The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell declined 0.1 percent from April to June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that both the energy index and the all items less food and energy index declined over the bi-monthly period, down 0.9 and 0.1 percent, respectively. Since April, the food index edged up 0.3 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U increased 1.1 percent, reflecting increases in the all items less food and energy index (2.3 percent) and the food index (1.5 percent). Since June 2018, the energy index has declined 8.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index edged up 0.3 percent from April to June, reflecting a 0.8-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index was little changed from April, down 0.1 percent over the bi-monthly period.

Over the last 12 months, the food index rose 1.5 percent, led by a 2.6-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index rose 0.6 percent since June 2018.  

Energy

The energy index declined 0.9 percent from April to June, led by a 6.1-percent drop in the gasoline index. The utility (piped) gas service index edged down 0.2 percent since April, while the electricity index advanced 8.2 percent over the bi-monthly period.

The energy index fell 8.9 percent for the 12 months ending June 2019. Contributing to the decline were the gasoline index (-10.1 percent) and the electricity index (-13.7 percent). The utility (piped) gas service index rose 6.7 percent over the year. 

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched down 0.1 percent since April. Declines in the apparel (-4.8 percent) and the new vehicles (-3.1 percent) indexes were largely offset by a 1.3-percent increase in the shelter index.

From June 2018 to June 2019, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.3 percent. The shelter index contributred to the increase, up 5.4 percent over the last 12 months.

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	1.4	2.5
June	2.5	0.6	1.3	0.7	1.3	3.2	1.2	2.8	-0.1	1.1
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 July 2019 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, August 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-
	Apr. 2019	May 2019	Jun. 2019	Jun. 2018	Apr. 2019	May 2019
Expenditure category
All Items	243.383	-	243.087	1.1	-0.1	-
All items (1967=100)	733.969	-	733.078	-	-	-
Food and beverages	256.738	-	257.410	1.6	0.3	-
Food	267.098	-	267.815	1.5	0.3	-
Food at home	245.576	244.182	245.224	0.6	-0.1	0.4
Cereals and bakery products	219.951	-	222.807	0.1	1.3	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	276.081	-	274.173	0.4	-0.7	-
Dairy and related products	226.570	-	230.833	3.5	1.9	-
Fruits and vegetables	304.442	-	289.815	0.3	-4.8	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	252.732	-	250.200	2.1	-1.0	-
Other food at home	200.672	-	206.970	-0.6	3.1	-
Food away from home	301.309	-	303.623	2.6	0.8	-
Alcoholic beverages	164.732	-	164.944	3.3	0.1	-
Housing	250.022	-	253.152	3.5	1.3	-
Shelter	277.116	279.613	280.631	5.4	1.3	0.4
Rent of primary residence	286.064	287.944	290.160	6.3	1.4	0.8
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)	270.305	272.116	272.675	5.1	0.9	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)	270.305	272.116	272.675	5.1	0.9	0.2
Fuels and utilities	291.124	-	303.770	-6.1	4.3	-
Household energy	247.828	247.305	260.957	-8.3	5.3	5.5
Energy Services	246.045	245.679	259.580	-8.3	5.5	5.7
Electricity	207.420	207.420	224.527	-13.7	8.2	8.2
Utility (piped) gas service	306.902	305.500	306.312	6.7	-0.2	0.3
Household furnishings and operations	127.230	-	124.402	1.2	-2.2	-
Apparel	147.471	-	140.340	1.0	-4.8	-
Transportation	211.573	-	206.354	-3.1	-2.5	-
Private transportation	211.844	-	206.294	-3.2	-2.6	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	102.954	-	101.086	-0.9	-1.8	-
New vehicles(1)	214.624	-	207.909	-2.2	-3.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	212.505	-	212.748	0.5	0.1	-
Motor fuel	239.700	238.641	225.142	-10.0	-6.1	-5.7
Gasoline (all types)	238.093	237.044	223.587	-10.1	-6.1	-5.7
Unleaded regular(4)	233.120	232.026	218.600	-10.2	-6.2	-5.8
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	297.657	296.353	282.267	-9.2	-5.2	-4.8
Unleaded premium(4)	258.566	258.060	245.355	-8.9	-5.1	-4.9
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	1,177.118	-	1,177.118	0.9	0.0	-
Medical Care	447.257	-	445.967	-3.1	-0.3	-
Recreation(3)	85.495	-	84.404	0.9	-1.3	-
Education and communication(3)	135.450	-	134.768	2.0	-0.5	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,422.307	-	1,422.307	3.5	0.0	-
Other goods and services	378.549	-	388.781	2.4	2.7	-
Commodity and service group
All Items	243.383	-	243.087	1.1	-0.1	-
Commodities	181.943	-	178.740	-0.8	-1.8	-
Commodities less food & beverages	147.895	-	143.754	-2.1	-2.8	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	191.549	-	185.062	-3.5	-3.4	-
Durables	106.876	-	104.604	-0.4	-2.1	-
Services	301.070	-	303.653	2.3	0.9	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	232.308	-	232.056	1.5	-0.1	-
All items less shelter	233.305	-	231.379	-1.0	-0.8	-
Commodities less food	148.205	-	144.162	-2.0	-2.7	-
Nondurables	220.260	-	216.738	-1.0	-1.6	-
Nondurables less food	188.522	-	182.437	-3.2	-3.2	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	342.629	-	343.945	-1.1	0.4	-
Services less medical care services	285.439	-	287.967	3.0	0.9	-
Energy	223.448	222.695	221.390	-8.9	-0.9	-0.6
All items less energy	245.250	-	245.144	2.2	0.0	-
All items less food and energy	242.183	-	241.962	2.3	-0.1	-
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.