Prices in the Seattle area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 0.5 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 medical care and recreation. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month 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 rose 2.6 percent. Energy prices increased 1.6 percent, largely the result of increases in the prices of natural gas service and electricity. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.8 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, December 2021–December 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Dec 2021	7.6	6.5
Feb 2022	8.1	7.0
Apr 2022	9.1	7.8
Jun 2022	10.1	8.8
Aug 2022	9.0	8.2
Oct 2022	8.9	7.7
Dec 2022	8.4	8.1
Feb 2023	8.0	7.7
Apr 2023	6.9	7.3
Jun 2023	4.6	5.3
Aug 2023	5.4	5.7
Oct 2023	4.8	5.5
Dec 2023	4.4	4.9
Feb 2024	4.3	5.2
Apr 2024	4.4	4.9
Jun 2024	3.8	4.4
Aug 2024	3.1	3.9
Oct 2024	3.0	3.8
Dec 2024	2.7	2.8

Food prices rose 0.2 percent for the two months ending in December. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home fell 0.2 percent, led by lower prices for cereals and bakery products (-3.6 percent). Overall, prices fell in three of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home rose 0.7 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 2.6 percent. Prices for food at home increased 2.1 percent since a year ago, with higher prices in all six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 3.4 percent.

The energy index decreased 1.8 percent for the two months ending in December. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-2.3 percent). Prices for natural gas service fell 4.3 percent, while prices for electricity were unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices increased 1.6 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for natural gas service (44.7 percent) and prices for electricity (9.3 percent). Prices for gasoline declined 6.2 percent during the past year.

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.5 percent in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for medical care (-2.5 percent) and recreation (-1.6 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for alcoholic beverages (2.3 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (0.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.4 percent) and other goods and services (3.5 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in apparel (-6.7 percent) and education and communication (-1.1 percent).

The February 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Seattle 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 Seattle 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties in the State of Washington.

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

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (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		356.212	-	354.348	2.7	-0.5	-
All items (1967=100)		1,085.873	-	1,080.190	-	-	-
Food and beverages		367.439	-	368.692	3.0	0.3	-
Food		370.050	-	370.629	2.6	0.2	-
Food at home		328.586	325.320	328.081	2.1	-0.2	0.8
Cereals and bakery products		413.889	394.246	398.816	0.4	-3.6	1.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		299.384	292.137	296.749	3.7	-0.9	1.6
Dairy and related products		291.407	298.417	298.631	2.0	2.5	0.1
Fruits and vegetables		503.193	509.590	509.079	1.4	1.2	-0.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		411.447	412.144	409.989	1.5	-0.4	-0.5
Other food at home		252.799	248.964	253.314	2.5	0.2	1.7
Food away from home		436.580	-	439.493	3.4	0.7	-
Alcoholic beverages		330.397	-	338.082	7.4	2.3	-
Housing		431.710	-	430.978	4.4	-0.2	-
Shelter		498.783	500.255	498.385	4.4	-0.1	-0.4
Rent of primary residence(2)		501.383	502.942	504.102	4.5	0.5	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)		526.593	528.864	529.826	5.6	0.6	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)		526.593	528.864	529.826	5.6	0.6	0.2
Fuels and utilities		346.574	-	344.307	10.2	-0.7	-
Household energy		312.005	312.281	308.541	14.6	-1.1	-1.2
Energy services(2)		368.351	369.169	364.715	15.6	-1.0	-1.2
Electricity(2)		397.513	397.513	397.513	9.3	0.0	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service(2)		221.929	224.059	212.461	44.7	-4.3	-5.2
Household furnishings and operations		226.629	-	225.067	-0.6	-0.7	-
Apparel		127.671	-	122.825	-6.7	-3.8	-
Transportation		301.066	-	299.661	1.2	-0.5	-
Private transportation		314.891	-	313.813	-0.4	-0.3	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)		125.163	-	125.285	0.4	0.1	-
New vehicles(1)		224.447	-	224.677	0.1	0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		403.716	-	406.764	-5.2	0.8	-
Motor fuel		464.780	459.277	454.220	-6.6	-2.3	-1.1
Gasoline (all types)		473.967	468.370	463.141	-6.2	-2.3	-1.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		510.991	504.725	498.990	-6.5	-2.3	-1.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		379.292	375.890	371.724	-5.4	-2.0	-1.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		447.280	442.652	438.032	-5.0	-2.1	-1.0
Medical care		486.697	-	474.652	1.2	-2.5	-
Recreation(6)		124.557	-	122.557	0.3	-1.6	-
Education and communication(6)		147.191	-	146.143	-1.1	-0.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		-	-	1,928.459	-	-	-
Other goods and services		537.005	-	535.357	3.5	-0.3	-
Commodity and service group
All items		356.212	-	354.348	2.7	-0.5	-
Commodities		241.264	-	239.006	-1.9	-0.9	-
Commodities less food & beverages		184.617	-	181.492	-4.6	-1.7	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		223.434	-	219.236	-3.1	-1.9	-
Durables		147.533	-	145.272	-5.9	-1.5	-
Services		463.106	-	461.558	5.0	-0.3	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		350.626	-	349.327	2.8	-0.4	-
All items less shelter		300.850	-	298.307	1.5	-0.8	-
Commodities less food		189.955	-	187.106	-4.1	-1.5	-
Nondurables		292.186	-	290.338	0.3	-0.6	-
Nondurables less food		232.133	-	228.730	-2.1	-1.5	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)		430.810	-	427.732	5.8	-0.7	-
Services less medical care services		456.548	-	455.966	5.3	-0.1	-
Energy		399.100	396.574	392.039	1.6	-1.8	-1.1
All items less energy		357.633	-	356.003	2.8	-0.5	-
All items less food and energy		355.530	-	353.633	2.8	-0.5	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 1977=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (6) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.