The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area rose 0.1 percent from June to August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee stated that the food index increased by 1.2 percent over this period, while the energy index was up 0.4 percent. The index for all items excluding food and energy fell by 0.1 percent during the same time frame.
Over the past year, the overall CPI-U in Atlanta advanced 1.7 percent as of August. The index for all items less food and energy climbed 1.9 percent year-over-year, while the food index saw a larger increase of 3.5 percent. In contrast, the energy index dropped by 2.3 percent over the last twelve months.
From June to August, prices for food away from home rose by 1.9 percent and those for food at home increased by 0.8 percent, with notable gains seen in meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (up 2.3 percent), as well as nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (up 3.3 percent). Over the past year, three out of six major grocery store food group indexes increased, including a significant rise of 7.3 percent in meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.
The gasoline index showed a modest gain of 0.2 percent between June and August but declined by 9.5 percent over twelve months.
Indexes showing declines from June to August included apparel (down 4.6 percent), medical care (down 1.1 percent), and recreation (down 1.3 percent). On the other hand, owners’ equivalent rent increased by 0.5 percent and education and communication rose by 1.6 percent during this period.
In terms of annual changes for items less food and energy, shelter costs went up by 2.3 percent and owners’ equivalent rent rose by 3.0 percent over twelve months ending in August; household furnishings and operations also saw an increase of eight percent during this span while apparel prices fell by seven-and-a-half-percent.
The next release of Consumer Price Index data for September is scheduled for October 15 at 8:30 a.m., with October data set to be released on November 13 at the same time.
The Consumer Price Index measures average price changes over time using a fixed basket of goods and services and is published bi-monthly for Atlanta-area consumers as part of a national program with smaller sample sizes than national or regional indexes—making local data more volatile.
For further technical details or historical data series related to these findings, readers are directed to resources provided within Table 1 of this release or through BLS data query tools online.
