The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell increased 0.3 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 edged up 0.2 percent and the energy index advanced 0.6 percent over the two months. The food index was up 0.3 percent over 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 advanced 2.2 percent. The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.4 percent and the energy index rose 10.4 percent over the year. The food index was up 1.0 percent since August 2017. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index edged up 0.3 percent over the July-August pricing period, led by a 0.7-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index was unchanged over the two-month pricing period.

The food index was up 1.0 percent since August 2017, reflecting a 3.1 percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index was down 0.7 percent over the last 12 months.  

Energy

The energy index increased 0.6 percent over the July-August pricing period, led by a 2.1 percent increase in the utility (piped) gas service index. The indexes for electricity and motor fuel were unchanged over the two-month pricing period.  

Over the year, the energy index advanced 10.4 percent, fueled by a 22.3-percent increase in the motor fuel index. Since August 2017, the index for utility (piped) gas service rose 6.7 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 July-August pricing period. Increases in the new vehicles (6.5 percent) and shelter (0.6 percent) indexes were largely offset by decreases in the medical care (-5.5 percent) and apparel (-1.9 percent) indexes.

From August 2017 to August 2018, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.4 percent, led by a 3.3 percent increase in the shelter index. In contrast, the medical care index decreased 4.6 percent over the year.   

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	0.3	2.2
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 September 2018 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 11, 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-
	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018	Aug. 2018	Aug. 2017	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018
Expenditure category
All Items	240.376	-	241.026	2.2	0.3	-
All items (1967=100)	724.902	-	726.861	-	-	-
Food and beverages	253.376	-	254.134	0.9	0.3	-
Food	263.848	-	264.740	1.0	0.3	-
Food at home	243.836	242.806	243.935	-0.7	0.0	0.5
Cereals and bakery products	222.626	-	219.964	-	-1.2	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	273.168	-	276.702	-	1.3	-
Dairy and related products	223.122	-	226.711	-	1.6	-
Fruits and vegetables	288.887	-	274.736	-	-4.9	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	245.143	-	252.253	-	2.9	-
Other food at home	208.256	-	209.920	-	0.8	-
Food away from home	295.786	-	297.864	3.1	0.7	-
Alcoholic beverages	159.630	-	158.905	-1.1	-0.5	-
Housing	244.648	-	245.890	2.7	0.5	-
Shelter	266.165	267.526	267.880	3.3	0.6	0.1
Rent of primary residence	272.985	274.158	275.335	4.3	0.9	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)	259.462	260.384	261.190	2.8	0.7	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)	259.462	260.384	261.190	2.8	0.7	0.3
Fuels and utilities	323.505	-	327.024	1.9	1.1	-
Household energy	284.601	R282.111	286.321	0.4	0.6	1.5
Energy Services	282.956	R280.456	284.548	0.0	0.6	1.5
Electricity	260.050	258.897	260.113	-0.6	0.0	0.5
Utility (piped) gas service	286.954	R280.907	292.864	6.7	2.1	4.3
Household furnishings and operations	122.910	-	121.433	-0.8	-1.2	-
Apparel	138.883	-	136.233	-1.7	-1.9	-
Transportation	212.910	-	216.606	7.5	1.7	-
Private transportation	213.127	-	216.647	7.7	1.7	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	102.034	-	106.137	-	4.0	-
New vehicles(1)	212.487	-	226.311	-	6.5	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	211.686	-	214.625	-	1.4	-
Motor fuel	250.284	247.009	250.329	22.3	0.0	1.3
Gasoline (all types)	248.604	245.359	248.657	22.2	0.0	1.3
Unleaded regular(4)	243.486	240.236	243.682	22.7	0.1	1.4
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	310.733	307.016	309.892	20.6	-0.3	0.9
Unleaded premium(4)	269.388	266.507	268.243	18.2	-0.4	0.7
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	1,166.517	-	1,156.075	-	-0.9	-
Medical Care	460.274	-	434.789	-4.6	-5.5	-
Recreation(3)	83.669	-	84.229	-2.6	0.7	-
Education and communication(3)	132.132	-	134.531	0.9	1.8	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,373.695	-	1,422.307	-	3.5	-
Other goods and services	379.555	-	383.045	2.6	0.9	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	240.376	-	241.026	2.2	0.3	-
Commodities	180.257	-	181.414	2.8	0.6	-
Commodities less food & beverages	146.816	-	148.015	3.7	0.8	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	191.757	-	190.321	7.2	-0.7	-
Durables	105.065	-	107.849	1.2	2.6	-
Services	296.795	-	296.935	1.9	0.0	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	228.670	-	230.395	2.8	0.8	-
All items less shelter	233.632	-	233.839	1.6	0.1	-
Commodities less food	147.036	-	148.192	3.6	0.8	-
Nondurables	218.969	-	218.446	4.1	-0.2	-
Nondurables less food	188.453	-	187.066	6.8	-0.7	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	347.771	-	345.674	0.2	-0.6	-
Services less medical care services	279.490	-	281.702	2.7	0.8	-
Energy	243.046	241.180	244.593	10.4	0.6	1.4
All items less energy	239.825	-	240.379	1.3	0.2	-
All items less food and energy	236.458	-	236.964	1.4	0.2	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Index on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
R: Revised. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.