

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, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)
Expenditure categoryIndexesPercent change from
Historical
data
Nov.
2023
Dec.
2023
Jan.
2024
Jan.
2023
Nov.
2023
Dec.
2023

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0
308.419 309.9613.60.5 

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF
303.613 305.9961.90.8 

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF1
312.634 315.2282.00.8 

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF11
290.524292.077293.0320.30.90.3

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF111
387.096379.908382.719-1.6-1.10.7

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF112
310.467308.360309.491-4.9-0.30.4

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEFJ
287.123290.354292.009-1.21.70.6

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF113
294.803301.947306.9012.74.11.6

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF114
247.736259.859262.0733.25.80.9

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF115
250.229248.967246.3993.5-1.5-1.0

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEFV
343.763 346.1994.70.7 

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF116
219.620 219.9421.10.1 

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAH
322.264 324.0234.40.5 

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAH1
384.062384.565386.3175.20.60.5

Rent of primary residence

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHA
412.800414.254415.6732.90.70.3

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHC
396.573397.212399.1386.10.60.5

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHC01
396.573397.212399.1386.10.60.5

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAH2
282.260 282.437-1.80.1 

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAH21
221.277219.381221.222-3.90.00.8

Energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHF
225.611223.562226.100-3.30.21.1

Electricity

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHF01
251.935251.837250.1272.8-0.7-0.7

Utility (piped) gas service

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHF02
158.316152.189163.484-19.33.37.4

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAH3
131.366 132.1143.20.6 

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAA
162.797 157.929-0.5-3.0 

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAT
268.219 265.5303.4-1.0 

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAT1
280.054 277.5863.6-0.9 

New and used motor vehicles(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETA
127.675 126.0321.7-1.3 

New vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETA01
229.498 229.0990.0-0.2 

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETA02
405.377 389.743-3.3-3.9 

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETB
316.269302.368295.940-7.3-6.4-2.1

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETB01
311.650297.967291.629-7.2-6.4-2.1

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASS47014
303.418289.700283.288-7.7-6.6-2.2

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASS47015
325.363313.620307.900-4.6-5.4-1.8

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASS47016
341.391329.559324.220-4.1-5.0-1.6

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAM
519.811 534.9285.82.9 

Recreation(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAR
127.748 128.9502.30.9 

Education and communication(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAE
166.430 166.4181.80.0 

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEEB
1,669.910 1,669.9105.30.0 

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAG
507.221 522.2066.63.0 

Commodity and service group

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAC
213.403 212.6230.6-0.4 

Commodities less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASACL11
169.037 167.081-0.4-1.2 

Nondurables less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASANL11
221.567 218.1361.3-1.5 

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAD
120.026 119.120-2.0-0.8 

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAS
393.416 397.2455.31.0 

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0L2
277.087 278.3302.70.4 

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0L5
298.545 299.4713.40.3 

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASACL1
171.148 169.257-0.3-1.1 

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAN
261.430 260.9141.6-0.2 

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASANL1
220.856 217.6951.3-1.4 

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASASL2RS
415.802 422.0335.51.5 

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASASL5
381.282 384.0135.40.7 

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0E
269.218262.378260.849-5.5-3.1-0.6

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0LE
315.596 317.8004.20.7 

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0L1E
317.394 319.5344.60.7 

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2024