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News Release Information

22-628-SAN
Tuesday, April 12, 2022

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

Consumer Price Index, San Diego Area – March 2022

Area prices were up 2.1 percent over the past two months, up 7.9 percent from a year ago

Prices in the San Diego area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 2.1 percent for the two months ending in March 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the March increase was influenced by higher prices for gasoline and shelter. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 7.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices advanced 9.7 percent. Energy prices jumped 35.9 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 5.6 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, San Diego, March 2019-March 2022
Food

Food prices increased 1.1 percent for the two months ending in March. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 3.3 percent led by higher prices for dairy and related products (9.1 percent). Prices for food away from home decreased 1.5 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 9.7 percent. Prices for food at home jumped 10.0 percent since a year ago influenced by higher prices for cereals and bakery products (14.2 percent). Prices for food away from home advanced 9.3 percent.

Energy

The energy index jumped 12.9 percent for the two months ending in March. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (23.6 percent). Prices for electricity were unchanged, while prices for natural gas service fell 11.9 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 35.9 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (46.4 percent). Prices paid for electricity advanced 20.9 percent, and prices for natural gas service rose 12.3 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for recreation (4.5 percent), household furnishings and operations (2.5 percent), and shelter (1.1 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-5.1 percent) and education and communication (-0.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 5.6 percent. Components contributing to the increase included used cars and trucks (33.8 percent), recreation (8.1 percent), and shelter (5.7 percent).

Table A. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month2019202020212022
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

0.62.60.32.30.41.72.08.2

March

0.52.20.01.82.44.12.17.9

May

1.03.8-0.40.30.75.3

July

-0.31.41.42.12.16.0

September

0.61.7-0.41.10.16.5

November

0.22.60.61.60.76.6

The May 2022 Consumer Price Index for the San Diego area is scheduled to be released on June 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 San Diego-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan area includes San Diego County in California.

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

San Diego-Carlsbad (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Historical
data
Jan.
2022
Feb.
2022
Mar.
2022
Mar.
2021
Jan.
2022
Feb.
2022

Expenditure category

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0
332.990-339.8527.92.1-

All items (1967=100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49EAA0
1,125.942-1,149.144---

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF
300.803-304.3989.11.2-

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF1
299.586-302.7589.71.1-

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF11
258.043261.146266.66010.03.32.1

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF111
304.170-321.33114.25.6-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF112
281.539-280.3006.7-0.4-

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEFJ
190.294-207.5249.79.1-

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF113
278.612-287.8949.43.3-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF114
293.836-297.6469.31.3-

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF115
238.258-248.69011.04.4-

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEFV
355.765-350.2559.3-1.5-

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAF116
302.434-310.4683.62.7-

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAH
388.707-392.8446.21.1-

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAH1
436.746440.520441.6815.71.10.3

Rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHA
431.709433.414435.3885.00.90.5

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHC
461.762463.295464.3504.60.60.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHC01
461.762463.295464.3504.60.60.2

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAH2
449.347-442.87914.5-1.4-

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAH21
451.519441.479440.42719.2-2.5-0.2

Energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHF
446.094435.904433.79818.9-2.8-0.5

Electricity

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHF01
434.562434.562434.56220.90.00.0

Utility (piped) gas service

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEHF02
341.219307.536300.57612.3-11.9-2.3

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAH3
200.147-205.1814.32.5-

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAA
176.236-167.1622.2-5.1-

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAT
274.672-295.25118.97.5-

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAT1
272.627-290.37222.26.5-

New and used motor vehicles(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESETA
132.950-134.80018.21.4-

New vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESETA01
247.010-246.9331.10.0-

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESETA02
342.618-340.47833.8-0.6-

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESETB
367.249375.087454.33046.623.721.1

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESETB01
366.923374.659453.54746.423.621.1

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESS47014
380.301388.467471.07347.223.921.3

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESS47015
319.575325.968392.35044.222.820.4

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESS47016
373.643380.926457.92043.622.620.2

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAM
526.359-531.9540.91.1-

Recreation(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAR
169.615-177.2898.14.5-

Education and communication(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAE
140.022-139.3942.7-0.4-

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESEEB
1,608.239-1,608.4483.50.0-

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAG
452.146-454.0153.00.4-

Commodity and service group

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0
332.990-339.8527.92.1-

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAC
234.316-240.74012.22.7-

Commodities less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESACL11
199.412-206.86114.73.7-

Nondurables less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESANL11
234.789-251.50317.77.1-

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAD
161.898-161.78011.4-0.1-

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAS
418.637-425.6885.41.7-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0L5
323.801-330.6778.42.1-

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0L2
291.702-299.3799.22.6-

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESACL1
204.030-211.53713.83.7-

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESAN
269.193-279.61312.83.9-

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESANL1
241.343-257.51016.06.7-

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESASL2RS
419.044-429.4845.42.5-

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESASL5
405.709-412.5535.81.7-

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0E
392.716394.056443.55835.912.912.6

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0LE
332.549-337.0076.21.3-

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49ESA0L1E
339.586-344.2885.61.4-

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a November 1977=100 base.
(2) Indexes on a November 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: Tuesday, April 12, 2022