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18-11-SAN
Friday, January 12, 2018
Prices in the Anchorage Area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.2 percent in the second half of 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted this latest six-month increase was influenced by higher prices for gasoline, medical care, and apparel. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, six-month-to-six-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)
Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices advanced 5.4 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy edged down 0.1 percent over the year. (See table 1.)
FoodFood prices decreased 0.6 percent in the second half of 2017. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 1.4 percent, but prices for food away from home increased 0.6 percent for the same period.
Over the year, food prices inched down 0.1 percent. Prices for food at home decreased 0.8 percent since a year ago, but prices for food away from home moved up 0.7 percent.
EnergyThe energy index increased 5.4 percent since the first half of 2017. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (7.2 percent). Prices for natural gas service increased 9.1 percent, and prices for electricity increased 0.2 percent for the same period.
Energy prices advanced 12.1 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (16.8 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service moved up 11.2 percent, and prices for electricity advanced 6.8 percent during the past year.
All items less food and energyThe index for all items less food and energy edged down 0.1 percent in the latest six-month period. Lower prices for education and communication (-2.2 percent) and shelter (-0.6 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for apparel (3.3 percent) and medical care (1.9 percent).
Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy declined 0.7 percent. Components contributing to the decrease included education and communication (-4.8 percent) and shelter (-1.3 percent). Partly offsetting the decreases were price advances in medical care (1.7 percent) and apparel (1.6 percent).
Month | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Semi-annual | Annual | Semi-annual | Annual | Semi-annual | Annual | Semi-annual | Annual | Semi-annual | Annual | Semi-annual | Annual | |
First Half | 1.3 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 0.1 | -0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
Second Half | 0.7 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1.4 | -0.2 | -0.1 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
The February 2018 Consumer Price Index for the Anchorage area is scheduled to be released March 13, 2018.
In January 2018, BLS will introduce a new geographic area sample for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This index will change to a bimonthly publication schedule beginning in February, 2018. The first indexes using the new structure will be published in February 2018. Additional information on the geographic revision is available at: www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/geographic-revision-2018.htm.
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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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/cpi/.
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 Anchorage, AK. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Anchorage Borough in the State of Alaska.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.
Item and Group | Semiannual average indexes | Percent change to 2nd half 2017 from- | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd half 2016 | 1st half 2017 | 2nd half 2017 | 2nd half 2016 | 1st half 2017 | |
Expenditure category | |||||
All items | 218.660 | 218.616 | 219.131 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
All items (1967=100) | 583.635 | 583.517 | 584.891 | - | - |
Food and beverages | 208.183 | 209.188 | 207.988 | -0.1 | -0.6 |
Food | 213.553 | 214.481 | 213.258 | -0.1 | -0.6 |
Food at home | 209.617 | 210.977 | 208.003 | -0.8 | -1.4 |
Food away from home | 218.136 | 218.448 | 219.708 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
Alcoholic beverages | 153.657 | 155.367 | 154.411 | 0.5 | -0.6 |
Housing | 203.505 | 203.427 | 203.228 | -0.1 | -0.1 |
Shelter | 206.548 | 205.134 | 203.949 | -1.3 | -0.6 |
Rent of primary residence | 201.915 | 200.300 | 200.753 | -0.6 | 0.2 |
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1) | 208.873 | 206.284 | 204.637 | -2.0 | -0.8 |
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1) | 208.873 | 206.284 | 204.637 | -2.0 | -0.8 |
Fuels and utilities | 303.873 | 315.618 | 326.748 | 7.5 | 3.5 |
Household energy | 316.332 | 330.329 | 343.697 | 8.7 | 4.0 |
Energy services | 352.161 | 368.028 | 383.079 | 8.8 | 4.1 |
Electricity | 300.074 | 319.964 | 320.567 | 6.8 | 0.2 |
Utility (piped) gas service | 425.662 | 433.649 | 473.312 | 11.2 | 9.1 |
Household furnishings and operations | 128.502 | 129.758 | 129.283 | 0.6 | -0.4 |
Apparel | 163.859 | 161.230 | 166.554 | 1.6 | 3.3 |
Transportation | 208.146 | 210.427 | 213.390 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
Private transportation | 212.469 | 223.073 | 224.501 | 5.7 | 0.6 |
Motor fuel | 201.509 | 219.453 | 235.305 | 16.8 | 7.2 |
Gasoline (all types) | 202.191 | 220.277 | 236.198 | 16.8 | 7.2 |
Gasoline, unleaded regular(2) | 195.790 | 213.509 | 229.061 | 17.0 | 7.3 |
192.336 | 209.310 | 224.106 | 16.5 | 7.1 | |
Gasoline, unleaded premium(2) | 200.829 | 217.860 | 232.955 | 16.0 | 6.9 |
Medical care | 534.701 | 533.511 | 543.827 | 1.7 | 1.9 |
Recreation(4) | 119.503 | 120.039 | 119.860 | 0.3 | -0.1 |
Education and communication(4) | 118.767 | 115.579 | 113.073 | -4.8 | -2.2 |
Other goods and services | 336.779 | 333.862 | 336.426 | -0.1 | 0.8 |
Commodity and service group | |||||
All Items | 218.660 | 218.616 | 219.131 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Commodities | 176.195 | 178.962 | 179.790 | 2.0 | 0.5 |
Commodities less food & beverages | 159.196 | 162.815 | 164.639 | 3.4 | 1.1 |
Nondurables less food & beverages | 200.521 | 204.450 | 212.978 | 6.2 | 4.2 |
Durables | 124.251 | 127.512 | 124.619 | 0.3 | -2.3 |
Services | 255.076 | 252.716 | 252.975 | -0.8 | 0.1 |
Special aggregate indexes | |||||
All items less medical care | 207.224 | 207.215 | 207.429 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
All items less shelter | 222.403 | 223.144 | 224.624 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
Commodities less food | 159.330 | 162.872 | 164.576 | 3.3 | 1.0 |
Nondurables | 205.259 | 207.612 | 210.887 | 2.7 | 1.6 |
Nondurables less food | 197.403 | 201.139 | 208.773 | 5.8 | 3.8 |
Services less rent of shelter(1) | 333.188 | 329.238 | 332.218 | -0.3 | 0.9 |
Services less medical care services | 237.225 | 235.151 | 235.384 | -0.8 | 0.1 |
Energy | 252.275 | 268.219 | 282.766 | 12.1 | 5.4 |
All items less energy | 217.100 | 216.086 | 215.751 | -0.6 | -0.2 |
All items less food and energy | 218.031 | 216.688 | 216.502 | -0.7 | -0.1 |
Footnotes | |||||
- Data not available. |
Last Modified Date: Friday, January 12, 2018