Consumer Price Index, Washington Arlington Alexandria area – September 2024

Prices in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.3 percent over the 2 months ending in September 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the September increase was mostly due to a 0.6-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index, in large part due to rising shelter prices. For the same period, the energy index declined 3.7 percent while the food index fell 0.1 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U index advanced 2.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Leading the increase was the all items less food and energy index, up 3.1 percent. Food prices rose 3.0 percent while energy prices were down 4.7 percent over the year, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices decreased 0.1 percent for the 2-month period ending in September. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home were down 0.2 percent in the same period. Leading the decrease in the grocery index were prices for other food at home (-1.4 percent), followed by fruits and vegetables (-1.9 percent) and cereals and bakery products (-1.7 percent). An increase in prices for meats, poultry, fish and eggs (+1.8 percent), dairy and related products (+2.5 percent) and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+1.8 percent) slightly lessened the decline of prices in the food at home index. Prices for food away from home rose 0.1 percent.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.0 percent, with prices for food away from home up 3.8 percent. Prices for food at home were up 2.4 percent. Within food at home, the 4.8 percent increase in the meats, poultry, fish and eggs index marked the index's largest over the year increase since January 2023. Prices for the cereals and bakery products and other food at home indexes increased 5.2 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. Tempering the food at home index were decreasing prices for fruits and vegetables, down 0.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index fell 3.7 percent for the 2 months ending in September, marking the largest decrease since the year began. The decrease was mainly due to falling prices for gasoline (-9.0 percent) and natural gas service (-7.2 percent). For the same period, electricity prices advanced 4.2 percent.

Energy prices decreased 4.7 percent over the year. The decline in the energy index was largely due to lower prices for gasoline, down 12.9 percent. Offsetting the energy index decline were higher prices for electricity and utility (piped) gas service, up 4.6 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

In the latest 2-month period, the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent. The overall index rise was led by higher prices for shelter (+0.9 percent), medical care (+3.0 percent) and apparel (+4.1 percent). Within the shelter index, prices rose for the owners' equivalent rent of residences index (+1.0 percent) and rent of primary residence index (+0.9 percent). Partially moderating the all items less food and energy index were lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-1.2 percent), new and used motor vehicles (-0.5 percent), and education and communication (-0.7 percent).

For the year ending in September, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent. Components contributing to the rise were higher prices for shelter (+3.7 percent), recreation (+7.8) and medical care (+3.5). Within the shelter index, the owners' equivalent rent of residences index was up 4.7 percent and the index for rent of primary residence advanced 4.8 percent. Tempering the overall index in part were price declines in the new and used motor vehicles index (-2.1 percent) due to decreasing prices for used cars and trucks, down -3.8 percent, marking the 12^th month of consecutive price decreases. New vehicle prices declined -2.0 percent. Since March 2024 new vehicle prices have declined by 0.9 percent or more over the year. The household furnishings and operations index decreased 1.4 percent in the same period.

Table A. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	0.5	1.6	0.7	1.5	0.9	6.0	-0.3	4.4	0.5	3.6
March	-0.4	0.4	0.7	2.6	1.9	7.3	1.3	3.7	1.0	3.4
May	0.1	-0.1	1.3	3.8	1.5	7.5	0.9	3.1	0.8	3.3
July	0.6	0.8	1.2	4.4	1.1	7.5	-0.1	1.8	0.2	3.7
September	0.6	1.2	0.7	4.5	-0.2	6.5	1.3	3.3	0.3	2.6
November	0.0	1.4	1.2	5.8	0.3	5.6	-0.3	2.8

The November 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area is scheduled to be released on December 11, 2024.

Technical Note

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. The Consumer Price Index for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria is published bi-monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, Core Based Statistical Area includes the District of Columbia; the counties of Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the county of Jefferson in West Virginia.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes	Percent change from
Historical data	Jul. 2024	Aug. 2024	Sep. 2024	Sep. 2023	Jul. 2024	Aug. 2024
All items		316.445		317.382	2.6	0.3
Food and beverages		311.808		311.727	3.0	0.0
Food		321.240		321.071	3.0	-0.1
Food at home		299.046	298.894	298.516	2.4	-0.2	-0.1
Cereals and bakery products		425.096	417.249	417.692	5.2	-1.7	0.1
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		314.830	310.978	320.508	4.8	1.8	3.1
Dairy and related products		282.606	288.454	289.737	2.2	2.5	0.4
Fruits and vegetables		299.466	299.223	293.807	-0.6	-1.9	-1.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		261.057	267.916	265.766	2.3	1.8	-0.8
Other food at home		256.337	256.220	252.752	1.7	-1.4	-1.4
Food away from home		352.198		352.541	3.8	0.1
Alcoholic beverages		223.932		224.537	2.9	0.3
Housing		330.069		332.671	3.2	0.8
Shelter		394.249	396.463	397.985	3.7	0.9	0.4
Rent of primary residence		425.189	426.898	429.033	4.8	0.9	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		405.976	408.044	410.142	4.7	1.0	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		405.976	408.044	410.142	4.7	1.0	0.5
Fuels and utilities		291.292		295.088	3.5	1.3
Household energy		230.212	231.010	233.610	3.5	1.5	1.1
Energy services		237.980	238.233	241.511	4.4	1.5	1.4
Electricity		262.793	266.375	273.848	4.6	4.2	2.8
Utility (piped) gas service		173.073	166.341	160.661	3.8	-7.2	-3.4
Household furnishings and operations		130.870		129.359	-1.4	-1.2
Apparel		161.928		168.631	0.3	4.1
Transportation		276.459		271.436	-0.6	-1.8
Private transportation		289.983		284.085	-0.8	-2.0
New and used motor vehicles(3)		127.059		126.372	-2.1	-0.5
New vehicles(1)		228.238		227.225	-2.0	-0.4
Used cars and trucks(1)		394.412		391.323	-3.8	-0.8
Motor fuel		335.369	325.885	305.162	-12.9	-9.0	-6.4
Gasoline (all types)		330.575	321.235	300.796	-12.9	-9.0	-6.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		322.600	313.023	292.284	-13.4	-9.4	-6.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		342.223	334.017	317.234	-10.1	-7.3	-5.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		357.860	350.811	333.795	-9.4	-6.7	-4.9
Medical care		518.512		533.869	3.5	3.0
Recreation(3)		135.873		135.825	7.8	0.0
Education and communication(3)		170.358		169.241	0.3	-0.7
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,698.514		1,706.679	1.4	0.5
Other goods and services		531.492		528.255	4.4	-0.6
Commodity and service group
Commodities		216.766		214.311	-0.5	-1.1
Commodities less food and beverages		170.392		167.200	-2.8	-1.9
Nondurables less food and beverages		226.293		222.238	-1.5	-1.8
Durables		119.367		117.030	-4.2	-2.0
Services		405.863		410.221	4.4	1.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		284.217		283.937	2.0	-0.1
All items less medical care		306.966		307.259	2.5	0.1
Commodities less food		172.596		169.556	-2.6	-1.8
Nondurables		267.927		265.809	1.1	-0.8
Nondurables less food		225.420		221.834	-1.2	-1.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)		431.555		436.865	5.1	1.2
Services less medical care services		394.479		397.739	4.4	0.8
Energy		282.851	279.402	272.398	-4.7	-3.7	-2.5
All items less energy		323.327		325.049	3.1	0.5
All items less food and energy		325.006		327.040	3.1	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.

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