Consumer Price Index, San Francisco Area — December 2024

Prices in the San Francisco area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 0.4 percent for the two months ending in December 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the December decrease was influenced by lower prices for gasoline. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U advanced 2.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 2.2 percent. Energy prices increased 0.4 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of electricity. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.5 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices decreased 0.4 percent for the two months ending in December. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home fell 0.9 percent. Overall, prices fell in three of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home rose 0.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 2.2 percent. Prices for food at home declined 0.1 percent since a year ago, with lower prices in three of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 5.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 5.5 percent for the two months ending in December. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-9.4 percent). Prices for natural gas service fell 4.3 percent, while prices for electricity were unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices increased 0.4 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for electricity (11.2 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service rose 6.3 percent, while prices for gasoline declined 7.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.1 percent in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for other goods and services (-3.4 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-1.5 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for medical care (0.7 percent) and shelter (0.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.5 percent. Components contributing to the increase included apparel (8.6 percent) and shelter (2.6 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in other goods and services (-1.6 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-1.0 percent).

Table A. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA, 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
February	0.9	2.9	0.5	1.6	1.4	5.2	1.8	5.3	1.5	2.4
April	-0.5	1.1	1.7	3.8	1.5	5.0	0.4	4.2	1.8	3.8
June	0.7	1.6	0.0	3.2	1.7	6.8	0.5	2.9	-0.1	3.2
August	0.0	1.6	0.5	3.7	-0.5	5.7	0.0	3.4	-0.5	2.7
October	0.5	1.1	0.7	3.8	1.0	6.0	0.3	2.8	0.0	2.4
December	0.4	2.0	0.8	4.2	-0.3	4.9	-0.4	2.6	-0.4	2.4

The February 2025 Consumer Price Index for the San Francisco area is scheduled to be released on March 12, 2025.

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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo Counties in the State of California.

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

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes	Percent change from-
Historical data	Oct. 2024	Nov. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Oct. 2024	Nov. 2024
Expenditure category
All items		349.370	-	348.001	2.4	-0.4	-
All items (1967=100)		1,074.059	-	1,069.853	-	-	-
Food and beverages		372.734	-	371.511	2.1	-0.3	-
Food		375.579	-	374.030	2.2	-0.4	-
Food at home		332.705	330.401	329.594	-0.1	-0.9	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		333.871	333.450	336.368	-1.0	0.7	0.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		362.789	358.774	366.790	3.5	1.1	2.2
Dairy and related products		319.363	319.772	326.052	-2.8	2.1	2.0
Fruits and vegetables		429.229	437.069	423.068	0.4	-1.4	-3.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		236.547	232.701	230.893	-7.3	-2.4	-0.8
Other food at home		296.719	289.349	287.224	1.6	-3.2	-0.7
Food away from home		430.543	-	431.518	5.0	0.2	-
Alcoholic beverages		339.950	-	344.039	1.3	1.2	-
Housing		404.268	-	405.330	2.7	0.3	-
Shelter		448.034	449.594	450.386	2.6	0.5	0.2
Rent of primary residence(2)		512.782	513.494	515.886	2.5	0.6	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)		483.048	484.792	486.350	2.7	0.7	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)		483.048	484.792	486.350	2.7	0.7	0.3
Fuels and utilities		646.602	-	641.349	8.9	-0.8	-
Household energy		613.564	-	606.183	9.6	-1.2	-
Energy services(2)		617.951	-	611.035	9.9	-1.1	-
Electricity(2)		688.970	-	688.834	11.2	0.0	-
Utility (piped) gas service(2)		492.641	459.969	471.621	6.3	-4.3	2.5
Household furnishings and operations		173.790	-	171.197	-1.0	-1.5	-
Apparel		124.462	-	121.545	8.6	-2.3	-
Transportation		261.868	-	254.057	2.8	-3.0	-
Private transportation		262.058	-	255.187	2.3	-2.6	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)		120.378	-	119.368	3.1	-0.8	-
New vehicles(1)		191.525	-	191.378	-0.7	-0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		324.659	-	327.712	-2.5	0.9	-
Motor fuel		348.189	329.737	315.722	-7.2	-9.3	-4.3
Gasoline (all types)		346.198	327.715	313.764	-7.1	-9.4	-4.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		345.643	326.659	312.613	-7.4	-9.6	-4.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		324.159	307.619	294.663	-6.6	-9.1	-4.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		330.290	314.467	301.563	-6.2	-8.7	-4.1
Medical care		588.788	-	592.952	0.1	0.7	-
Recreation(6)		148.353	-	148.690	1.0	0.2	-
Education and communication(6)		163.802	-	163.338	2.0	-0.3	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		2,032.428	-	2,032.428	4.5	0.0	-
Other goods and services		641.436	-	619.514	-1.6	-3.4	-
Commodity and service group
All items		349.370	-	348.001	2.4	-0.4	-
Commodities		234.622	-	230.971	-0.1	-1.6	-
Commodities less food & beverages		164.468	-	160.046	-2.1	-2.7	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		219.211	-	210.091	-2.6	-4.2	-
Durables		113.463	-	112.358	-1.5	-1.0	-
Services		446.250	-	446.845	3.5	0.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		339.438	-	337.839	2.5	-0.5	-
All items less shelter		311.235	-	307.923	2.2	-1.1	-
Commodities less food		172.031	-	167.712	-2.0	-2.5	-
Nondurables		297.373	-	292.198	0.4	-1.7	-
Nondurables less food		228.682	-	220.175	-2.3	-3.7	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)		471.557	-	469.276	5.0	-0.5	-
Services less medical care services		435.512	-	435.923	3.7	0.1	-
Energy		453.911	437.453	428.855	0.4	-5.5	-2.0
All items less energy		348.822	-	348.362	2.5	-0.1	-
All items less food and energy		345.603	-	345.316	2.5	-0.1	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (6) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

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