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 a report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee stated that the food index increased by 1.2 percent over the two-month period, while the energy index went up by 0.4 percent during the same time frame. The index for all items excluding food and energy decreased by 0.1 percent.
Over the past year, the overall CPI-U for Atlanta advanced 1.7 percent as of August. The index for all items less food and energy increased by 1.9 percent over twelve months, with the food index rising 3.5 percent and the energy index declining by 2.3 percent.
Breaking down recent changes, from June to August, prices for food away from home rose by 1.9 percent and food at home climbed by 0.8 percent. Notable increases were seen in meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (up 2.3 percent), as well as nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (up 3.3 percent). Over twelve months, three out of six major grocery store food group indexes increased; meats, poultry, fish, and eggs saw a rise of 7.3 percent.
Energy prices rose slightly from June to August with gasoline increasing by 0.2 percent in that period but dropping by 9.5 percent over twelve months.
The report also notes declines in several categories between June and August: apparel dropped by 4.6 percent, medical care fell by 1.1 percent, and recreation decreased by 1.3 percent; however, owners’ equivalent rent rose by 0.5 percent and education and communication costs increased by 1.6 percent.
For the year ending in August, shelter costs were up by 2.3 percent while owners’ equivalent rent increased by 3 percent; household furnishings and operations showed an increase of eight percent over twelve months whereas apparel declined seven-and-a-half-percent.
The next release of CPI data for September is scheduled for October 15 at 8:30 a.m., with October’s data set to be published on November 13 at the same time.
“The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed market basket of goods and services,” according to information provided in the release.
It was also noted that local indexes like Atlanta’s are more volatile than national or regional indexes due to smaller sample sizes and lack of seasonal adjustment.
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan area covers multiple counties including Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Clayton, Cherokee among others within Georgia.
“Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.”
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