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News Release Information

22-871-SAN
Wednesday, May 11, 2022

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

Consumer Price Index, Anchorage area — April 2022

Area prices were up 1.9 percent over the past two months, up 7.5 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Anchorage area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.9 percent for the two months ending in April 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the April increase was influenced by higher prices for 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 rose 7.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices advanced 11.3 percent. Energy prices jumped 25.2 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 5.2 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Urban Alaska, April 2019-April 2022
Food

Food prices rose 2.9 percent for the two months ending in April. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home advanced 4.3 percent, led by meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (7.7 percent). Prices for food away from home edged up 0.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 11.3 percent. Prices for food at home jumped 11.8 percent since a year ago, led by nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (15.6 percent). Prices for food away from home advanced 10.2 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 13.1 percent for the two months ending in April. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (22.7 percent). Prices for electricity increased 0.7 percent, while prices for natural gas service were unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 25.2 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (52.2 percent). Prices paid for electricity decreased 4.6 percent and natural gas service prices declined 1.7 percent, during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for other goods and services (2.9 percent) and shelter (0.8 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-2.3 percent), used cars and trucks (-2.1 percent), and household furnishings and operations (-1.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 5.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used motor vehicles (9.9 percent), other goods and services (7.3 percent), and shelter (4.8 percent).  Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in apparel (-0.8 percent).

Table A. Urban Alaska CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month2019202020212022
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

February

0.32.50.0-0.31.01.31.17.4

April

0.62.7-1.6-2.51.84.81.97.5

June

2.52.51.0-3.82.56.2

August

-1.60.70.8-1.50.35.7

October

-1.2-0.30.60.31.26.3

December

-0.50.0-0.50.30.47.2

The June 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Anchorage area is scheduled to be released on July 13, 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 Urban Alaska area covered in this release consists of Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the State of Alaska.

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

Urban Alaska (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Historical
data
Feb.
2022
Mar.
2022
Apr.
2022
Apr.
2021
Feb.
2022
Mar.
2022

Expenditure category

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSA0
246.369-251.0417.51.9-

All items (1967=100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GAA0
657.594-670.062---

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAF
248.244-255.38310.82.9-

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAF1
258.049-265.65811.32.9-

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAF11
253.848260.258264.84911.84.31.8

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAF111
265.648-269.97510.21.6-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAF112
252.863-272.44514.47.7-

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSEFJ
230.128-236.6434.32.8-

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAF113
381.328-390.4378.62.4-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAF114
168.725-176.01115.64.3-

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAF115
211.885-221.26813.54.4-

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSEFV
262.405-262.82310.20.2-

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAF116
155.676-157.9083.01.4-

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAH
216.545-217.7183.80.5-

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAH1
216.575217.265218.2344.80.80.4

Rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSEHA
209.879210.903211.9245.21.00.5

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSEHC
217.289218.938220.1076.61.30.5

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSEHC01
217.289218.938220.1076.61.30.5

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAH2
339.782-344.193-0.91.3-

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAH21
344.360345.329346.603-2.50.70.4

Energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSEHF
381.222381.222382.553-3.10.30.3

Electricity

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSEHF01
316.986316.986319.218-4.60.70.7

Utility (piped) gas service

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSEHF02
466.846466.846466.846-1.70.00.0

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAH3
146.048-144.2082.5-1.3-

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAA
154.367-150.832-0.8-2.3-

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAT
266.886-284.74023.06.7-

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAT1
279.046-294.51019.15.5-

New and used motor vehicles(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSETA
133.837-133.4709.9-0.3-

New vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSETA01
261.157-264.4893.11.3-

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSETA02
401.623-393.29323.1-2.1-

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSETB
314.919379.851387.63453.223.12.0

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSETB01
315.891380.779387.48452.222.71.8

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSS47014
304.482368.612374.48852.723.01.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSS47015
301.666361.030369.35050.522.42.3

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSS47016
321.896381.041390.37049.721.32.4

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAM
676.947-----

Recreation(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAR
131.674-130.8781.8-0.6-

Education and communication(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAE
116.227-115.2870.2-0.8-

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSEEB
764.432-764.7011.00.0-

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAG
395.927-407.4157.32.9-

Commodity and service group

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSA0
246.369-251.0417.51.9-

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAC
209.693-216.27311.73.1-

Commodities less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSACL11
189.795-196.05412.33.3-

Nondurables less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSANL11
236.421-255.56517.78.1-

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAD
149.150-147.8487.9-0.9-

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAS
277.109-279.9594.71.0-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSA0L5
231.462-236.0257.92.0-

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSA0L2
259.443-265.6608.82.4-

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSACL1
188.556-194.67412.03.2-

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSAN
243.263-255.75213.75.1-

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSANL1
229.929-247.64116.67.7-

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSASL2RS
376.288-381.3374.61.3-

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSASL5
253.314-255.8754.81.0-

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSA0E
328.261366.188371.22625.213.11.4

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSA0LE
241.933-244.3776.21.0-

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49GSA0L1E
239.469-241.0025.20.6-

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a December 1978=100 base.
(2) Indexes 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.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2022