Prices in the Phoenix area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 0.1 percent for the two months ending in October 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the October decrease was influenced by lower prices for shelter and energy. (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 1.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 1.5 percent. Energy prices declined 11.9 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.7 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ, October 2021–October 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Oct 2021	7.1	6.4
Dec 2021	9.7	8.3
Feb 2022	10.9	9.9
Apr 2022	11.0	9.7
Jun 2022	12.3	10.2
Aug 2022	13.0	12.3
Oct 2022	12.1	11.1
Dec 2022	9.5	10.2
Feb 2023	8.5	9.1
Apr 2023	7.4	8.1
Jun 2023	4.4	5.9
Aug 2023	3.7	3.5
Oct 2023	2.9	3.2
Dec 2023	2.7	2.8
Feb 2024	2.2	2.5
Apr 2024	2.6	3.0
Jun 2024	2.7	3.4
Aug 2024	2.3	3.2
Oct 2024	1.6	2.7

Food prices declined 0.9 percent for the two months ending in October. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home fell 1.2 percent, with lower prices in four of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home decreased 0.4 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 1.5 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 0.8 percent since a year ago, led by higher prices for cereals and bakery products (3.2 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (2.5 percent). Prices for food away from home rose 2.4 percent.

The energy index declined 2.8 percent for the two months ending in October. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-3.9 percent). Prices for natural gas service fell 10.1 percent, and prices for electricity decreased 1.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 11.9 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-25.4 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service fell 14.5 percent, while prices for electricity advanced 8.5 percent during the past year.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for recreation (3.5 percent) and household furnishings and operations (1.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-4.0 percent) and shelter (-0.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.7 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (9.2 percent) and shelter (2.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in education and communication (-1.0 percent).

The December 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Phoenix area is scheduled to be released on January 15, 2025.

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 Consumer Price Index for Phoenix is published bi-monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

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	Indexes				Percent change from-
	Historical data	Aug. 2024	Sep. 2024	Oct. 2024	Oct. 2023	Aug. 2024	Sep. 2024
Expenditure category
All items		184.474	-	184.214	1.6	-0.1	-
Food and beverages		189.919	-	188.536	1.4	-0.7	-
Food		193.373	-	191.719	1.5	-0.9	-
Food at home		186.561	186.136	184.364	0.8	-1.2	-1.0
Cereals and bakery products		245.502	246.224	247.292	3.2	0.7	0.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		221.140	224.448	219.423	2.5	-0.8	-2.2
Dairy and related products		149.491	148.378	145.716	-2.9	-2.5	-1.8
Fruits and vegetables		163.128	166.326	163.296	1.4	0.1	-1.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		145.894	138.919	137.350	0.7	-5.9	-1.1
Other food at home		182.331	181.060	181.437	-0.5	-0.5	0.2
Food away from home		206.301	-	205.496	2.4	-0.4	-
Alcoholic beverages		153.245	-	154.054	0.5	0.5	-
Housing		211.071	-	210.286	2.7	-0.4	-
Shelter		227.471	227.730	226.432	2.4	-0.5	-0.6
Rent of primary residence		241.212	241.249	240.478	1.0	-0.3	-0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences		222.915	223.830	223.553	2.6	0.3	-0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence		222.915	223.830	223.553	2.6	0.3	-0.1
Fuels and utilities		217.073	-	214.033	5.9	-1.4	-
Household energy		216.881	214.936	212.649	5.5	-2.0	-1.1
Energy services		217.175	215.268	212.902	5.7	-2.0	-1.1
Electricity		229.766	226.898	227.290	8.5	-1.1	0.2
Utility (piped) gas service		154.196	158.028	138.699	-14.5	-10.1	-12.2
Household furnishings and operations		117.509	-	119.196	2.1	1.4	-
Apparel		155.304	-	149.140	2.3	-4.0	-
Transportation		151.240	-	151.691	-4.2	0.3	-
Private transportation		155.536	-	154.499	-5.4	-0.7	-
New and used motor vehicles		111.356	-	112.560	2.0	1.1	-
New vehicles		110.577	-	110.464	-1.9	-0.1	-
Used cars and trucks		107.234	-	108.678	-2.5	1.3	-
Motor fuel		292.489	289.178	281.405	-25.7	-3.8	-2.7
Gasoline (all types)		292.405	289.325	281.128	-25.4	-3.9	-2.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(1)		293.034	289.647	280.897	-26.2	-4.1	-3.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(1)		307.028	303.477	295.723	-24.3	-3.7	-2.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(1)		294.313	292.343	286.025	-22.2	-2.8	-2.2
Medical care		-	-	245.251	9.2	-	-
Recreation		122.198	-	126.500	0.7	3.5	-
Education and communication		117.438	-	116.977	-1.0	-0.4	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care		231.959	-	231.960	-2.0	0.0	-
Other goods and services		175.768	-	176.076	1.4	0.2	-
Commodity and service group
All items		184.474	-	184.214	1.6	-0.1	-
Commodities		146.363	-	145.419	-2.5	-0.6	-
Commodities less food & beverages		125.075	-	124.338	-4.9	-0.6	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		173.079	-	169.856	-8.5	-1.9	-
Durables		86.213	-	86.996	-0.9	0.9	-
Services		211.550	-	211.744	3.7	0.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		181.260	-	180.934	1.0	-0.2	-
All items less shelter		163.065	-	163.169	1.0	0.1	-
Commodities less food		126.212	-	125.551	-4.7	-0.5	-
Nondurables		182.812	-	180.559	-3.1	-1.2	-
Nondurables less food		171.529	-	168.757	-7.8	-1.6	-
Services less rent of shelter		190.523	-	192.092	5.9	0.8	-
Services less medical care services		208.171	-	208.212	2.9	0.0	-
Energy		257.281	254.683	249.993	-11.9	-2.8	-1.8
All items less energy		180.279	-	180.344	2.5	0.0	-
All items less food and energy		178.176	-	178.463	2.7	0.2	-
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.