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News Release Information

19-1287-ATL
Thursday, July 11, 2019

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Consumer Price Index, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell – June 2019

Area prices down 0.1 percent since April; up 1.1 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell declined 0.1 percent from April to June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that both the energy index and the all items less food and energy index declined over the bi-monthly period, down 0.9 and 0.1 percent, respectively. Since April, the food index edged up 0.3 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U increased 1.1 percent, reflecting increases in the all items less food and energy index (2.3 percent) and the food index (1.5 percent). Since June 2018, the energy index has declined 8.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index edged up 0.3 percent from April to June, reflecting a 0.8-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index was little changed from April, down 0.1 percent over the bi-monthly period.

Over the last 12 months, the food index rose 1.5 percent, led by a 2.6-percent increase in the food away from home index. The food at home index rose 0.6 percent since June 2018.  

Energy

The energy index declined 0.9 percent from April to June, led by a 6.1-percent drop in the gasoline index. The utility (piped) gas service index edged down 0.2 percent since April, while the electricity index advanced 8.2 percent over the bi-monthly period.

The energy index fell 8.9 percent for the 12 months ending June 2019. Contributing to the decline were the gasoline index (-10.1 percent) and the electricity index (-13.7 percent). The utility (piped) gas service index rose 6.7 percent over the year. 

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched down 0.1 percent since April. Declines in the apparel (-4.8 percent) and the new vehicles (-3.1 percent) indexes were largely offset by a 1.3-percent increase in the shelter index.

From June 2018 to June 2019, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.3 percent. The shelter index contributred to the increase, up 5.4 percent over the last 12 months.

Table A. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20152016201720182019
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

February

0.0-0.30.31.61.23.51.23.31.21.3

April

0.7-0.51.01.90.63.20.22.81.42.5

June

2.50.61.30.71.33.21.22.8-0.11.1

August

-0.10.60.51.20.83.50.32.2

October

-1.20.5-0.12.4-0.33.2-1.01.6

December

-0.61.4-0.42.6-0.43.2-0.61.4

The Consumer Price Index for July 2019 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, August 13, 2019.


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 population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 29 percent of the total 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 5,000 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 (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period "market basket" of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch17.pdf.

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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Morgan, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton Counties in Georgia.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Apr.
2019
May
2019
Jun.
2019
Jun.
2018
Apr.
2019
May
2019

Expenditure category

All Items

243.383-243.0871.1-0.1-

All items (1967=100)

733.969-733.078---

Food and beverages

256.738-257.4101.60.3-

Food

267.098-267.8151.50.3-

Food at home

245.576244.182245.2240.6-0.10.4

Cereals and bakery products

219.951-222.8070.11.3-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

276.081-274.1730.4-0.7-

Dairy and related products

226.570-230.8333.51.9-

Fruits and vegetables

304.442-289.8150.3-4.8-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

252.732-250.2002.1-1.0-

Other food at home

200.672-206.970-0.63.1-

Food away from home

301.309-303.6232.60.8-

Alcoholic beverages

164.732-164.9443.30.1-

Housing

250.022-253.1523.51.3-

Shelter

277.116279.613280.6315.41.30.4

Rent of primary residence

286.064287.944290.1606.31.40.8

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

270.305272.116272.6755.10.90.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

270.305272.116272.6755.10.90.2

Fuels and utilities

291.124-303.770-6.14.3-

Household energy

247.828247.305260.957-8.35.35.5

Energy Services

246.045245.679259.580-8.35.55.7

Electricity

207.420207.420224.527-13.78.28.2

Utility (piped) gas service

306.902305.500306.3126.7-0.20.3

Household furnishings and operations

127.230-124.4021.2-2.2-

Apparel

147.471-140.3401.0-4.8-

Transportation

211.573-206.354-3.1-2.5-

Private transportation

211.844-206.294-3.2-2.6-

New and used motor vehicles(3)

102.954-101.086-0.9-1.8-

New vehicles(1)

214.624-207.909-2.2-3.1-

Used cars and trucks(1)

212.505-212.7480.50.1-

Motor fuel

239.700238.641225.142-10.0-6.1-5.7

Gasoline (all types)

238.093237.044223.587-10.1-6.1-5.7

Unleaded regular(4)

233.120232.026218.600-10.2-6.2-5.8

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

297.657296.353282.267-9.2-5.2-4.8

Unleaded premium(4)

258.566258.060245.355-8.9-5.1-4.9

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

1,177.118-1,177.1180.90.0-

Medical Care

447.257-445.967-3.1-0.3-

Recreation(3)

85.495-84.4040.9-1.3-

Education and communication(3)

135.450-134.7682.0-0.5-

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

1,422.307-1,422.3073.50.0-

Other goods and services

378.549-388.7812.42.7-

Commodity and service group

All Items

243.383-243.0871.1-0.1-

Commodities

181.943-178.740-0.8-1.8-

Commodities less food & beverages

147.895-143.754-2.1-2.8-

Nondurables less food & beverages

191.549-185.062-3.5-3.4-

Durables

106.876-104.604-0.4-2.1-

Services

301.070-303.6532.30.9-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

232.308-232.0561.5-0.1-

All items less shelter

233.305-231.379-1.0-0.8-

Commodities less food

148.205-144.162-2.0-2.7-

Nondurables

220.260-216.738-1.0-1.6-

Nondurables less food

188.522-182.437-3.2-3.2-

Services less rent of shelter(2)

342.629-343.945-1.10.4-

Services less medical care services

285.439-287.9673.00.9-

Energy

223.448222.695221.390-8.9-0.9-0.6

All items less energy

245.250-245.1442.20.0-

All items less food and energy

242.183-241.9622.3-0.1-

Footnotes
(1) Index is on a December 1977=100 base.
(2) Index is 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. Data not seasonally adjusted.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, July 11, 2019