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News Release Information

23-1782-SAN
Thursday, August 10, 2023

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

Consumer Price Index, San Diego Area — July 2023

Area prices were up 0.3 percent over the past two months, up 4.3 percent from a year ago

Prices in the San Diego area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.3 percent for the two months ending in July 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the July increase was influenced by higher prices for recreation 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 advanced 4.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices advanced 1.7 percent. Energy prices fell 6.4 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.6 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 0.6 percent for the two months ending in July. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home advanced 1.0 percent, led by higher prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (3.9 percent). Overall, prices rose in five of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home declined 0.1 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 1.7 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 2.2 percent since a year ago, with higher prices for cereals and bakery products (12.0 percent) partially offset by lower prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-6.0 percent). Overall, prices rose in four of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home rose 0.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 1.3 percent for the two months ending in July. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (2.1 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 4.1 percent, but prices for electricity decreased 0.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices fell 6.4 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-16.2 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service fell 4.1 percent, but prices for electricity increased 16.2 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for recreation (1.7 percent) and shelter (0.1 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for medical care (-1.7 percent) and apparel (-1.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.6 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (8.9 percent) and household furnishings and operations (5.6 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in used cars and trucks (-5.3 percent).

Table A. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month

January

2.6 0.3 2.3 0.4 1.7 2.0 8.2 1.8 6.4

March

0.5 2.2 0.0 1.8 2.4 4.1 2.1 7.9 1.0 5.3

May

1.0 3.8 -0.4 0.3 0.7 5.3 1.1 8.3 0.9 5.2

July

-0.3 1.4 1.4 2.1 2.1 6.0 1.2 7.3 0.3 4.3

September

0.6 1.7 -0.4 1.1 0.1 6.5 0.9 8.2

November

0.2 2.6 0.6 1.6 0.7 6.6 -0.7 6.7

The September 2023 Consumer Price Index for the San Diego area is scheduled to be released on October 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 Diego-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan area includes San Diego County in California.

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

San Diego-Carlsbad (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

Indexes Percent change from-
Historical
data
May
2023
Jun.
2023
Jul.
2023
Jul.
2022
May
2023
Jun.
2023

Expenditure category

All items

361.339 - 362.412 4.3 0.3 -

All items (1967=100)

1,221.798 - 1,225.425 - - -

Food and beverages

312.595 - 314.561 1.6 0.6 -

Food

310.762 - 312.567 1.7 0.6 -

Food at home

284.213 285.682 286.958 2.2 1.0 0.4

Cereals and bakery products

373.782 378.007 375.087 12.0 0.3 -0.8

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

264.659 268.273 274.934 -6.0 3.9 2.5

Dairy and related products

236.979 237.517 237.722 7.5 0.3 0.1

Fruits and vegetables

292.380 298.401 293.152 1.0 0.3 -1.8

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

319.434 312.100 314.997 -1.6 -1.4 0.9

Other food at home

279.110 278.993 282.015 4.9 1.0 1.1

Food away from home

342.756 - 342.513 0.9 -0.1 -

Alcoholic beverages

320.355 - 323.968 0.4 1.1 -

Housing

435.491 - 436.348 8.7 0.2 -

Shelter

492.666 493.466 493.354 8.9 0.1 0.0

Rent of primary residence(2)

489.581 490.102 491.218 9.2 0.3 0.2

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

523.044 522.777 522.874 9.3 0.0 0.0

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

523.044 522.777 522.874 9.3 0.0 0.0

Fuels and utilities

488.900 - 490.385 10.0 0.3 -

Household energy

495.426 494.973 496.884 11.9 0.3 0.4

Energy services

491.306 490.998 493.378 12.6 0.4 0.5

Electricity

493.909 492.646 492.646 16.2 -0.3 0.0

Utility (piped) gas service

314.878 318.017 327.911 -4.1 4.1 3.1

Household furnishings and operations

216.184 - 217.473 5.6 0.6 -

Apparel

182.725 - 180.436 2.8 -1.3 -

Transportation

291.319 - 294.025 -2.6 0.9 -

Private transportation

289.146 - 293.160 -1.7 1.4 -

New and used motor vehicles(3)

137.595 - 138.150 -0.6 0.4 -

New vehicles(1)

262.512 - 263.106 3.6 0.2 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

331.329 - 334.706 -5.3 1.0 -

Motor fuel

385.381 389.306 393.371 -16.2 2.1 1.0

Gasoline (all types)

384.947 389.154 392.885 -16.2 2.1 1.0

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

398.310 402.710 406.670 -16.5 2.1 1.0

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

336.103 339.617 342.936 -15.7 2.0 1.0

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

394.878 399.025 402.446 -15.2 1.9 0.9

Medical care

563.670 - 554.244 2.7 -1.7 -

Recreation(3)

185.060 - 188.211 1.6 1.7 -

Education and communication(3)

141.002 - 141.717 1.3 0.5 -

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

1,665.240 - 1,665.861 - 0.0 -

Other goods and services

500.676 - 504.259 7.0 0.7 -

Commodity and service group

All items

361.339 - 362.412 4.3 0.3 -

Commodities

243.748 - 244.799 -0.7 0.4 -

Commodities less food & beverages

207.375 - 208.042 -2.2 0.3 -

Nondurables less food & beverages

251.224 - 251.417 -3.4 0.1 -

Durables

163.013 - 163.994 -0.7 0.6 -

Services

464.680 - 465.756 7.1 0.2 -

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

351.685 - 353.239 4.4 0.4 -

All items less shelter

308.833 - 310.097 1.5 0.4 -

Commodities less food

212.376 - 213.139 -2.1 0.4 -

Nondurables

283.783 - 284.799 -0.7 0.4 -

Nondurables less food

258.018 - 258.443 -3.1 0.2 -

Services less rent of shelter(2)

453.840 - 455.554 4.4 0.4 -

Services less medical care services

451.607 - 453.592 7.6 0.4 -

Energy

419.892 422.186 425.419 -6.4 1.3 0.8

All items less energy

361.220 - 362.055 5.1 0.2 -

All items less food and energy

371.402 - 372.095 5.6 0.2 -

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a November 1977=100 base.
(2) Indexes on a November 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: Thursday, August 10, 2023