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News Release Information

19-1268-SAN
Thursday, July 11, 2019

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Consumer Price Index, Alaska area – June 2019

Area prices were up 2.5 percent over the past two months, up 2.5 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Anchorage area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 2.5 percent for the two months ending in June 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the June increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and new and used motor vehicles. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U advanced 2.5 percent.  (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices increased 3.7 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of electricity. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.1 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 1.2 percent for the two months ending in June. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 2.1 percent, while prices for food away from home were unchanged for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 3.8 percent. Prices for food at home rose 3.9 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home moved up 3.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 0.2 percent for the two months ending in June. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (0.4 percent). Prices for both electricity and natural gas service were unchanged, for the same period.

Energy prices increased 3.7 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for electricity (21.3 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service decreased 2.8 percent, and prices for gasoline declined 1.9 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.9 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for shelter (6.8 percent), apparel (2.1 percent), and new and used motor vehicles (1.6 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for recreation (-1.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.1 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new vehicles (3.8 percent), medical care (3.6 percent), and shelter (3.2 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price declines in apparel (-9.1 percent) and education and communication (-0.9 percent).

The August 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Urban Alaska area is scheduled to be released on September 12, 2019.

Consumer Price Index Geographic Revision for 2018

In January 2018, BLS introduced a new geographic area sample for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This index changed to a bimonthly publication schedule beginning in February, 2018. Additional information on the geographic revision is available at: www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/geographic-revision-2018.htm.

Historical data, including semiannual and annual averages, are available at: www.bls.gov/cpi/data.htm


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 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 Urban Alaska area covered in this release consists of Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna 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.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods

Urban Alaska (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Apr.
2019
May
2019
Jun.
2019
Jun.
2018
Apr.
2019
May
2019

Expenditure category

All items

228.553-234.1792.52.5-

All items (1967=100)

610.039-625.057---

Food and beverages

214.123-216.3864.01.1-

Food

219.565-222.1703.81.2-

Food at home

212.016213.996216.4873.92.11.2

Cereals and bakery products

223.991-229.4906.02.5-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

195.607-200.4172.62.5-

Dairy and related products

198.650-201.828-0.41.6-

Fruits and vegetables

325.948-337.9376.13.7-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

150.346-152.2983.41.3-

Other food at home

178.401-179.8533.90.8-

Food away from home

229.235-229.2393.60.0-

Alcoholic beverages

159.044-158.3346.5-0.4-

Housing

208.253-219.9513.95.6-

Shelter

207.302210.178221.4853.26.85.4

Rent of primary residence(2)

201.155201.164201.0210.2-0.1-0.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

206.300206.319206.2370.70.00.0

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

206.300206.319206.2370.70.00.0

Fuels and utilities

361.685-362.23310.00.2-

Household energy

381.873381.987382.10110.70.10.0

Energy services

425.742425.742425.74210.90.00.0

Electricity

390.372390.372390.37221.30.00.0

Utility (piped) gas service

459.057459.057459.057-2.80.00.0

Household furnishings and operations

128.720-131.2321.92.0-

Apparel

148.754-151.944-9.12.1-

Transportation

232.239-232.4310.90.1-

Private transportation

241.142-243.1490.50.8-

New and used motor vehicles(3)

110.425-112.2461.61.6-

New vehicles(1)

254.415-255.4233.80.4-

Used cars and trucks(1)

263.393-264.7372.00.5-

Motor fuel

263.283277.455264.336-2.10.4-4.7

Gasoline (all types)

264.619278.931265.709-1.90.4-4.7

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

255.575270.104256.617-2.10.4-5.0

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

253.359268.077254.432-1.80.4-5.1

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

266.700276.730267.860-0.60.4-3.2

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

1,007.596-1,007.5963.20.0-

Medical care

610.641-618.0093.61.2-

Recreation(3)

128.778-126.9001.9-1.5-

Education and communication(3)

113.526-113.521-0.90.0-

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

727.849-727.9813.30.0-

Other goods and services

356.848-360.3763.31.0-

Commodity and service group

All items

228.553-234.1792.52.5-

Commodities

185.008-186.3441.00.7-

Commodities less food & beverages

169.474-170.399-0.40.5-

Nondurables less food & beverages

217.687-217.598-3.20.0-

Durables

128.715-130.1272.31.1-

Services

266.030-275.4673.33.5-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

215.156-220.6632.42.6-

All items less shelter

237.203-238.2092.10.4-

Commodities less food

169.413-170.271-0.20.5-

Nondurables

216.278-217.4260.40.5-

Nondurables less food

213.528-213.372-2.5-0.1-

Services less rent of shelter(2)

362.462-362.6123.40.0-

Services less medical care services

245.955-255.1243.33.7-

Energy

314.185323.038314.9293.70.2-2.5

All items less energy

223.809-229.7712.42.7-

All items less food and energy

224.875-231.3742.12.9-

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a December 1978=100 base.
(2) Indexes 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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, July 11, 2019