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News Release Information

23-996-SAN
Wednesday, May 10, 2023

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

Consumer Price Index, San Francisco Area — April 2023

Area prices were up 0.4 percent over the past two months, up 4.2 percent from a year ago

Prices in the San Francisco area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.4 percent for the two months ending in April 2023, 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 shelter. (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 advanced 4.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 6.1 percent. Energy prices decreased 7.9 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy rose 4.7 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices decreased 0.7 percent for the two months ending in April. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 1.1 percent, with lower prices in five of the six subcategories. Prices for food away from home advanced 0.4 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 6.1 percent. Prices for food at home increased 5.2 percent since a year ago, with higher prices in five of the six subcategories. Prices for food away from home increased 7.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 3.8 percent for the two months ending in April. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for natural gas service (-36.0 percent). Prices for electricity rose 4.7 percent, and prices for gasoline advanced 4.2 percent for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 7.9 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-14.4 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service declined 15.9 percent, but prices for electricity advanced 9.5 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.8 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (2.4 percent) and shelter (1.1 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-3.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 4.7 percent. Components contributing to the increase included recreation (7.6 percent), household furnishings and operations (6.4 percent), and shelter (5.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in used cars and trucks (-5.2 percent).

Table A. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20192020202120222023
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

February

0.53.50.92.90.51.61.45.21.85.3

April

1.24.0-0.51.11.73.81.55.00.44.2

June

0.23.20.71.60.03.21.76.8

August

0.12.70.01.60.53.7-0.55.7

October

1.03.00.51.10.73.81.06.0

December

-0.52.50.42.00.84.2-0.34.9

The June 2023 Consumer Price Index for the San Francisco area is scheduled to be released on July 12, 2023.


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
Feb.
2023
Mar.
2023
Apr.
2023
Apr.
2022
Feb.
2023
Mar.
2023

Expenditure category

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0
337.173-338.4964.20.4-

All items (1967=100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BAA0
1,036.563-1,040.631---

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF
359.912-356.6655.5-0.9-

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF1
363.265-360.8246.1-0.7-

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF11
330.202326.526326.5925.2-1.10.0

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF111
329.783-325.1675.3-1.4-

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF112
351.353-347.694-2.9-1.0-

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEFJ
331.704-332.1733.40.1-

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF113
431.651-430.0109.1-0.4-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF114
239.599-226.0743.4-5.6-

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF115
289.097-288.24411.4-0.3-

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEFV
398.992-400.5107.90.4-

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAF116
323.971-311.678-1.5-3.8-

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAH
390.701-392.1055.20.4-

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAH1
434.093437.421438.7635.41.10.3

Rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHA
491.874494.283494.5604.90.50.1

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHC
466.191469.749470.2845.80.90.1

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHC01
466.191469.749470.2845.80.90.1

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAH2
585.793-544.6851.8-7.0-

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAH21
558.268525.883498.3550.4-10.7-5.2

Energy services(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHF
560.531527.636499.8510.5-10.8-5.3

Electricity(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHF01
561.548587.322587.8219.54.70.1

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEHF02
547.333422.256350.276-15.9-36.0-17.0

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAH3
172.101-172.9676.40.5-

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAA
116.586-112.2291.8-3.7-

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAT
248.587-254.585-1.32.4-

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAT1
248.047-253.753-0.62.3-

New and used motor vehicles(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSETA
119.154-121.9963.62.4-

New vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSETA01
195.768-196.1003.50.2-

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSETA02
331.660-349.510-5.25.4-

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSETB
340.659354.292354.844-14.34.20.2

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSETB01
338.264351.951352.585-14.44.20.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSS47014
338.236352.119352.724-14.64.30.2

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSS47015
316.639328.615329.100-13.93.90.1

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSS47016
320.831333.130333.852-13.44.10.2

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAM
--583.2681.7--

Recreation(6)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAR
144.312-144.5587.60.2-

Education and communication(6)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAE
160.458-160.1142.9-0.2-

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSEEB
------

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAG
579.693-601.5677.83.8-

Commodity and service group

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0
337.173-338.4964.20.4-

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAC
233.306-233.3492.30.0-

Commodities less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSACL11
166.994-167.951-0.40.6-

Nondurables less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSANL11
219.813-221.205-2.40.6-

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAD
116.778-117.3922.30.5-

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAS
424.692-427.1265.10.6-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0L5
326.809-328.3124.40.5-

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0L2
299.536-299.1243.3-0.1-

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSACL1
174.188-174.862-0.40.4-

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSAN
291.607-290.8702.4-0.3-

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSANL1
228.172-228.692-2.30.2-

Services less rent of shelter(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSASL2RS
435.940-434.4264.5-0.3-

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSASL5
413.566-416.1935.40.6-

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0E
429.799424.588413.641-7.9-3.8-2.6

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0LE
336.928-339.0604.90.6-

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS49BSA0L1E
333.753-336.4584.70.8-

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: Wednesday, May 10, 2023