Prices in the Honolulu area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), inched up 0.1 percent for the two months ending in November 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the November increase was influenced by higher prices for gasoline and food. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 5.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices advanced 6.5 percent. Energy prices jumped 33.7 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.4 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 1.0 percent for the two months ending in November. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home increased 1.4 percent. Prices for food at home rose 0.7 percent, with four of the six grocery categories recording increases. Higher prices for fruits and vegetables (2.8 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for other food at home (-2.0 percent) for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 6.5 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 6.7 percent since a year ago. Prices for food at home rose 6.4 percent largely due to higher prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (16.2 percent).

Energy

The energy index rose 4.7 percent for the two months ending in November. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (6.6 percent). Prices for electricity advanced 2.3 percent, but prices for natural gas service decreased 1.0 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 33.7 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (44.8 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service jumped 31.8 percent, and prices for electricity increased 20.7 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.4 percent in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for apparel (-5.3 percent) and shelter (-1.2 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for used cars and trucks (5.1 percent), medical care (2.2 percent), motor vehicle insurance (2.2 percent), and household furnishings and operations (0.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.4 percent. Components contributing to the increase included motor vehicle insurance (10.8 percent), new and used motor vehicles (10.0 percent), recreation (4.1 percent), and shelter (3.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in apparel (-4.1 percent).

Table A. Urban Hawaii CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2019		2020		2021
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	-0.2	1.9	0.5	1.7	0.3	1.4
March	0.5	1.8	0.6	1.8	0.9	1.8
May	0.7	2.1	0.2	1.3	2.1	3.8
July	-0.1	1.6	0.0	1.3	0.8	4.6
September	0.1	1.1	0.6	1.9	1.0	5.0
November	0.1	0.9	-0.2	1.6	0.1	5.4

The January 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Honolulu area is scheduled to be released on February 10, 2022

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 6,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods 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 Hawaii area covered in this release consists of Honolulu in the State of Hawaii.

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

Urban Hawaii (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes				Percent change from-
	Historical data	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021	Nov. 2021	Nov. 2020	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021
Expenditure category
All items		301.891	-	302.332	5.4	0.1	-
All items (1967=100)		831.099	-	832.313	-	-	-
Food and beverages		319.202	-	322.266	6.4	1.0	-
Food		319.869	-	322.969	6.5	1.0	-
Food at home		318.246	320.327	320.318	6.4	0.7	0.0
Cereals and bakery products		339.034	-	346.475	6.2	2.2	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		328.397	-	331.570	16.2	1.0	-
Dairy and related products		244.655	-	239.637	-0.8	-2.1	-
Fruits and vegetables		377.208	-	387.777	0.1	2.8	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		421.182	-	434.937	15.9	3.3	-
Other food at home		292.764	-	286.775	1.2	-2.0	-
Food away from home		312.963	-	317.230	6.7	1.4	-
Alcoholic beverages		306.740	-	309.188	3.3	0.8	-
Housing		328.813	-	325.964	4.1	-0.9	-
Shelter		360.169	356.860	355.723	3.4	-1.2	-0.3
Rent of primary residence(2)		349.501	349.362	349.931	2.3	0.1	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		363.606	363.674	364.644	2.8	0.3	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		363.606	363.674	364.644	2.8	0.3	0.3
Fuels and utilities		388.002	-	393.231	12.7	1.3	-
Household energy		307.326	307.872	314.365	21.3	2.3	2.1
Energy services		301.617	301.891	308.172	21.2	2.2	2.1
Electricity		297.060	297.973	303.982	20.7	2.3	2.0
Utility (piped) gas service		342.356	327.810	339.047	31.8	-1.0	3.4
Household furnishings and operations		151.521	-	152.792	2.4	0.8	-
Apparel		113.203	-	107.158	-4.1	-5.3	-
Transportation		241.792	-	250.251	16.0	3.5	-
Private transportation		250.513	-	259.371	18.4	3.5	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		-	-	119.712	10.0	-	-
New vehicles(1)		-	-	177.516	1.9	-	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		322.535	-	339.035	30.0	5.1	-
Motor fuel		318.899	328.055	340.080	44.8	6.6	3.7
Gasoline (all types)		327.359	336.739	349.092	44.8	6.6	3.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		338.754	348.983	361.958	45.5	6.8	3.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		273.413	279.823	290.191	36.4	6.1	3.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		310.990	318.235	329.284	43.0	5.9	3.5
Motor vehicle insurance(1)		468.689	-	479.161	10.8	2.2	-
Medical care		438.429	-	447.994	2.3	2.2	-
Recreation(3)		143.941	-	143.535	4.1	-0.3	-
Education and communication(3)		151.835	-	151.313	1.4	-0.3	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,871.840	-	1,877.829	3.7	0.3	-
Other goods and services		534.900	-	533.757	5.3	-0.2	-
Commodity and service group
All items		301.891	-	302.332	5.4	0.1	-
Commodities		225.732	-	228.838	8.9	1.4	-
Commodities less food & beverages		169.348	-	172.405	11.6	1.8	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		212.745	-	216.627	14.2	1.8	-
Durables		121.567	-	123.731	8.4	1.8	-
Services		368.470	-	366.651	3.6	-0.5	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		294.464	-	294.469	5.6	0.0	-
All items less shelter		276.495	-	279.555	6.8	1.1	-
Commodities less food		174.294	-	177.345	11.1	1.8	-
Nondurables		268.237	-	271.638	9.0	1.3	-
Nondurables less food		218.603	-	222.386	13.1	1.7	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)		375.284	-	378.014	4.0	0.7	-
Services less medical care services		360.273	-	358.066	3.8	-0.6	-
Energy		311.619	316.884	326.368	33.7	4.7	3.0
All items less energy		303.195	-	302.767	3.9	-0.1	-
All items less food and energy		301.929	-	300.795	3.4	-0.4	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=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.