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News Release Information

19-1631-ATL
Thursday, September 12, 2019

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Consumer Price Index, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell – August 2019

Area prices up 1.3 percent since June and 2.2 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell increased 1.3 percent from June to August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the all items less food and energy index rose 1.1 percent over the bi-monthly period. Since June, the energy index increased 4.4 percent and the food index rose 0.4 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

From August 2018 to August 2019, the all items CPI-U increased 2.2 percent. Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.3 percent and the food index rose 1.6 percent. In contrast, the energy index declined 5.5 percent over the past 12 months. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.4 percent from June to August, reflecting a 1.0-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index was little changed from June, down 0.1 percent over the bi-monthly period.

Over the last 12 months, the food index advanced 1.6 percent, led by a 2.9-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index rose 0.5 percent since August 2018.  

Energy

The energy index rose 4.4 percent from June to August, reflecting a 14.8-percent jump in the electricity index. In contrast, the gasoline and the utility (piped) gas service indexes declined since June, down 0.5 and 1.3 percent, respectively.

The energy index declined 5.5 percent for the 12 months ending August 2019. Contributing to the decline were the gasoline index (-10.5 percent) and the electricity index (-0.9 percent). The utility (piped) gas service index rose 3.2 percent over the year. 

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.1 percent from June to August, led by a 5.6 percent increase in the medical care index. The apparel index (4.2 percent) and the shelter index (0.4 percent) were also up over the bi-monthly period.

From August 2018 to August 2019, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.3 percent. Several indexes contributed to the increase, most notably shelter (5.2 percent) and medical care (8.3 percent). In contrast, the index for new vehicles declined over the last 12 months, down 8.9 percent.

Table A. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20152016201720182019
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

February

0.0-0.30.31.61.23.51.23.31.21.3

April

0.7-0.51.01.90.63.20.22.81.42.5

June

2.50.61.30.71.33.21.22.8-0.11.1

August

-0.10.60.51.20.83.50.32.21.32.2

October

-1.20.5-0.12.4-0.33.2-1.01.6

December

-0.61.4-0.42.6-0.43.2-0.61.4

The Consumer Price Index for September 2019 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 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

IndexesPercent change from-
Jun.
2019
Jul.
2019
Aug.
2019
Aug.
2018
Jun.
2019
Jul.
2019

Expenditure category

All Items

243.087-246.3112.21.3-

All items (1967=100)

733.078-742.800---

Food and beverages

257.410-258.3941.70.4-

Food

267.815-268.9161.60.4-

Food at home

245.224245.795245.0630.5-0.1-0.3

Cereals and bakery products

222.807-221.9100.9-0.4-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

274.173-277.1110.11.1-

Dairy and related products

230.833-230.4621.7-0.2-

Fruits and vegetables

289.815-290.4185.70.2-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

250.200-250.033-0.9-0.1-

Other food at home

206.970-204.232-2.7-1.3-

Food away from home

303.623-306.6112.91.0-

Alcoholic beverages

164.944-164.6643.6-0.2-

Housing

253.152-256.5844.31.4-

Shelter

280.631282.006281.7465.20.4-0.1

Rent of primary residence

290.160291.578291.9996.10.60.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

272.675273.929274.2495.00.60.1

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

272.675273.929274.2495.00.60.1

Fuels and utilities

303.770-327.7520.27.9-

Household energy

260.957285.983286.2780.09.70.1

Energy Services

259.580284.657285.0430.29.80.1

Electricity

224.527256.651257.663-0.914.80.4

Utility (piped) gas service

306.312303.898302.2753.2-1.3-0.5

Household furnishings and operations

124.402-125.6823.51.0-

Apparel

140.340-146.2887.44.2-

Transportation

206.354-206.351-4.70.0-

Private transportation

206.294-206.772-4.60.2-

New and used motor vehicles(3)

101.086-101.840-4.00.7-

New vehicles(1)

207.909-206.251-8.9-0.8-

Used cars and trucks(1)

212.748-218.2981.72.6-

Motor fuel

225.142238.863224.115-10.5-0.5-6.2

Gasoline (all types)

223.587237.322222.572-10.5-0.5-6.2

Unleaded regular(4)

218.600232.290217.542-10.7-0.5-6.3

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

282.267297.240280.075-9.6-0.8-5.8

Unleaded premium(4)

245.355258.350245.023-8.7-0.1-5.2

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

1,177.118-1,177.1181.80.0-

Medical Care

445.967-471.0058.35.6-

Recreation(3)

84.404-84.9770.90.7-

Education and communication(3)

134.768-136.5601.51.3-

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)

1,422.307-1,462.3262.82.8-

Other goods and services

388.781-389.7691.80.3-

Commodity and service group

All Items

243.087-246.3112.21.3-

Commodities

178.740-180.298-0.60.9-

Commodities less food & beverages

143.754-145.381-1.81.1-

Nondurables less food & beverages

185.062-188.023-1.21.6-

Durables

104.604-105.230-2.40.6-

Services

303.653-308.4833.91.6-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

232.056-234.3421.71.0-

All items less shelter

231.379-235.5590.71.8-

Commodities less food

144.162-145.745-1.71.1-

Nondurables

216.738-218.8890.21.0-

Nondurables less food

182.437-185.206-1.01.5-

Services less rent of shelter(2)

343.945-354.1262.43.0-

Services less medical care services

287.967-291.3323.41.2-

Energy

221.390238.609231.211-5.54.4-3.1

All items less energy

245.144-247.6583.01.0-

All items less food and energy

241.962-244.6713.31.1-

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 12, 2019