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.)

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, January 2021–January 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Jan 2021	1.5	1.3
Mar 2021	2.6	2.0
May 2021	3.8	3.2
Jul 2021	4.4	3.6
Sep 2021	4.5	3.7
Nov 2021	5.8	4.4
Jan 2022	6.0	4.8
Mar 2022	7.3	6.0
May 2022	7.5	5.7
Jul 2022	7.5	5.6
Sep 2022	6.5	5.6
Nov 2022	5.6	4.9
Jan 2023	4.4	3.6
Mar 2023	3.7	4.0
May 2023	3.1	3.9
Jul 2023	1.8	2.9
Sep 2023	3.3	3.6
Nov 2023	2.8	3.3
Jan 2024	3.6	4.6

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).

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.

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.

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

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 category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Nov. 2023	Dec. 2023	Jan. 2024	Jan. 2023	Nov. 2023	Dec. 2023
All items		308.419		309.961	3.6	0.5
Food and beverages		303.613		305.996	1.9	0.8
Food		312.634		315.228	2.0	0.8
Food at home		290.524	292.077	293.032	0.3	0.9	0.3
Cereals and bakery products		387.096	379.908	382.719	-1.6	-1.1	0.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		310.467	308.360	309.491	-4.9	-0.3	0.4
Dairy and related products		287.123	290.354	292.009	-1.2	1.7	0.6
Fruits and vegetables		294.803	301.947	306.901	2.7	4.1	1.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		247.736	259.859	262.073	3.2	5.8	0.9
Other food at home		250.229	248.967	246.399	3.5	-1.5	-1.0
Food away from home		343.763		346.199	4.7	0.7
Alcoholic beverages		219.620		219.942	1.1	0.1
Housing		322.264		324.023	4.4	0.5
Shelter		384.062	384.565	386.317	5.2	0.6	0.5
Rent of primary residence		412.800	414.254	415.673	2.9	0.7	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		396.573	397.212	399.138	6.1	0.6	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		396.573	397.212	399.138	6.1	0.6	0.5
Fuels and utilities		282.260		282.437	-1.8	0.1
Household energy		221.277	219.381	221.222	-3.9	0.0	0.8
Energy services		225.611	223.562	226.100	-3.3	0.2	1.1
Electricity		251.935	251.837	250.127	2.8	-0.7	-0.7
Utility (piped) gas service		158.316	152.189	163.484	-19.3	3.3	7.4
Household furnishings and operations		131.366		132.114	3.2	0.6
Apparel		162.797		157.929	-0.5	-3.0
Transportation		268.219		265.530	3.4	-1.0
Private transportation		280.054		277.586	3.6	-0.9
New and used motor vehicles(3)		127.675		126.032	1.7	-1.3
New vehicles(1)		229.498		229.099	0.0	-0.2
Used cars and trucks(1)		405.377		389.743	-3.3	-3.9
Motor fuel		316.269	302.368	295.940	-7.3	-6.4	-2.1
Gasoline (all types)		311.650	297.967	291.629	-7.2	-6.4	-2.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		303.418	289.700	283.288	-7.7	-6.6	-2.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		325.363	313.620	307.900	-4.6	-5.4	-1.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		341.391	329.559	324.220	-4.1	-5.0	-1.6
Medical care		519.811		534.928	5.8	2.9
Recreation(3)		127.748		128.950	2.3	0.9
Education and communication(3)		166.430		166.418	1.8	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,669.910		1,669.910	5.3	0.0
Other goods and services		507.221		522.206	6.6	3.0
Commodity and service group
Commodities		213.403		212.623	0.6	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages		169.037		167.081	-0.4	-1.2
Nondurables less food and beverages		221.567		218.136	1.3	-1.5
Durables		120.026		119.120	-2.0	-0.8
Services		393.416		397.245	5.3	1.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		277.087		278.330	2.7	0.4
All items less medical care		298.545		299.471	3.4	0.3
Commodities less food		171.148		169.257	-0.3	-1.1
Nondurables		261.430		260.914	1.6	-0.2
Nondurables less food		220.856		217.695	1.3	-1.4
Services less rent of shelter(2)		415.802		422.033	5.5	1.5
Services less medical care services		381.282		384.013	5.4	0.7
Energy		269.218	262.378	260.849	-5.5	-3.1	-0.6
All items less energy		315.596		317.800	4.2	0.7
All items less food and energy		317.394		319.534	4.6	0.7
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.