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News Release Information

20-436-ATL
Wednesday, March 11, 2020

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

Consumer Price Index, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell – February 2020

Area prices increased 0.8 percent since December; up 2.9 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell increased 0.8 percent from December to February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that the all items less food and energy index rose 1.3 percent since December, while the energy index fell 2.3 percent. The food index was unchanged over the bi-monthly period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

From February 2019 to February 2020, the all items CPI-U increased 2.9 percent. Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent. The energy and the food indexes also increased over the past 12 months, up 4.2 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index was unchanged from December to February (0.0 percent). A 0.7-percent decrease in the food at home index since December was largely offset by a 0.6-percent increase in the food away from home index.

The food index rose 2.6 percent for the 12 months ending February 2020, reflecting increases in the food away from home (3.6 percent) and the food at home (1.7 percent) indexes.

Energy

The energy index fell 2.3 percent from December to February, led by a 6.4-percent decline in the gasoline index. In contrast, the electricity index rose 3.6 percent from December to February.

The energy index advanced 4.2 percent over the past 12 months, reflecting increases in the electricity (9.6 percent) and the gasoline (2.2 percent) indexes.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent from December to February, led by increases in the shelter (1.0 percent) and apparel (9.4 percent) indexes. In contrast, the medical care index declined 1.4 percent since December.

From February 2019 to February 2020, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.8 percent. Several indexes contributed to the increase, most notably shelter (4.7 percent) and medical care (8.9 percent). Apparel was among the indexes to decline over the past 12 months, down 9.0 percent.  

Table A. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20162017201820192020
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

February

0.31.61.23.51.23.31.21.30.82.9

April

1.01.90.63.20.22.81.42.5

June

1.30.71.33.21.22.8-0.11.1

August

0.51.20.83.50.32.21.32.2

October

-0.12.4-0.33.2-1.01.6-0.23.0

December

-0.42.6-0.43.2-0.61.4-0.33.3

The Consumer Price Index for March 2020 is scheduled to be released on Friday, April 10, 2020.


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-
Dec.
2019
Jan.
2020
Feb.
2020
Feb.
2019
Dec.
2019
Jan.
2020

Expenditure category

All Items

245.076-247.0422.90.8-

All items (1967=100)

739.074-745.002---

Food and beverages

262.615-262.6292.60.0-

Food

273.464-273.3532.60.0-

Food at home

250.210249.668248.4981.7-0.7-0.5

Cereals and bakery products

219.600-218.983-0.4-0.3-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

286.604-278.4902.8-2.8-

Dairy and related products

236.248-240.9085.32.0-

Fruits and vegetables

286.147-289.316-2.21.1-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

259.554-255.0940.6-1.7-

Other food at home

212.039-211.2723.6-0.4-

Food away from home

310.304-312.2143.60.6-

Alcoholic beverages

165.516-166.5362.00.6-

Housing

255.709-258.1784.51.0-

Shelter

285.289287.199288.0714.71.00.3

Rent of primary residence

296.235297.668297.5664.90.40.0

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

279.431280.575280.8024.60.50.1

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

279.431280.575280.8024.60.50.1

Fuels and utilities

295.450-299.8234.91.5-

Household energy

252.109257.992256.9076.01.9-0.4

Energy Services

250.379256.290255.2666.22.0-0.4

Electricity

212.225219.919219.9199.63.60.0

Utility (piped) gas service

------

Household furnishings and operations

124.948-125.3802.10.3-

Apparel

128.527-140.572-9.09.4-

Transportation

203.229-203.3970.90.1-

Private transportation

203.601-202.5650.8-0.5-

New and used motor vehicles(3)

99.276-100.825-1.61.6-

New vehicles(1)

201.476-210.661-1.34.6-

Used cars and trucks(1)

208.669-208.694-1.50.0-

Motor fuel

214.185213.064200.6022.1-6.3-5.8

Gasoline (all types)

212.643211.456199.0162.2-6.4-5.9

Unleaded regular(4)

207.742206.535194.1392.2-6.5-6.0

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

268.284267.217253.7182.4-5.4-5.1

Unleaded premium(4)

234.893233.964222.1941.9-5.4-5.0

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

1,217.012-1,236.9845.11.6-

Medical Care

489.771-483.0918.9-1.4-

Recreation(3)

81.566-84.377-0.43.4-

Education and communication(3)

137.201-137.6311.60.3-

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

1,461.227-1,461.2272.70.0-

Other goods and services

394.030-398.9524.61.2-

Commodity and service group

All Items

245.076-247.0422.90.8-

Commodities

178.323-178.6850.80.2-

Commodities less food & beverages

141.701-142.162-0.20.3-

Nondurables less food & beverages

182.855-181.8350.5-0.6-

Durables

102.829-104.252-0.91.4-

Services

307.994-311.5774.21.2-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

232.292-234.6432.41.0-

All items less shelter

232.265-233.9292.00.7-

Commodities less food

142.168-142.648-0.10.3-

Nondurables

217.633-217.0701.6-0.3-

Nondurables less food

180.394-179.5430.6-0.5-

Services less rent of shelter(2)

347.900-352.6203.51.4-

Services less medical care services

290.444-294.2353.81.3-

Energy

212.189214.075207.3824.2-2.3-3.1

All items less energy

248.328-250.9782.81.1-

All items less food and energy

244.805-247.8782.81.3-

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: Wednesday, March 11, 2020