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News Release Information

22-53-SAN
Wednesday, January 12, 2022

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

Consumer Price Index, Phoenix area — December 2021

Area prices were up 1.7 percent over the past two months, up 9.7 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Phoenix area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 1.7 percent for the two months ending in December 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the December increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and gasoline. (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 9.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices increased 5.4 percent. Energy prices jumped 40.0 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 8.3 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Phoenix, December 2018-December 2021
Food

Food prices rose 2.0 percent for the two months ending in December. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 1.7 percent, led by higher prices for cereals and bakery products (4.5 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (4.2 percent). Prices for food away from home advanced 2.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 5.4 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 6.2 percent since a year ago. Prices increases for food at home sub-categories ranged from 1.3 percent for dairy and related products to 14.5 percent for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs. Prices for food away from home increased 4.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 3.3 percent for the two months ending in December. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (11.3 percent). Prices for natural gas service advanced 1.9 percent, but prices for electricity decreased 7.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 40.0 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (67.2 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service jumped 33.5 percent, and prices for electricity rose 11.7 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.4 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for used cars and trucks (5.7 percent), recreation (3.5 percent), and shelter (2.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-2.5 percent) and education and communication (-0.2 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 8.3 percent. Components contributing to the increase included used cars and trucks (34.4 percent), recreation (12.4 percent), and shelter (10.2 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in alcoholic beverages (-3.6 percent).

Table A. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month201920202021
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

February

-0.32.10.64.41.01.0

April

1.42.3-1.41.52.44.9

June

1.02.21.52.01.95.4

August

0.53.00.41.80.25.1

October

1.43.80.30.72.27.1

December

-0.63.4-0.80.51.79.7

The February 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Phoenix area is scheduled to be released on March 10, 2022.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on December 2021 Consumer Price Index Data

Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended almost entirely since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in December was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed.

While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month.

For each month from March 2020 to December 2021, BLS has published a summary of the impact of the pandemic on the Consumer Price Index news release and data. The impact summary for December is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/consumer-price-index-covid19-impacts-december-2021.htm. Beginning with publication of January 2022 data in February 2022, this month-specific impact summary will be discontinued. However, information related to the impact of the pandemic will continue to be available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.


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 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metropolitan area covered in this release consists of Maricopa and Pinal Counties in the State of Arizona.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments 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

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale (December 2001=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Historical
data
Oct.
2021
Nov.
2021
Dec.
2021
Dec.
2020
Oct.
2021
Nov.
2021

Expenditure category

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0
157.254-159.8509.71.7-

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF
160.419-163.4074.81.9-

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF1
162.205-165.5165.42.0-

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF11
158.864161.562161.6386.21.70.0

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF111
193.179-201.9286.34.5-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF112
199.670-208.07414.54.2-

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEFJ
126.054-128.4441.31.9-

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF113
136.467-137.8134.01.0-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF114
127.506-124.3628.3-2.5-

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF115
154.256-156.1743.41.2-

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEFV
168.962-172.9254.62.3-

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF116
142.392-141.086-3.6-0.9-

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAH
166.729-169.4149.81.6-

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAH1
176.121177.972180.28010.22.41.3

Rent of primary residence

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHA
181.541182.250184.8966.11.81.5

Owners' equiv. rent of residences

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHC
175.387177.726179.95811.12.61.3

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHC01
175.387177.726179.95811.12.61.3

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAH2
180.083-171.78510.4-4.6-

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAH21
183.333163.127171.62913.7-6.45.2

Energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHF
182.855162.614171.14313.6-6.45.2

Electricity

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHF01
194.055170.033179.88911.7-7.35.8

Utility (piped) gas service

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHF02
125.822127.247128.25033.51.90.8

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAH3
103.346-105.4206.82.0-

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAA
139.042-135.59010.4-2.5-

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAT
145.025-149.71123.43.2-

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAT1
150.348-155.33023.73.3-

New and used motor vehicles

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETA
------

New vehicles

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETA01
------

Used cars and trucks

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETA02
117.928-124.59534.45.7-

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETB
285.585314.854318.07467.311.41.0

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETB01
286.065315.215318.37267.211.31.0

Gasoline, unleaded regular(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASS47014
287.675317.898320.96869.811.61.0

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASS47015
297.826326.101330.62060.411.01.4

Gasoline, unleaded premium(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASS47016
283.623309.288312.68256.010.21.1

Motor vehicle insurance

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETE
161.037-161.0373.00.0-

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAM
--201.635---

Recreation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAR
123.635-127.99912.43.5-

Education and communication

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAE
119.285-119.0810.6-0.2-

Tuition, other school fees, and child care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEEB
------

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAG
157.102-160.7709.02.3-

Commodity and service group

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0
157.254-159.8509.71.7-

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAC
135.509-139.06112.52.6-

Commodities less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASACL11
122.410-126.11717.03.0-

Nondurables less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASANL11
162.150-168.53520.63.9-

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAD
88.452-90.23713.12.0-

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAS
172.234-174.0868.21.1-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0L5
154.705-157.57710.81.9-

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0L2
147.640-149.5139.51.3-

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASACL1
123.297-126.87916.22.9-

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAN
161.574-166.24312.22.9-

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASANL1
160.637-166.51119.03.7-

Services less rent of shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASASL2RS
167.110-166.2255.6-0.5-

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASASL5
169.284-171.5049.31.3-

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0E
232.221233.509239.84240.03.32.7

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0LE
153.070-155.4037.91.5-

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0L1E
151.570-153.7618.31.4-

Footnotes
(1) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.

- Data not available
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2022