Prices in the Phoenix area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 2.2 percent for the two months ending in October 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the October increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and gasoline. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 7.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 3.8 percent. Energy prices jumped 23.3 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 6.4 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 2.1 percent for the two months ending in October. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 2.1 percent, influenced by nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (4.9 percent). Prices for food away from home increased 2.1 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.8 percent. Prices for food at home increased 5.3 percent since a year ago, influenced by higher prices for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (10.9 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (10.4 percent). Prices for food away from home increased 2.3 percent for the year.

Energy

The energy index rose 3.7 percent for the two months ending in October. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (9.1 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 1.6 percent, but prices for electricity decreased 2.6 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 23.3 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (46.7 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service jumped 31.3 percent, and prices for electricity rose 1.0 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.0 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for recreation (2.8 percent) and shelter (2.7 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for used cars and trucks (-1.5 percent) and education and communication (-0.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 6.4 percent. Components contributing to the increase included used cars and trucks (25.4 percent), shelter (8.6 percent), and recreation (6.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in alcoholic beverages (-4.8 percent) and education and communication (-0.1 percent).

The December 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Phoenix area is scheduled to be released on January 12, 2022.

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 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metropolitan area covered in this release consists of Maricopa and Pinal Counties in the State of Arizona.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments 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

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale (December 2001=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes				Percent change from-
	Historical data	Aug. 2021	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021	Oct. 2020	Aug. 2021	Sep. 2021
Expenditure category
All items		153.931	-	157.254	7.1	2.2	-
Food and beverages		157.330	-	160.419	3.2	2.0	-
Food		158.835	-	162.205	3.8	2.1	-
Food at home		155.553	157.006	158.864	5.3	2.1	1.2
Cereals and bakery products		195.859	-	193.179	3.3	-1.4	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		192.474	-	199.670	10.4	3.7	-
Dairy and related products		126.369	-	126.054	-0.4	-0.2	-
Fruits and vegetables		131.392	-	136.467	6.5	3.9	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		121.536	-	127.506	10.9	4.9	-
Other food at home		152.149	-	154.256	2.2	1.4	-
Food away from home		165.461	-	168.962	2.3	2.1	-
Alcoholic beverages		143.045	-	142.392	-4.8	-0.5	-
Housing		163.057	-	166.729	7.3	2.3	-
Shelter		171.444	173.539	176.121	8.6	2.7	1.5
Rent of primary residence		175.741	179.052	181.541	5.0	3.3	1.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences		169.972	172.880	175.387	9.2	3.2	1.5
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence		169.972	172.880	175.387	9.2	3.2	1.5
Fuels and utilities		182.945	-	180.083	3.4	-1.6	-
Household energy		187.370	182.043	183.333	3.4	-2.2	0.7
Energy services		187.019	181.678	182.855	3.3	-2.2	0.6
Electricity		199.268	192.838	194.055	1.0	-2.6	0.6
Utility (piped) gas service		123.889	124.816	125.822	31.3	1.6	0.8
Household furnishings and operations		100.784	-	103.346	2.4	2.5	-
Apparel		137.272	-	139.042	6.7	1.3	-
Transportation		140.580	-	145.025	17.2	3.2	-
Private transportation		145.799	-	150.348	19.2	3.1	-
New and used motor vehicles		-	-	-	-	-	-
New vehicles		-	-	-	-	-	-
Used cars and trucks		119.706	-	117.928	25.4	-1.5	-
Motor fuel		261.722	264.053	285.585	46.8	9.1	8.2
Gasoline (all types)		262.176	264.541	286.065	46.7	9.1	8.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(1)		262.589	265.056	287.675	48.4	9.6	8.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(1)		275.133	277.502	297.826	41.3	8.2	7.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(1)		263.807	265.815	283.623	39.4	7.5	6.7
Motor vehicle insurance		161.037	-	161.037	3.0	0.0	-
Medical care		200.276	-	-	-	-	-
Recreation		120.284	-	123.635	6.4	2.8	-
Education and communication		119.427	-	119.285	-0.1	-0.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care		-	-	-	-	-	-
Other goods and services		151.798	-	157.102	-	3.5	-
Commodity and service group
All items		153.931	-	157.254	7.1	2.2	-
Commodities		132.112	-	135.509	8.5	2.6	-
Commodities less food & beverages		118.959	-	122.410	11.5	2.9	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		156.840	-	162.150	13.3	3.4	-
Durables		86.408	-	88.452	9.7	2.4	-
Services		168.995	-	172.234	6.3	1.9	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		151.252	-	154.705	7.8	2.3	-
All items less shelter		144.949	-	147.640	6.3	1.9	-
Commodities less food		119.948	-	123.297	10.9	2.8	-
Nondurables		157.383	-	161.574	8.0	2.7	-
Nondurables less food		155.722	-	160.637	12.0	3.2	-
Services less rent of shelter		165.607	-	167.110	3.5	0.9	-
Services less medical care services		165.969	-	169.284	7.0	2.0	-
Energy		223.992	221.948	232.221	23.3	3.7	4.6
All items less energy		150.005	-	153.070	6.0	2.0	-
All items less food and energy		148.552	-	151.570	6.4	2.0	-
Footnotes (1) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
- Data not available NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.