The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell increased 1.2 percent over the January-February 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 also increased 1.2 percent over the pricing period. Since December 2018, the food index and the energy index also advanced, up 0.8 and 1.1 percent, respectively. (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 all items less food and energy index moved up 1.9 percent and the food index rose 1.3 percent over the year. The energy index declined 4.4 percent since February 2018. (See chart 1 and table1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.8 percent over the January-February pricing period, reflecting increases in the food away from home (1.0 percent) and the food at home (0.6 percent) indexes.

The food index increased 1.3 percent for the year ended February 2019. The food away from home index advanced 2.6 percent, while the food at home index edged up 0.3 percent over the last 12 months.  

Energy

The energy index increased 1.1 percent over the January-February pricing period, led by a 4.8-percent advance in the electricity index. During this same period, the gasoline index rose 1.3 percent, while the utility (piped) gas service index declined 6.1 percent.

Over the year, the energy index declined 4.4 percent, led by a 10.5-percent decrease in the gasoline index. Since February 2018, the indexes for utility (piped) gas service and electricity increased, up 3.7 and 1.0 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.2 percent over the January-February pricing period. Increases in the apparel (19.5 percent) and shelter (0.9 percent) indexes were partially offset by a 4.1-percent decline in the new vehicles index.

From February 2018 to February 2019, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.9 percent as several indexes recorded increases, most notably shelter (4.2 percent).

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

Month	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	0.0	-0.3	0.3	1.6	1.2	3.5	1.2	3.3	1.2	1.3
April	0.7	-0.5	1.0	1.9	0.6	3.2	0.2	2.8
June	2.5	0.6	1.3	0.7	1.3	3.2	1.2	2.8
August	-0.1	0.6	0.5	1.2	0.8	3.5	0.3	2.2
October	-1.2	0.5	-0.1	2.4	-0.3	3.2	-1.0	1.6
December	-0.6	1.4	-0.4	2.6	-0.4	3.2	-0.6	1.4

The Consumer Price Index for March 2019 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 10, 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-
	Dec. 2018	Jan. 2019	Feb. 2019	Feb. 2018	Dec. 2018	Jan. 2019
Expenditure category
All Items	237.276	-	240.072	1.3	1.2	-
All items (1967=100)	715.552	-	723.984	-	-	-
Food and beverages	253.870	-	255.956	1.3	0.8	-
Food	264.252	-	266.369	1.3	0.8	-
Food at home	242.775	243.494	244.309	0.3	0.6	0.3
Cereals and bakery products	217.566	-	219.870	1.2	1.1	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	274.780	-	270.889	-1.9	-1.4	-
Dairy and related products	218.708	-	228.836	3.8	4.6	-
Fruits and vegetables	292.204	-	295.848	3.9	1.2	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	245.634	-	253.570	0.6	3.2	-
Other food at home	205.063	-	203.844	-1.9	-0.6	-
Food away from home	298.374	-	301.375	2.6	1.0	-
Alcoholic beverages	161.254	-	163.226	0.5	1.2	-
Housing	245.133	-	247.111	3.8	0.8	-
Shelter	272.577	272.620	275.014	4.2	0.9	0.9
Rent of primary residence	282.064	282.115	283.633	5.2	0.6	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)	267.027	267.032	268.471	3.5	0.5	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)	267.027	267.032	268.471	3.5	0.5	0.5
Fuels and utilities	283.280	-	285.912	2.3	0.9	-
Household energy	240.133	243.771	242.325	1.9	0.9	-0.6
Energy Services	238.264	241.899	240.394	1.9	0.9	-0.6
Electricity	191.463	198.643	200.641	1.0	4.8	1.0
Utility (piped) gas service	326.020	317.927	306.031	3.7	-6.1	-3.7
Household furnishings and operations	122.816	-	122.848	2.2	0.0	-
Apparel	129.187	-	154.411	4.0	19.5	-
Transportation	202.104	-	201.545	-3.1	-0.3	-
Private transportation	202.389	-	200.892	-3.5	-0.7	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	105.042	-	102.452	-2.1	-2.5	-
New vehicles(1)	222.708	-	213.512	-4.8	-4.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	211.064	-	211.944	1.4	0.4	-
Motor fuel	193.958	189.593	196.383	-10.4	1.3	3.6
Gasoline (all types)	192.224	187.945	194.747	-10.5	1.3	3.6
Unleaded regular(4)	187.315	183.029	189.928	-10.7	1.4	3.8
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	246.121	240.795	247.770	-9.7	0.7	2.9
Unleaded premium(4)	216.367	212.668	217.975	-8.9	0.7	2.5
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	1,177.118	-	1,177.118	0.9	0.0	-
Medical Care	438.922	-	443.474	-2.6	1.0	-
Recreation(3)	83.811	-	84.717	-1.1	1.1	-
Education and communication(3)	135.215	-	135.519	3.5	0.2	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,422.307	-	1,422.307	4.5	0.0	-
Other goods and services	381.691	-	381.393	1.0	-0.1	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	237.276	-	240.072	1.3	1.2	-
Commodities	173.852	-	177.328	-0.8	2.0	-
Commodities less food & beverages	138.787	-	142.447	-1.9	2.6	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	170.383	-	180.935	-2.2	6.2	-
Durables	106.304	-	105.221	-1.5	-1.0	-
Services	297.002	-	299.090	2.6	0.7	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	226.359	-	229.052	1.6	1.2	-
All items less shelter	226.421	-	229.420	-0.1	1.3	-
Commodities less food	139.226	-	142.847	-1.8	2.6	-
Nondurables	206.642	-	213.707	-0.5	3.4	-
Nondurables less food	168.454	-	178.471	-2.1	5.9	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	339.162	-	340.785	0.7	0.5	-
Services less medical care services	281.467	-	283.571	3.4	0.7	-
Energy	196.985	196.246	199.117	-4.4	1.1	1.5
All items less energy	241.330	-	244.194	1.8	1.2	-
All items less food and energy	238.114	-	241.081	1.9	1.2	-
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.