Consumer Price Index, Phoenix area — December 2024

Prices in the Phoenix area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 0.8 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 energy and shelter. (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 1.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 1.8 percent. Energy prices declined 1.0 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.8 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.4 percent for the two months ending in December. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home fell 0.5 percent, led by lower prices for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (-6.1 percent). Overall, prices fell in four of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home rose 1.7 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 1.8 percent. Prices for food at home increased 0.7 percent since a year ago, led by higher prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (4.7 percent). Overall, prices rose in three of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 3.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 6.7 percent for the two months ending in December. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for electricity (-9.2 percent). Prices for gasoline decreased 4.9 percent, and prices for natural gas service fell 0.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 1.0 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-4.7 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service decreased 15.3 percent, while prices for electricity increased 6.2 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.6 percent in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for shelter (-1.0 percent) and education and communication (-1.0 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for medical care (1.2 percent) and other goods and services (0.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (2.1 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (2.1 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in education and communication (-2.5 percent) and recreation (-0.2 percent).

The February 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Phoenix 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 Phoenix 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metropolitan area covered in this release consists of Maricopa and Pinal Counties in the State of Arizona.

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

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale (December 2001=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		184.214	-	182.653	1.6	-0.8	-
Food and beverages		188.536	-	188.839	1.5	0.2	-
Food		191.719	-	192.464	1.8	0.4	-
Food at home		184.364	183.009	183.369	0.7	-0.5	0.2
Cereals and bakery products		247.292	246.620	242.664	-0.8	-1.9	-1.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		219.423	222.419	223.042	4.7	1.6	0.3
Dairy and related products		145.716	142.030	144.586	-1.6	-0.8	1.8
Fruits and vegetables		163.296	165.567	166.141	3.0	1.7	0.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		137.350	127.457	129.000	-4.2	-6.1	1.2
Other food at home		181.437	181.081	181.006	0.3	-0.2	0.0
Food away from home		205.496	-	209.030	3.4	1.7	-
Alcoholic beverages		154.054	-	150.871	-1.1	-2.1	-
Housing		210.286	-	207.244	2.2	-1.4	-
Shelter		226.432	225.426	224.182	2.1	-1.0	-0.6
Rent of primary residence		240.478	240.868	240.376	1.0	0.0	-0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences		223.553	224.362	224.044	2.9	0.2	-0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence		223.553	224.362	224.044	2.9	0.2	-0.1
Fuels and utilities		214.033	-	201.782	3.5	-5.7	-
Household energy		212.649	197.012	194.972	3.4	-8.3	-1.0
Energy services		212.902	197.099	195.067	3.6	-8.4	-1.0
Electricity		227.290	208.705	206.410	6.2	-9.2	-1.1
Utility (piped) gas service		138.699	138.854	138.294	-15.3	-0.3	-0.4
Household furnishings and operations		119.196	-	117.760	2.0	-1.2	-
Apparel		149.140	-	145.135	2.6	-2.7	-
Transportation		151.691	-	149.786	2.2	-1.3	-
Private transportation		154.499	-	152.747	0.8	-1.1	-
New and used motor vehicles		112.560	-	111.845	2.1	-0.6	-
New vehicles		110.464	-	110.787	-0.9	0.3	-
Used cars and trucks		108.678	-	110.369	-1.5	1.6	-
Motor fuel		281.405	272.794	267.751	-5.4	-4.9	-1.8
Gasoline (all types)		281.128	272.178	267.392	-4.7	-4.9	-1.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(1)		280.897	271.511	266.533	-5.2	-5.1	-1.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(1)		295.723	287.323	282.516	-4.5	-4.5	-1.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(1)		286.025	278.511	274.366	-3.2	-4.1	-1.5
Medical care		245.251	-	248.178	1.0	1.2	-
Recreation		126.500	-	125.652	-0.2	-0.7	-
Education and communication		116.977	-	115.795	-2.5	-1.0	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care		231.960	-	231.960	-2.0	0.0	-
Other goods and services		176.076	-	177.451	2.8	0.8	-
Commodity and service group
All items		184.214	-	182.653	1.6	-0.8	-
Commodities		145.419	-	144.200	-0.2	-0.8	-
Commodities less food & beverages		124.338	-	122.459	-1.3	-1.5	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		169.856	-	167.227	-0.9	-1.5	-
Durables		86.996	-	85.716	-1.8	-1.5	-
Services		211.744	-	209.941	2.5	-0.9	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		180.934	-	178.988	1.7	-1.1	-
All items less shelter		163.169	-	161.940	1.3	-0.8	-
Commodities less food		125.551	-	123.612	-1.3	-1.5	-
Nondurables		180.559	-	179.487	0.5	-0.6	-
Nondurables less food		168.757	-	166.053	-0.9	-1.6	-
Services less rent of shelter		192.092	-	190.829	2.9	-0.7	-
Services less medical care services		208.212	-	206.112	2.7	-1.0	-
Energy		249.993	236.705	233.319	-1.0	-6.7	-1.4
All items less energy		180.344	-	179.484	1.8	-0.5	-
All items less food and energy		178.463	-	177.398	1.8	-0.6	-
Footnotes (1) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
- Data not available NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

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