The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area rose by 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 1.2 percent during this period, while the energy index saw a 0.4 percent rise. The index for all items excluding food and energy declined 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 was up 1.9 percent over the same period, while the food index climbed 3.5 percent and the energy index dropped by 2.3 percent.
Within the two-month span from June to August, prices for food away from home increased by 1.9 percent and those for food at home went up by 0.8 percent, with notable increases in meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (2.3 percent), as well as nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (3.3 percent).
For the twelve months ending in August, prices for food away from home rose by 6.9 percent and those for food at home were up by 1.2 percent; meats, poultry, fish, and eggs saw a larger increase of 7.3 percent.
The gasoline index edged up by 0.2 percent between June and August but fell sharply—by 9.5 percent—over the last year.
Other categories showed mixed results: apparel prices decreased both over two months (-4.6%) and twelve months (-7.5%), while medical care (-1.1%) and recreation (-1.3%) also declined in recent months; owners’ equivalent rent (+0.5% bimonthly; +3% annually) and education/communication (+1.6% bimonthly) recorded increases.
Household furnishings and operations experienced an annual increase of eight percent.
The BLS notes that local-area indexes like Atlanta’s are more volatile than national or regional figures due to smaller sample sizes and lack of seasonal adjustment.
“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 this release.
Additional data can be accessed through BLS data query tools linked within Table 1 of this release under historical data: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUURA319SA0
The next CPI report for September is scheduled for release on October 15, with October’s figures expected November 13.
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell Core Based Statistical Area covers multiple counties across Georgia including Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Clayton, Cherokee, Forsyth among others.
Further technical details are available via resources such as the national CPI news release technical note: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.tn.htm or Handbook of Methods: https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/
