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News Release Information

23-2005-SAN
Wednesday, September 13, 2023

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

Consumer Price Index, San Francisco Area — August 2023

Area prices were unchanged over the past two months, up 3.4 percent from a year ago

Prices in the San Francisco area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged for the two months ending in August 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that a decrease in shelter prices helped offset higher prices for energy. (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 3.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices increased 4.5 percent. Energy prices declined 2.1 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of natural gas service. The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.6 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.1 percent for the two months ending in August. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 0.2 percent, with lower prices in three of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 0.8 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 4.5 percent. Prices for food at home rose 3.5 percent since a year ago, with higher prices in all six grocery categories.  Prices for food away from home advanced 6.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 5.9 percent for the two months ending in August. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (5.9 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 6.2 percent, and prices for electricity increased 5.8 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 2.1 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for natural gas service (-16.8 percent). Prices for gasoline declined 5.3 percent, but prices paid for electricity increased 12.3 percent   during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.4 percent in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for new and used motor vehicles (-1.6 percent) and shelter (-0.7 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for other goods and services (5.2 percent) and medical care (0.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 3.6 percent. Components contributing to the increase included recreation (6.1 percent) and shelter (4.0 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in medical care (-0.1 percent).

Table A. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month

February

0.5 3.5 0.9 2.9 0.5 1.6 1.4 5.2 1.8 5.3

April

1.2 4.0 -0.5 1.1 1.7 3.8 1.5 5.0 0.4 4.2

June

0.2 3.2 0.7 1.6 0.0 3.2 1.7 6.8 0.5 2.9

August

0.1 2.7 0.0 1.6 0.5 3.7 -0.5 5.7 0.0 3.4

October

1.0 3.0 0.5 1.1 0.7 3.8 1.0 6.0

December

-0.5 2.5 0.4 2.0 0.8 4.2 -0.3 4.9

The October 2023 Consumer Price Index for the San Francisco area is scheduled to be released on November 14, 2023.


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 Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo Counties in the State of California.

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

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

Indexes Percent change from-
Historical
data
Jun.
2023
Jul.
2023
Aug.
2023
Aug.
2022
Jun.
2023
Jul.
2023

Expenditure category

All items

340.056 - 340.094 3.4 0.0 -

All items (1967=100)

1,045.427 - 1,045.544 - - -

Food and beverages

362.310 - 363.484 4.5 0.3 -

Food

365.879 - 366.277 4.5 0.1 -

Food at home

332.099 329.977 331.589 3.5 -0.2 0.5

Cereals and bakery products

334.938 333.198 326.609 5.7 -2.5 -2.0

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

351.767 349.429 354.085 0.6 0.7 1.3

Dairy and related products

330.449 339.469 338.521 0.2 2.4 -0.3

Fruits and vegetables

420.164 423.903 416.407 3.0 -0.9 -1.8

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

242.179 244.519 239.132 6.6 -1.3 -2.2

Other food at home

297.949 288.132 298.757 6.1 0.3 3.7

Food away from home

403.309 - 406.376 6.4 0.8 -

Alcoholic beverages

323.959 - 333.818 4.5 3.0 -

Housing

393.011 - 391.561 3.8 -0.4 -

Shelter

439.713 439.469 436.689 4.0 -0.7 -0.6

Rent of primary residence(2)

501.714 501.917 501.255 5.2 -0.1 -0.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)

470.221 469.519 467.028 3.8 -0.7 -0.5

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)

470.221 469.519 467.028 3.8 -0.7 -0.5

Fuels and utilities

542.198 - 568.379 3.3 4.8 -

Household energy

494.459 519.453 523.691 1.7 5.9 0.8

Energy services(2)

496.170 521.127 525.493 2.0 5.9 0.8

Electricity(2)

583.916 617.731 617.731 12.3 5.8 0.0

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

347.027 357.446 368.634 -16.8 6.2 3.1

Household furnishings and operations

174.497 - 171.606 2.7 -1.7 -

Apparel

119.619 - 117.759 4.8 -1.6 -

Transportation

253.801 - 254.009 -0.9 0.1 -

Private transportation

254.828 - 255.641 -0.2 0.3 -

New and used motor vehicles(4)

123.382 - 121.463 0.3 -1.6 -

New vehicles(1)

196.599 - 196.016 1.6 -0.3 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

365.567 - 359.111 -6.3 -1.8 -

Motor fuel

350.034 351.675 370.944 -5.2 6.0 5.5

Gasoline (all types)

347.817 349.448 368.512 -5.3 5.9 5.5

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

347.795 349.515 368.820 -5.4 6.0 5.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

325.069 326.216 343.435 -5.3 5.6 5.3

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

329.910 331.149 348.359 -4.9 5.6 5.2

Medical care

586.550 - 591.060 -0.1 0.8 -

Recreation(6)

144.946 - 145.580 6.1 0.4 -

Education and communication(6)

161.181 - 161.488 4.6 0.2 -

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

- - - - - -

Other goods and services

597.863 - 629.145 12.5 5.2 -

Commodity and service group

All items

340.056 - 340.094 3.4 0.0 -

Commodities

235.879 - 235.609 1.8 -0.1 -

Commodities less food & beverages

169.274 - 168.637 -0.4 -0.4 -

Nondurables less food & beverages

222.949 - 225.002 -0.1 0.9 -

Durables

118.316 - 116.655 0.1 -1.4 -

Services

427.816 - 428.124 4.2 0.1 -

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

329.803 - 329.675 3.7 0.0 -

All items less shelter

301.076 - 302.755 3.0 0.6 -

Commodities less food

176.465 - 176.054 -0.2 -0.2 -

Nondurables

294.488 - 296.189 2.8 0.6 -

Nondurables less food

231.128 - 233.700 0.3 1.1 -

Services less rent of shelter(3)

434.681 - 441.080 4.6 1.5 -

Services less medical care services

416.837 - 416.663 4.6 0.0 -

Energy

409.205 420.409 433.524 -2.1 5.9 3.1

All items less energy

340.909 - 339.847 3.7 -0.3 -

All items less food and energy

337.907 - 336.662 3.6 -0.4 -

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a December 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.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2023