Prices in the Anchorage area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 0.8 percent for the two months ending in December 2024, 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 and apparel. (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 2.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 3.4 percent. Energy prices declined 1.3 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.5 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

 

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Urban Alaska, December 2021–December 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Dec 2021	7.2	5.7
Feb 2022	7.4	5.9
Apr 2022	7.5	5.2
Jun 2022	12.4	6.3
Aug 2022	7.6	6.7
Oct 2022	7.6	6.6
Dec 2022	5.4	5.6
Feb 2023	4.3	5.0
Apr 2023	3.1	5.4
Jun 2023	-3.3	1.8
Aug 2023	2.0	2.7
Oct 2023	1.1	2.2
Dec 2023	1.8	2.5
Feb 2024	1.7	2.0
Apr 2024	3.2	2.7
Jun 2024	2.9	3.2
Aug 2024	1.5	2.4
Oct 2024	2.1	3.0
Dec 2024	2.3	2.5

 

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Urban Alaska, December 2021–December 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Dec 2021	7.2	5.7
Feb 2022	7.4	5.9
Apr 2022	7.5	5.2
Jun 2022	12.4	6.3
Aug 2022	7.6	6.7
Oct 2022	7.6	6.6
Dec 2022	5.4	5.6
Feb 2023	4.3	5.0
Apr 2023	3.1	5.4
Jun 2023	-3.3	1.8
Aug 2023	2.0	2.7
Oct 2023	1.1	2.2
Dec 2023	1.8	2.5
Feb 2024	1.7	2.0
Apr 2024	3.2	2.7
Jun 2024	2.9	3.2
Aug 2024	1.5	2.4
Oct 2024	2.1	3.0
Dec 2024	2.3	2.5

Food prices rose 0.8 percent for the two months ending in December. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 0.1 percent, with lower prices in three of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home rose 2.8 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.4 percent. Prices for food at home increased 1.2 percent since a year ago, led by higher prices for fruits and vegetables (7.3 percent). Overall, prices rose in three of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 8.4 percent.

The energy index decreased 3.4 percent for the two months ending in December. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-7.1 percent). Prices for both electricity and natural gas service were unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices declined 1.3 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-9.7 percent). Prices paid for electricity increased 14.6 percent, and prices for natural gas service rose 3.5 percent during the past year.

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.8 percent in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for apparel (-7.5 percent), recreation (-1.5 percent), and medical care (-1.2 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for education and communication (0.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.5 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (8.0 percent) and shelter (2.9 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in household furnishings and operations (-3.8 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-2.7 percent).

The February 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Anchorage area is scheduled to be released on March 12, 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 Urban Alaska 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 Urban Alaska area covered in this release consists of Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the State of Alaska.

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

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

Item and Group	Indexes				Percent change from-
	Historical data	Oct. 2024	Nov. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Oct. 2024	Nov. 2024
Expenditure category
All items		269.404	-	267.312	2.3	-0.8	-
All items (1967=100)		719.076	-	713.492	-	-	-
Food and beverages		263.005	-	264.800	3.3	0.7	-
Food		272.572	-	274.793	3.4	0.8	-
Food at home		259.185	259.375	259.042	1.2	-0.1	-0.1
Cereals and bakery products		265.167	264.613	255.131	-1.2	-3.8	-3.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		238.255	239.148	239.006	3.0	0.3	-0.1
Dairy and related products		250.106	249.643	260.046	5.6	4.0	4.2
Fruits and vegetables		396.613	409.169	423.387	7.3	6.8	3.5
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		183.723	183.075	178.434	-3.1	-2.9	-2.5
Other food at home		219.458	215.012	212.324	-2.5	-3.3	-1.3
Food away from home		297.826	-	306.093	8.4	2.8	-
Alcoholic beverages		-	-	-	-	-	-
Housing		240.220	-	239.920	2.9	-0.1	-
Shelter		245.631	245.626	245.557	2.9	0.0	0.0
Rent of primary residence(2)		245.536	246.889	247.269	4.3	0.7	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		247.289	248.172	248.377	3.7	0.4	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		247.289	248.172	248.377	3.7	0.4	0.1
Fuels and utilities		395.981	-	393.018	8.0	-0.7	-
Household energy		402.616	402.616	402.168	8.8	-0.1	-0.1
Energy services		452.880	452.880	452.880	9.8	0.0	0.0
Electricity		402.187	402.187	402.187	14.6	0.0	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service		508.833	508.833	508.833	3.5	0.0	0.0
Household furnishings and operations		132.547	-	132.260	-3.8	-0.2	-
Apparel		166.761	-	154.266	-1.8	-7.5	-
Transportation		286.776	-	280.710	-0.2	-2.1	-
Private transportation		288.698	-	285.396	-0.6	-1.1	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		124.224	-	124.004	-2.7	-0.2	-
New vehicles(1)		268.984	-	268.033	-0.9	-0.4	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		329.888	-	332.379	-5.3	0.8	-
Motor fuel		305.109	296.800	284.459	-10.3	-6.8	-4.2
Gasoline (all types)		307.829	299.049	286.054	-9.7	-7.1	-4.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		294.598	285.695	273.290	-10.2	-7.2	-4.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		299.930	292.599	281.120	-8.7	-6.3	-3.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		322.166	314.895	301.082	-7.9	-6.5	-4.4
Medical care		808.618	-	798.708	8.0	-1.2	-
Recreation(3)		141.403	-	139.321	-1.5	-1.5	-
Education and communication(3)		114.058	-	114.200	4.8	0.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		823.183	-	823.183	4.2	0.0	-
Other goods and services		508.216	-	502.764	1.1	-1.1	-
Commodity and service group
All items		269.404	-	267.312	2.3	-0.8	-
Commodities		210.764	-	208.565	-1.1	-1.0	-
Commodities less food & beverages		184.405	-	180.448	-3.8	-2.1	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		243.890	-	232.186	-4.5	-4.8	-
Durables		137.055	-	136.737	-3.4	-0.2	-
Services		321.854	-	319.944	4.9	-0.6	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		251.341	-	249.480	1.9	-0.7	-
All items less shelter		279.038	-	275.900	2.1	-1.1	-
Commodities less food		184.195	-	180.267	-3.7	-2.1	-
Nondurables		254.554	-	250.763	0.2	-1.5	-
Nondurables less food		238.528	-	227.625	-4.0	-4.6	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)		449.693	-	444.150	7.2	-1.2	-
Services less medical care services		292.982	-	291.537	4.5	-0.5	-
Energy		349.151	344.431	337.224	-1.3	-3.4	-2.1
All items less energy		265.112	-	263.590	2.6	-0.6	-
All items less food and energy		264.751	-	262.521	2.5	-0.8	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1978=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.