The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta rose 0.8 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 0.9 percent during the July-August pricing period. Over the two-month period, the energy index rose 1.5 percent, while the food index inched down 0.1 percent. (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 3.5 percent. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.8 percent over the year and the energy index rose 4.7 percent. The food index increased 1.2 percent since August 2016. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

Food prices inched down 0.1 percent during the July-August pricing period. Prices for food at home edged down 0.3 percent over the two-month period, while prices for food away from home were unchanged.

Over the year, the food index advanced 1.2 percent, reflecting price increases for both food away from home and food at home, up 2.1 and 0.5 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index rose 1.5 percent over the two-month pricing period, led by a 3.6-percent increase in motor fuel prices. Prices for utility (piped) gas service inched down 0.1 percent, while prices for electricity were unchanged during the July-August pricing period.

Over the year, the energy index advanced 4.7 percent, reflecting price increases for motor fuel (8.5 percent), utility (piped) gas service (8.8 percent), and electricity (0.1 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.9 percent during the July-August pricing period, led by a 1.8 percent increase in the education and communication index.

From August 2016 to August 2017, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.8 percent, led by a 6.1 percent increase in the shelter index.

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

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	1.9	2.1	1.3	1.8	0.0	-0.3	0.3	1.6	1.2	3.5
April	0.1	1.1	0.8	2.5	0.7	-0.5	1.0	1.9	0.6	3.2
June	1.0	1.4	1.5	3.0	2.5	0.6	1.3	0.7	1.3	3.2
August	0.7	1.5	-0.1	2.2	-0.1	0.6	0.5	1.2	0.8	3.5
October	-1.0	1.6	-1.1	2.2	-1.2	0.5	-0.1	2.4
December	-0.2	2.4	-1.5	0.9	-0.6	1.4	-0.4	2.6

The Consumer Price Index for September 2017 is scheduled to be released on Friday, October 13, 2017.

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. 2017	Jul. 2017	Aug. 2017	Aug. 2016	Jun. 2017	Jul. 2017
Expenditure category
All Items	233.882	-	235.818	3.5	0.8	-
All items (1967=100)	705.318	-	711.155	-	-	-
Food and beverages	252.368	-	251.969	1.3	-0.2	-
Food	262.594	-	262.207	1.2	-0.1	-
Food at home	246.269	245.816	245.608	0.5	-0.3	-0.1
Food away from home	289.026	-	289.046	2.1	0.0	-
Alcoholic beverages	161.096	-	160.592	3.9	-0.3	-
Housing	239.515	-	239.339	4.9	-0.1	-
Shelter	259.298	259.551	259.400	6.1	0.0	-0.1
Rent of primary residence(1)	263.413	263.789	263.881	5.6	0.2	0.0
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	252.585	253.295	254.170	6.5	0.6	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	252.585	253.295	254.170	6.5	0.6	0.3
Fuels and utilities	321.553	-	321.004	1.6	-0.2	-
Household energy	285.853	285.362	285.238	1.8	-0.2	0.0
Energy Services(1)	284.535	284.214	284.481	1.9	0.0	0.1
Electricity(1)	261.599	261.055	261.586	0.1	0.0	0.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	274.718	275.337	274.527	8.8	-0.1	-0.3
Household furnishings and operations	123.861	-	122.436	-1.2	-1.2	-
Apparel	138.441	-	138.655	-0.3	0.2	-
Transportation	192.023	-	201.434	7.5	4.9	-
Private transportation	190.966	-	201.195	8.1	5.4	-
Motor fuel	197.561	200.547	204.741	8.5	3.6	2.1
Gasoline (all types)	196.327	199.377	203.488	8.5	3.6	2.1
Unleaded regular(3)	191.421	194.437	198.590	8.2	3.7	2.1
Unleaded midgrade(3)(4)	249.452	254.140	256.970	9.9	3.0	1.1
Unleaded premium(3)	220.476	223.250	227.005	11.3	3.0	1.7
Medical Care	456.860	-	455.689	1.3	-0.3	-
Recreation(5)	86.180	-	86.478	1.2	0.3	-
Education and communication(5)	131.032	-	133.334	-2.2	1.8	-
Other goods and services	372.603	-	373.391	2.9	0.2	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	233.882	-	235.818	3.5	0.8	-
Commodities	176.090	-	176.398	0.2	0.2	-
Commodities less food & beverages	142.064	-	142.666	-0.6	0.4	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	176.584	-	177.590	1.3	0.6	-
Durables	106.365	-	106.557	-3.4	0.2	-
Services	288.125	-	291.513	5.3	1.2	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	222.096	-	224.158	3.7	0.9	-
All items less shelter	227.286	-	230.119	2.2	1.2	-
Commodities less food	142.430	-	142.985	-0.4	0.4	-
Nondurables	209.473	-	209.836	1.3	0.2	-
Nondurables less food	174.210	-	175.093	1.4	0.5	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	336.679	-	344.904	4.5	2.4	-
Services less medical care services	270.659	-	274.259	5.6	1.3	-
Energy	218.401	219.623	221.585	4.7	1.5	0.9
All items less energy	235.436	-	237.247	3.4	0.8	-
All items less food and energy	231.596	-	233.758	3.8	0.9	-
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.