The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell increased 1.2 percent over the May-June pricing period, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the energy index advanced 12.9 percent and the all items less food and energy index edged up 0.2 percent over the two months. The food index edged down 0.3 percent during the May-June 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 advanced 2.8 percent. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.1 percent and the energy index rose 11.3 percent over the year. The food index was up 0.5 percent since June 2017. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index edged down 0.3 percent over the May-June pricing period, led by a 0.7-percent decrease in the food at home index. The food away from home index edged up 0.2 percent over the two-month pricing period.

The food index was up 0.5 percent since June 2017 as the food away from home index increased 2.3-percent. The food at home index was down 1.0 percent over the last 12 months.  

Energy

The energy index advanced 12.9 percent over the two-month pricing period, led by a 31.8 percent seasonal increase in the electricity index. The indexes for motor fuel and utility (piped) gas service also increased, up 6.0 and 0.4 percent, respectively.

Over the year, the energy index increased 11.3 percent, fueled by a 26.7-percent increase in the motor fuel index. Since June 2017, the index for utility (piped) gas service rose 4.5 percent, while the index for electricity was down 0.6 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent over the May-June pricing period as increases were recorded for several indexes, most notably shelter (0.4 percent).

From June 2017 to June 2018, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.1 percent, reflecting a 2.6-percent increase in the shelter index.  

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

Month	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	1.3	1.8	0.0	-0.3	0.3	1.6	1.2	3.5	1.2	3.3
April	0.8	2.5	0.7	-0.5	1.0	1.9	0.6	3.2	0.2	2.8
June	1.5	3.0	2.5	0.6	1.3	0.7	1.3	3.2	1.2	2.8
August	-0.1	2.2	-0.1	0.6	0.5	1.2	0.8	3.5
October	-1.1	2.2	-1.2	0.5	-0.1	2.4	-0.3	3.2
December	-1.5	0.9	-0.6	1.4	-0.4	2.6	-0.4	3.2

The Consumer Price Index for July 2018 is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 10, 2018.

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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 29 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 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 (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-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release 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 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-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Apr. 2018	May 2018	Jun. 2018	Jun. 2017	Apr. 2018	May 2018
Expenditure category
All Items	237.417	-	240.376	2.8	1.2	-
All items (1967=100)	715.978	-	724.902	-	-	-
Food and beverages	254.231	-	253.376	0.4	-0.3	-
Food	264.706	-	263.848	0.5	-0.3	-
Food at home	245.584	245.189	243.836	-1.0	-0.7	-0.6
Cereals and bakery products	219.871	-	222.626	-	1.3	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	275.272	-	273.168	-	-0.8	-
Dairy and related products	221.503	-	223.122	-	0.7	-
Fruits and vegetables	294.478	-	288.887	-	-1.9	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	253.835	-	245.143	-	-3.4	-
Other food at home	207.865	-	208.256	-	0.2	-
Food away from home	295.328	-	295.786	2.3	0.2	-
Alcoholic beverages	160.559	-	159.630	-0.9	-0.6	-
Housing	238.655	-	244.648	2.1	2.5	-
Shelter	265.201	266.470	266.165	2.6	0.4	-0.1
Rent of primary residence(2)	270.988	271.920	272.985	3.6	0.7	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	259.271	259.395	259.462	2.7	0.1	0.0
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	259.271	259.395	259.462	2.7	0.1	0.0
Fuels and utilities	276.028	-	323.505	0.6	17.2	-
Household energy	234.175	241.573	284.601	-0.4	21.5	17.8
Energy Services(2)	232.423	239.772	282.956	-0.6	21.7	18.0
Electricity(2)	197.292	206.084	260.050	-0.6	31.8	26.2
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	285.752	286.954	286.954	4.5	0.4	0.0
Household furnishings and operations	120.143	-	122.910	-0.8	2.3	-
Apparel	141.145	-	138.883	0.3	-1.6	-
Transportation	209.395	-	212.910	10.9	1.7	-
Private transportation	209.471	-	213.127	11.6	1.7	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	101.823	-	102.034	-	0.2	-
New vehicles(1)	213.555	-	212.487	-	-0.5	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	210.803	-	211.686	-	0.4	-
Motor fuel	236.106	249.013	250.284	26.7	6.0	0.5
Gasoline (all types)	234.509	247.394	248.604	26.6	6.0	0.5
Unleaded regular(5)	229.625	242.432	243.486	27.2	6.0	0.4
Unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	291.109	306.887	310.733	24.6	6.7	1.3
Unleaded premium(5)	255.186	267.367	269.388	22.2	5.6	0.8
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	1,166.517	-	1,166.517	-	0.0	-
Medical Care	459.879	-	460.274	0.7	0.1	-
Recreation(4)	85.271	-	83.669	-2.9	-1.9	-
Education and communication(4)	131.478	-	132.132	0.8	0.5	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,373.597	-	1,373.695	-	0.0	-
Other goods and services	374.280	-	379.555	1.9	1.4	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	237.417	-	240.376	2.8	1.2	-
Commodities	178.911	-	180.257	2.4	0.8	-
Commodities less food & beverages	144.906	-	146.816	3.3	1.3	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	187.419	-	191.757	8.6	2.3	-
Durables	104.881	-	105.065	-1.2	0.2	-
Services	292.279	-	296.795	3.0	1.5	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	225.637	-	228.670	3.0	1.3	-
All items less shelter	229.770	-	233.632	2.8	1.7	-
Commodities less food	145.190	-	147.036	3.2	1.3	-
Nondurables	216.785	-	218.969	4.5	1.0	-
Nondurables less food	184.425	-	188.453	8.2	2.2	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	338.143	-	347.771	3.3	2.8	-
Services less medical care services	274.746	-	279.490	3.3	1.7	-
Energy	215.311	224.881	243.046	11.3	12.9	8.1
All items less energy	239.532	-	239.825	1.9	0.1	-
All items less food and energy	236.004	-	236.458	2.1	0.2	-
Footnotes (1) Index is on a December 1977=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Index is on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (6) 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.