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News Release Information

22-1853-SAN
Tuesday, September 13, 2022

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

Consumer Price Index, San Francisco Area — August 2022

Area prices were down 0.5 percent over the past two months, up 5.7 percent from a year ago

Prices in the San Francisco area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 0.5 percent for the two months ending in August 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the August decrease was influenced by lower prices for gasoline. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 5.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices advanced 9.6 percent. Energy prices rose 20.9 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy rose 4.1 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, San Francisco, August 2019-August 2022
Food

Food prices increased 0.9 percent for the two months ending in August. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 0.9 percent, led by higher prices for dairy and related products (7.3 percent). Prices for food away from home advanced 0.9 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 9.6 percent. Prices for food at home rose 11.6 percent since a year ago. Price increases across food at home expenditure categories ranged from 4.1 percent for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials to 17.2 percent for other food at home. Prices for food away from home advanced 7.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 9.2 percent for the two months ending in August. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-15.8 percent). Prices for natural gas service fell 1.6 percent, while electricity prices were unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices rose 20.9 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (21.0 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service increased 31.0 percent, and prices for electricity increased 18.4 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.1 percent in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for other goods and services (-1.2 percent) and education and communication (-0.2 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for medical care (1.5 percent), household furnishings and operations (1.4 percent), new and used motor vehicles (0.7 percent), and shelter (0.2 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 4.1 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used motor vehicles (14.6 percent), household furnishings and operations (9.5 percent), medical care (7.5 percent), and shelter (2.1 percent).

Table A. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA, 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

February

1.43.60.53.50.92.90.51.61.45.2

April

0.83.21.24.0-0.51.11.73.81.55.0

June

0.93.90.23.20.71.60.03.21.76.8

August

0.64.30.12.70.01.60.53.7-0.55.7

October

0.74.41.03.00.51.10.73.8

December

0.14.5-0.52.50.42.00.84.2

The October 2022 Consumer Price Index for the San Francisco area is scheduled to be released on November 10, 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo Counties in the State of California.

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

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Historical
data
Jun.
2022
Jul.
2022
Aug.
2022
Aug.
2021
Jun.
2022
Jul.
2022

Expenditure category

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0
330.539-328.8715.7-0.5-

All items (1967=100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BAA0
1,016.169-1,011.040---

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF
345.013-347.9409.00.8-

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF1
347.238-350.4689.60.9-

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF11
317.292321.564320.22311.60.9-0.4

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF111
316.957-309.01212.2-2.5-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF112
353.725-352.1238.5-0.5-

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEFJ
314.815-337.80216.57.3-

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF113
412.383-404.1208.2-2.0-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF114
222.129-224.4314.11.0-

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF115
271.620-281.56017.23.7-

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEFV
378.329-381.8887.10.9-

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF116
320.622-319.5551.4-0.3-

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAH
376.019-377.0703.50.3-

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAH1
419.160420.911420.0492.10.2-0.2

Rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHA
472.691474.159476.3841.90.80.5

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHC
446.961448.998449.7252.20.60.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHC01
446.961448.998449.7252.20.60.2

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAH2
550.501-550.16713.7-0.1-

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAH21
517.670519.182515.06820.4-0.5-0.8

Energy services(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHF
517.210519.688515.03920.0-0.4-0.9

Electricity(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHF01
550.218550.218550.21818.40.00.0

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHF02
450.060458.078443.03531.0-1.6-3.3

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAH3
164.773-167.0749.51.4-

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAA
112.123-112.3281.70.2-

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAT
272.010-256.28813.9-5.8-

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAT1
267.539-256.06413.5-4.3-

New and used motor vehicles(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSETA
120.244-121.08314.60.7-

New vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSETA01
192.263-192.91517.20.3-

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSETA02
382.697-383.1238.40.1-

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSETB
464.377428.878391.44121.3-15.7-8.7

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSETB01
462.242426.654389.20721.0-15.8-8.8

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSS47014
464.370427.949389.89821.1-16.0-8.9

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSS47015
427.736396.408362.82320.9-15.2-8.5

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSS47016
429.972399.432366.26320.5-14.8-8.3

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAM
583.038-591.7317.51.5-

Recreation(6)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAR
136.803-137.1623.00.3-

Education and communication(6)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAE
154.646-154.3921.4-0.2-

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEEB
1,912.142-1,889.6172.5-1.2-

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAG
566.163-559.4636.1-1.2-

Commodity and service group

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0
330.539-328.8715.7-0.5-

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAC
234.188-231.4039.7-1.2-

Commodities less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSACL11
174.223-169.37910.5-2.8-

Nondurables less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSANL11
239.095-225.30610.3-5.8-

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAD
115.598-116.52911.30.8-

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAS
411.724-410.9784.0-0.2-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0L5
320.094-318.0495.6-0.6-

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0L2
297.067-293.9588.5-1.0-

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSACL1
181.163-176.3419.9-2.7-

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAN
293.603-288.1069.5-1.9-

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSANL1
246.084-233.0319.4-5.3-

Services less rent of shelter(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSASL2RS
425.314-421.6857.2-0.9-

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSASL5
399.759-398.4493.7-0.3-

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0E
488.180467.318443.03020.9-9.2-5.2

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0LE
327.360-327.5984.90.1-

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0L1E
325.182-324.9644.1-0.1-

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.
(2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(3) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
(4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(6) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.

- Data not available
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2022