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News Release Information

24-55-SAN
Thursday, January 11, 2024

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

Consumer Price Index, Phoenix area — December 2023

Area prices were down 0.9 percent over the past two months, up 2.7 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Phoenix area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 0.9 percent for the two months ending in December 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the December decrease was influenced by lower prices for 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 2.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices advanced 3.3 percent. Energy prices declined 0.7 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 0.1 percent for the two months ending in December. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 0.4 percent, with lower prices in four of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 0.8 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 3.3 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 1.3 percent since a year ago, with higher prices in four of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 6.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 16.9 percent for the two months ending in December. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-25.5 percent). Prices for electricity fell 7.2 percent, but prices for natural gas service advanced 0.6 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 0.7 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-8.7 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service advanced 18.4 percent, and prices for electricity increased 8.6 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for medical care (9.4 percent) and education and communication (0.5 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-3.0 percent) and shelter (-0.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (13.4 percent) and shelter (4.1 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in used cars and trucks (-3.0 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-2.5 percent).

Table A. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20192020202120222023
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

February

-0.32.10.64.41.01.02.110.91.28.5

April

1.42.3-1.41.52.44.92.511.01.57.4

June

1.02.21.52.01.95.43.112.30.24.4

August

0.53.00.41.80.25.10.813.00.13.7

October

1.43.80.30.72.27.11.412.10.62.9

December

-0.63.4-0.80.51.79.7-0.79.5-0.92.7

The February 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Phoenix area is scheduled to be released on March 12, 2024.


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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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.
2023
Nov.
2023
Dec.
2023
Dec.
2022
Oct.
2023
Nov.
2023

Expenditure category

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0
181.391-179.7332.7-0.9-

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF
185.935-186.0113.00.0-

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF1
188.936-189.0763.30.1-

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF11
182.841180.880182.0891.3-0.40.7

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF111
239.559234.235244.5466.82.14.4

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF112
214.171209.998213.097-3.9-0.51.5

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEFJ
150.083146.842146.864-3.4-2.10.0

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF113
161.060159.008161.2735.10.11.4

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF114
136.358136.149134.6363.1-1.3-1.1

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF115
182.276182.695180.4251.0-1.0-1.2

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEFV
200.591-202.2376.40.8-

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAF116
153.237-152.583-0.6-0.4-

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAH
204.782-202.8243.8-1.0-

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAH1
221.167219.788219.6374.1-0.7-0.1

Rent of primary residence

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHA
238.200238.078237.8885.5-0.1-0.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHC
217.809218.116217.6863.7-0.1-0.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHC01
217.809218.116217.6863.7-0.1-0.2

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAH2
202.032-195.0339.0-3.5-

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAH21
201.658188.633188.5739.2-6.50.0

Energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHF
201.450188.396188.3029.5-6.50.0

Electricity

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHF01
209.505194.484194.3808.6-7.2-0.1

Utility (piped) gas service

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEHF02
162.213163.217163.19518.40.60.0

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAH3
116.780-115.500-2.5-1.1-

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAA
145.815-141.390-1.0-3.0-

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAT
158.313-146.572-3.9-7.4-

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAT1
163.329-151.586-3.3-7.2-

New and used motor vehicles

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETA
110.398-109.497-2.0-0.8-

New vehicles

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETA01
112.593-111.8120.1-0.7-

Used cars and trucks

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETA02
111.420-112.049-3.00.6-

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETB
378.563316.129282.976-8.9-25.2-10.5

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASETB01
376.878314.012280.676-8.7-25.5-10.6

Gasoline, unleaded regular(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASS47014
380.658315.351281.044-9.1-26.2-10.9

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASS47015
390.729329.383295.728-8.3-24.3-10.2

Gasoline, unleaded premium(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASS47016
367.804313.323283.312-7.5-23.0-9.6

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAM
224.544-245.68713.49.4-

Recreation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAR
125.644-125.913-0.20.2-

Education and communication

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAE
118.163-118.7050.00.5-

Tuition, other school fees, and child care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASEEB
236.752-236.7527.10.0-

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAG
173.599-172.5931.4-0.6-

Commodity and service group

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0
181.391-179.7332.7-0.9-

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAC
149.082-144.440-0.9-3.1-

Commodities less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASACL11
130.763-124.060-3.3-5.1-

Nondurables less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASANL11
185.580-168.708-2.0-9.1-

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAD
87.771-87.250-4.6-0.6-

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAS
204.173-204.8894.80.4-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0L5
179.095-176.0051.9-1.7-

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0L2
161.518-159.7961.7-1.1-

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASACL1
131.718-125.216-3.2-4.9-

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASAN
186.344-178.6700.8-4.1-

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASANL1
183.050-167.567-1.9-8.5-

Services less rent of shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASASL2RS
181.466-185.4005.82.2-

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASASL5
202.321-200.7193.7-0.8-

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0E
283.903249.686235.788-0.7-16.9-5.6

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0LE
175.940-176.3302.90.2-

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS48ASA0L1E
173.853-174.2812.80.2-

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: Thursday, January 11, 2024