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News Release Information

22-656-PHI
Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Consumer Price Index, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area – March 2022

Area prices were up 1.9 percent over the past two months, up 7.3 percent from a year ago

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria increased 1.9 percent for the 2 months ending in March 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted the change was the largest since 2008 and was largely due to a rise in the all items less food and energy index, up 1.5 percent, led by a 4.5 percent jump in medical care and a 1.0 percent increase in shelter. The energy index was up 13.0 percent while the food index inched up 0.2 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U was up 7.3 percent, the largest over-the-year increase since January 1982. The rise was due mostly to a 6.0-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index, the largest since July of 1990. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index increased 27.8 percent over the year due mainly to gasoline prices advancing 45.6 percent over the year. Food prices jumped 7.2 percent, representing the highest 12-month rise since the series started in January 1999. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index advanced 0.2 percent over the last 2 months, the smallest increase of the last year. Prices for food at home increased 1.5 percent while those for food away from home decreased 1.5 percent – the first drop in a year. Within the food at home component, prices were higher for dairy and related products at 5.8 percent. Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials advanced 4.8 percent and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 1.9 percent. The other food at home index (-0.4 percent) was the only major component to decline since January.

The 7.2 percent over-the-year food price increase reflected higher prices for both food at home (8.4 percent) and food away from home (5.6 percent). The food at home rise was the largest increase since August 2011; higher prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, up 10.0 percent, and fruits and vegetables, up 8.6 percent, led the general rise in grocery prices.

Energy

Since January, the energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 13.0 percent, the highest increase since July 2008. The increase reflects sharply higher gasoline prices, up 23.3 percent, the largest 1-month change since 2007. The gasoline index was responsible for nearly a third of the overall CPI-U increase. Electricity prices, up 2.0 percent; utility (piped) gas service, up 4.3 percent; and an 18.3 percent increase in fuel oil also contributed to the energy rise.

Energy prices rose 27.8 percent since March 2021. This was the 14th consecutive over-the-year increase although it was below the peak of 30.8 percent in November. Higher gasoline prices, up 45.6 percent, accounted for most of the 12-month increase in the energy index but were below November’s peak of 52.3 percent. Over the year, electricity prices were up 7.3 percent, the same as in February. Utility (piped) gas service prices advanced 14.6 percent, breaking the trend of 8 months of price increases exceeding 20.0 percent. Fuel oil prices jumped 62.2 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.5 percent since January. The advance was led by higher prices for medical care (4.5 percent), the highest increase since May 2020. Shelter contributed to the increase as well, up 1.0 percent, dominated by higher prices for lodging away from home, up 21.6 percent. New and used motor vehicles increased 3.7 percent due to new vehicle prices increasing 1.0 percent although prices for used cars and trucks were down 0.8 percent. While prices were generally higher, the education and communication index and other goods and services index each declined, down 0.1 and 1.6 percent, respectively.

Since March 2021, the index for all items less food and energy rose 6.0 percent over the year, the largest increase since July 1990. New and used motor vehicles prices hit a series high (25.9 percent), due mostly to a series of large increases for used cars and trucks which pushed that index up 37.0 percent. Shelter prices increased 2.8 percent, due mostly to owners’ equivalent rent of residences advancing 2.4 percent.

Table A. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20182019202020212022
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

0.92.20.50.80.51.60.71.50.96.0

March

-0.11.80.71.6-0.40.40.72.61.97.3

May

0.72.50.61.60.1-0.11.33.8

July

0.12.5-0.31.20.60.81.24.4

September

0.42.00.10.90.61.20.74.5

November

-0.71.3-0.21.50.01.41.25.8

The May 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area is scheduled to be released on June 10, 2022.


Technical Note

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 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MA-WV, Core Based Statistical Area includes the District of Columbia; the counties of Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the county of Jefferson in West Virginia.

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, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)
Expenditure categoryIndexesPercent change from
Historical
data
Jan.
2022
Feb.
2022
Mar.
2022
Mar.
2021
Jan.
2022
Feb.
2022

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0
286.678 292.2277.31.9 

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF
282.275 282.9737.00.2 

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF1
290.255 290.9457.20.2 

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF11
271.611271.312275.7348.41.51.6

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF111
359.876 362.48711.00.7 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF112
303.997 309.68910.01.9 

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEFJ
254.355 269.0768.65.8 

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF113
283.943 285.9948.60.7 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF114
230.734 241.7458.44.8 

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF115
225.278 224.2955.5-0.4 

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEFV
314.454 309.8285.6-1.5 

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAF116
208.484 209.2905.20.4 

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAH
295.623 299.1734.41.2 

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAH1
351.198352.173354.6042.81.00.7

Rent of primary residence

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHA
380.423380.826381.5290.90.30.2

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHC
360.425361.222361.8842.40.40.2

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHC01
360.425361.222361.8842.40.40.2

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAH2
252.309 258.0057.62.3 

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAH21
197.741200.446203.59910.53.01.6

Energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHF
201.239203.992206.6889.42.71.3

Electricity

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHF01
213.040216.866217.3667.32.00.2

Utility (piped) gas service

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEHF02
166.116166.673173.33114.64.34.0

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAH3
125.456 127.76511.71.8 

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAA
157.368 160.0638.11.7 

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAT
243.693 259.64820.16.5 

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAT1
255.595 270.65821.95.9 

New and used motor vehicles(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETA
118.604 123.03925.93.7 

New vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETA01
217.455 219.58213.41.0 

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETA02
454.443 450.71237.0-0.8 

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETB
312.219327.520385.17345.723.417.6

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETB01
308.777323.782380.59745.623.317.5

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASS47014
302.229317.433374.01146.523.817.8

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASS47015
314.128325.916378.07541.320.416.0

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASS47016
324.478335.994387.75839.419.515.4

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASETE
      

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAM
504.305 526.9615.74.5 

Recreation(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAR
121.605 121.9413.50.3 

Education and communication(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAE
161.400 161.1952.9-0.1 

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASEEB
1,505.849 1,505.0554.4-0.1 

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAG
473.848 466.4065.5-1.6 

Commodity and service group

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAC
204.875 209.92713.12.5 

Commodities less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASACL11
165.596 171.90417.63.8 

Nondurables less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASANL11
211.817 226.45917.06.9 

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAD
120.516 121.65319.00.9 

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAS
359.010 364.8313.91.6 

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0L2
260.065 266.4319.62.4 

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0L5
276.410 281.1207.41.7 

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASACL1
167.475 173.64416.93.7 

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASAN
246.151 254.01511.33.2 

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASANL1
210.977 224.54915.96.4 

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASASL2RS
379.550 388.3845.12.3 

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASASL5
344.237 348.6573.81.3 

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0E
252.248260.086285.05927.813.09.6

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0LE
293.252 297.0626.21.3 

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS35ASA0L1E
294.946 299.2846.01.5 

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a November 1977=100 base.
(2) Indexes on a November 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.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2022