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errata

Incorrect prices for prescription drugs were used for the CPI-U and CPI-W indexes from May through August 2016 in a number of areas. Several indexes were affected, including the all items and medical care indexes. A list of the series affected can be found at (www.bls.gov/bls/errata/cpi-price-corrections-10182016.htm), and the corrected data are available in the CPI database (www.bls.gov/cpi/data.htm).

News Release Information

16-1860-ATL
Friday, September 16, 2016

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

Consumer Price Index, Atlanta – August 2016

Area prices up 0.5 percent over the two months and 1.3 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta rose 0.5 percent over the July-August pricing period, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the all items less food and energy index advanced 1.0 percent. The energy index declined 2.6 percent and the food index edged down 0.2 percent during the July-August pricing period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U increased 1.3 percent. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent over the year reflecting price increases for shelter and medical care. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

Food prices edged down 0.2 percent during the July-August pricing period as food at home prices declined 0.5 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 0.3 percent over the two months.

Over the year, the food index decreased 1.2 percent, led by a 3.3-percent price decline in the food at home index. The food away from home index increased 1.7 percent since August 2015.

Energy

The energy index declined 2.6 percent over the two-month pricing period, led by a 6.6-percent decrease in motor fuel prices. Prices for electricity inched down 0.1 percent, while prices for utility (piped) gas service increased 4.0 percent over the July-August pricing period.

Over the year, the energy index decreased 8.8 percent, reflecting a 16.3-percent drop in motor fuel prices. Since August 2015, electricity prices declined 4.0 percent, while prices for utility (piped) gas service inched up 0.1 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.0 percent during the July-August pricing period as prices increased for several indexes including medical care (4.2 percent) and shelter (0.8 percent). The recreation index declined 2.3 percent over the two months.

From August 2015 to August 2016, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent, led by increases for shelter (4.5 percent) and medical care (9.5 percent).

Table A. Atlanta CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20122013201420152016
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

February

1.02.41.92.11.31.80.0-0.30.31.6

April

1.11.80.11.10.82.50.7-0.51.01.9

June

0.61.51.01.41.53.02.50.61.30.7

August

0.61.50.71.5-0.12.2-0.10.60.51.3

October

-1.21.8-1.01.6-1.12.2-1.20.5  

December

-0.91.2-0.22.4-1.50.9-0.61.4  

The Consumer Price Index for September 2016 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, October 18, 2016.


Technical Note

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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 percent of the total 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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 (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period "market basket" of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch17.pdf.

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, Ga. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton Counties in Georgia.

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
Atlanta, GA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Indexes
 
Percent change from-
Jun.
2016
Jul.
2016
Aug.
2016
Aug.
2015
Jun.
2016
Jul.
2016

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

226.724-227.8581.30.5-

All items (1967=100)

683.730-687.150---

Food and beverages

249.074-248.615-1.0-0.2-

Food

259.550-259.148-1.2-0.2-

Food at home

245.722247.194244.460-3.3-0.5-1.1

Food away from home

282.231-283.1111.70.3-

Alcoholic beverages

155.572-154.6052.9-0.6-

Housing

226.330-228.1333.10.8-

Shelter

242.676242.974244.5074.50.80.6

Rent of primary residence (1)

246.947248.368249.8685.31.20.6

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

235.663236.939238.6763.91.30.7

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

235.663236.939238.6763.91.30.7

Fuels and utilities

314.470-316.055-1.60.5-

Household energy

278.125284.983280.140-2.40.7-1.7

Energy Services (1)

277.111283.997279.200-2.40.8-1.7

Electricity (1)

261.428266.096261.266-4.0-0.1-1.8

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

242.616255.495252.4320.14.0-1.2

Household furnishings and operations

121.664-123.876-0.11.8-

Apparel

135.337-139.128-3.12.8-

Transportation

190.156-187.445-2.9-1.4-

Private transportation

188.623-186.079-3.6-1.3-

Motor fuel

202.093185.259188.707-16.3-6.61.9

Gasoline (all types)

201.026184.060187.534-16.3-6.71.9

Unleaded regular (3)

196.984180.072183.611-16.6-6.82.0

Unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

248.834229.040233.761-14.7-6.12.1

Unleaded premium (3)

217.490201.702203.998-14.0-6.21.1

Medical Care

432.408-450.5759.54.2-

Recreation (5)

87.459-85.490-2.3-2.3-

Education and communication (5)

134.741-136.3720.91.2-

Other goods and services

365.660-362.838-0.5-0.8-
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

226.724-227.8581.30.5-

Commodities

175.819-176.044-2.00.1-

Commodities less food & beverages

143.068-143.577-2.30.4-

Nondurables less food & beverages

174.982-175.597-4.00.4-

Durables

109.959-110.356-0.20.4-

Services

274.839-276.7863.10.7-
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

215.772-216.1260.60.2-

All items less shelter

224.374-225.209-0.40.4-

Commodities less food

143.167-143.614-2.20.3-

Nondurables

207.119-207.243-2.70.1-

Nondurables less food

172.315-172.804-3.70.3-

Services less rent of shelter (2)

327.849-329.9851.50.7-

Services less medical care services

258.372-259.7742.80.5-

Energy

217.240212.116211.680-8.8-2.6-0.2

All items less energy

227.677-229.4812.40.8-

All items less food and energy

223.076-225.2323.11.0-

Footnotes
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(2) Index is on a December 1982=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=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: Friday, September 16, 2016