The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell decreased 0.6 percent over the November-December pricing period, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the energy index declined 8.9 percent. During this same period, the all items less food and energy index and the food index each edged up 0.2 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 1.4 percent. The all items less food and energy index moved up 1.7 percent and the food index rose 0.5 percent over the year. The energy index declined 0.9 percent since December 2017. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index edged up 0.2 percent over the November-December pricing period, reflecting increases in the food at home (0.4 percent) and the food away from home (0.1 percent) indexes.

The food index rose 0.5 percent for the year ended December 2018. The food away from home index advanced 2.1 percent, while the food at home index declined 0.9 percent over the last 12 months.  

Energy

The energy index fell 8.9 percent over the November-December pricing period, led by a 22.3-percent drop in the gasoline index. Over the two months, the electricity and utility (piped) gas service indexes were up, increasing 10.5 and 9.6 percent, respectively.

Over the year, the energy index decreased 0.9 percent, led by a 6.3-percent decline in the gasoline index. The electricity index declined 1.3 percent, while the utility (piped) gas service index advanced 16.3 percent since December 2017.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent over the November-December pricing period. Increases in the shelter (1.0 percent) and the new and used motor vehicles (3.4 percent) indexes were partially offset by an 11.5-percent seasonal decline in the apparel index.

From December 2017 to December 2018, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.7 percent as several indexes recorded increases, most notably shelter (4.0 percent). In contrast, the new and used motor vehicles and the medical care indexes each declined 2.7 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	-1.0	1.6
December	-1.5	0.9	-0.6	1.4	-0.4	2.6	-0.4	3.2	-0.6	1.4

The Consumer Price Index for January 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.

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-
	Oct. 2018	Nov. 2018	Dec. 2018	Dec. 2017	Oct. 2018	Nov. 2018
Expenditure category
All Items	238.673	-	237.276	1.4	-0.6	-
All items (1967=100)	719.766	-	715.552	-	-	-
Food and beverages	253.268	-	253.870	0.5	0.2	-
Food	263.605	-	264.252	0.5	0.2	-
Food at home	241.909	240.667	242.775	-0.9	0.4	0.9
Cereals and bakery products	217.045	-	217.566	0.5	0.2	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	274.814	-	274.780	0.8	0.0	-
Dairy and related products	228.494	-	218.708	-1.6	-4.3	-
Fruits and vegetables	277.012	-	292.204	-1.9	5.5	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	248.963	-	245.634	-0.6	-1.3	-
Other food at home	205.279	-	205.063	-2.4	-0.1	-
Food away from home	298.048	-	298.374	2.1	0.1	-
Alcoholic beverages	161.110	-	161.254	0.6	0.1	-
Housing	240.860	-	245.133	3.9	1.8	-
Shelter	269.816	271.539	272.577	4.0	1.0	0.4
Rent of primary residence	279.064	281.112	282.064	5.5	1.1	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)	264.185	266.277	267.027	3.6	1.1	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)	264.185	266.277	267.027	3.6	1.1	0.3
Fuels and utilities	262.624	-	283.280	4.0	7.9	-
Household energy	218.322	240.905	240.133	4.2	10.0	-0.3
Energy Services	216.245	238.916	238.264	4.3	10.2	-0.3
Electricity	173.216	197.229	191.463	-1.3	10.5	-2.9
Utility (piped) gas service	297.585	310.835	326.020	16.3	9.6	4.9
Household furnishings and operations	121.454	-	122.816	3.5	1.1	-
Apparel	145.999	-	129.187	0.6	-11.5	-
Transportation	213.176	-	202.104	-1.6	-5.2	-
Private transportation	212.658	-	202.389	-1.8	-4.8	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	101.623	-	105.042	-2.7	3.4	-
New vehicles(1)	213.274	-	222.708	-5.9	4.4	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	208.669	-	211.064	2.0	1.1	-
Motor fuel	249.246	219.715	193.958	-6.2	-22.2	-11.7
Gasoline (all types)	247.516	217.964	192.224	-6.3	-22.3	-11.8
Unleaded regular(4)	242.393	213.035	187.315	-6.4	-22.7	-12.1
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	310.779	273.944	246.121	-5.5	-20.8	-10.2
Unleaded premium(4)	268.113	240.046	216.367	-5.6	-19.3	-9.9
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	1,177.118	-	1,177.118	5.0	0.0	-
Medical Care	437.850	-	438.922	-2.7	0.2	-
Recreation(3)	83.810	-	83.811	-0.9	0.0	-
Education and communication(3)	134.226	-	135.215	2.2	0.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,422.307	-	1,422.307	3.4	0.0	-
Other goods and services	384.280	-	381.691	2.0	-0.7	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	238.673	-	237.276	1.4	-0.6	-
Commodities	180.387	-	173.852	-1.2	-3.6	-
Commodities less food & beverages	147.008	-	138.787	-2.0	-5.6	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	193.469	-	170.383	-1.6	-11.9	-
Durables	104.265	-	106.304	-2.5	2.0	-
Services	293.301	-	297.002	2.9	1.3	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	227.843	-	226.359	1.7	-0.7	-
All items less shelter	229.616	-	226.421	0.1	-1.4	-
Commodities less food	147.257	-	139.226	-1.9	-5.5	-
Nondurables	219.927	-	206.642	-0.5	-6.0	-
Nondurables less food	190.138	-	168.454	-1.5	-11.4	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	334.070	-	339.162	1.6	1.5	-
Services less medical care services	277.752	-	281.467	3.7	1.3	-
Energy	216.261	210.432	196.985	-0.9	-8.9	-6.4
All items less energy	240.811	-	241.330	1.6	0.2	-
All items less food and energy	237.613	-	238.114	1.7	0.2	-
Footnotes (1) Index is on a December 1977=100 base. (2) Index is on a December 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.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.