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News Release Information

22-2320-SAN
Tuesday, December 13, 2022

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

Consumer Price Index, San Diego Area — November 2022

Area prices were down 0.7 percent over the past two months, up 6.7 percent from a year ago

Prices in the San Diego area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 0.7 percent for the two months ending in November 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the November decrease was influenced by lower prices for new and used motor vehicles and recreation. (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 6.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices increased 4.1 percent. Energy prices increased 13.7 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 6.5 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, San Diego, November 2019-November 2022
Food

Food prices decreased 0.5 percent for the two months ending in November. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home declined 1.8 percent, led by lower prices for fruits and vegetables (-7.1 percent). Prices for food away from home advanced 1.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 4.1 percent. Prices for food at home increased 10.0 percent since a year ago, led by higher prices for dairy and related products (30.1 percent) and other food at home (15.7 percent). Prices for food away from home fell 2.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 3.2 percent for the two months ending in November. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for natural gas service (-19.5 percent). Prices for gasoline declined 2.5 percent, but prices for electricity advanced 0.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 13.7 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (15.7 percent). Prices paid for electricity increased 12.5 percent, and prices for natural gas service advanced 0.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.6 percent in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-3.1 percent), new and used motor vehicles (-2.8 percent), and recreation (-2.3 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for other goods and services (2.1 percent), shelter (1.1 percent), and education and communication (0.6 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 6.5 percent. Components contributing to the increase included recreation (8.7 percent) and shelter (7.8 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in used cars and trucks (-2.1 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
2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month 2-month 12-month

January

0.6 2.6 0.3 2.3 0.4 1.7 2.0 8.2

March

0.5 2.2 0.0 1.8 2.4 4.1 2.1 7.9

May

1.0 3.8 -0.4 0.3 0.7 5.3 1.1 8.3

July

-0.3 1.4 1.4 2.1 2.1 6.0 1.2 7.3

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 January 2023 Consumer Price Index for the San Diego area is scheduled to be released on February 14, 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
Sep.
2022
Oct.
2022
Nov.
2022
Nov.
2021
Sep.
2022
Oct.
2022

Expenditure category

All items

350.721 - 348.145 6.7 -0.7 -

All items (1967=100)

1,185.894 - 1,177.186 - - -

Food and beverages

307.658 - 305.094 4.0 -0.8 -

Food

305.597 - 304.034 4.1 -0.5 -

Food at home

283.513 277.244 278.354 10.0 -1.8 0.4

Cereals and bakery products

344.435 - 341.585 12.7 -0.8 -

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

290.088 - 280.913 1.9 -3.2 -

Dairy and related products

227.113 - 228.207 30.1 0.5 -

Fruits and vegetables

304.510 - 283.022 1.9 -7.1 -

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

310.694 - 308.513 7.1 -0.7 -

Other food at home

269.226 - 271.671 15.7 0.9 -

Food away from home

330.916 - 335.072 -2.7 1.3 -

Alcoholic beverages

318.143 - 304.874 3.0 -4.2 -

Housing

409.420 - 410.969 7.5 0.4 -

Shelter

461.623 462.607 466.663 7.8 1.1 0.9

Rent of primary residence(2)

456.896 458.076 462.692 8.4 1.3 1.0

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

489.308 490.951 496.347 8.2 1.4 1.1

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

489.308 490.951 496.347 8.2 1.4 1.1

Fuels and utilities

456.434 - 442.664 9.5 -3.0 -

Household energy

453.310 440.094 432.944 9.9 -4.5 -1.6

Energy services

447.341 433.301 426.176 9.6 -4.7 -1.6

Electricity

424.048 424.048 425.144 12.5 0.3 0.3

Utility (piped) gas service

372.762 326.351 299.945 0.1 -19.5 -8.1

Household furnishings and operations

210.593 - 204.113 3.3 -3.1 -

Apparel

180.510 - 173.946 1.7 -3.6 -

Transportation

299.113 - 289.404 8.9 -3.2 -

Private transportation

293.863 - 289.134 8.3 -1.6 -

New and used motor vehicles(3)

139.023 - 135.144 4.8 -2.8 -

New vehicles(1)

256.806 - 256.262 3.8 -0.2 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

336.499 - 320.262 -2.1 -4.8 -

Motor fuel

435.369 479.143 424.637 16.0 -2.5 -11.4

Gasoline (all types)

434.251 477.980 423.218 15.7 -2.5 -11.5

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

450.115 495.481 438.571 15.7 -2.6 -11.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

378.053 416.284 368.268 15.6 -2.6 -11.5

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

442.084 486.423 431.330 15.9 -2.4 -11.3

Medical care

555.979 - 548.175 4.3 -1.4 -

Recreation(3)

183.332 - 179.078 8.7 -2.3 -

Education and communication(3)

141.927 - 142.782 2.5 0.6 -

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

- - 1,665.355 3.7 - -

Other goods and services

471.786 - 481.837 9.2 2.1 -

Commodity and service group

All items

350.721 - 348.145 6.7 -0.7 -

Commodities

244.776 - 239.221 4.6 -2.3 -

Commodities less food & beverages

211.114 - 204.440 5.0 -3.2 -

Nondurables less food & beverages

255.666 - 249.158 8.1 -2.5 -

Durables

165.889 - 159.423 1.6 -3.9 -

Services

442.918 - 443.374 7.8 0.1 -

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

340.981 - 338.621 6.8 -0.7 -

All items less shelter

306.569 - 300.863 5.9 -1.9 -

Commodities less food

215.932 - 208.993 4.9 -3.2 -

Nondurables

283.368 - 278.740 5.9 -1.6 -

Nondurables less food

261.963 - 254.906 7.6 -2.7 -

Services less rent of shelter(2)

443.822 - 438.044 7.7 -1.3 -

Services less medical care services

428.978 - 429.842 8.0 0.2 -

Energy

436.233 459.057 422.190 13.7 -3.2 -8.0

All items less energy

348.989 - 347.034 6.2 -0.6 -

All items less food and energy

357.941 - 355.909 6.5 -0.6 -

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: Tuesday, December 13, 2022