Consumer Price Index, Seattle area — October 2021

Area prices were up 1.1 percent over the past two months, up 6.5 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Seattle area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 1.1 percent for the two months ending in October 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the October increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and new and used motor vehicles. (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 increased 6.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 7.9 percent. Energy prices rose 25.8 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 5.3 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 1.3 percent for the two months ending in October. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 2.1 percent, led by higher prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (4.8 percent). Prices for food away from home increased 0.5 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 7.9 percent. Prices for food at home increased 9.1 percent, led by a 22.5 percent jump in prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs. Since a year ago, prices for food away from home increased 6.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index inched down 0.2 percent for the two months ending in October. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for electricity (-0.5 percent). Prices for gasoline edged down 0.2 percent, but prices for natural gas service rose 0.5 percent for the same period.

Energy prices rose 25.8 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (42.9 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 9.2 percent, and prices for electricity rose 2.9 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.2 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (3.9 percent), recreation (2.8 percent), and shelter (0.8 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-4.2 percent) and education and communication (-0.6 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 5.3 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used motor vehicles (20.9 percent), recreation (15.2 percent), and shelter (2.6 percent). Partly offsetting the increase was a price decrease in motor vehicle insurance (-8.7 percent).

Month	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	1.0	3.4	0.8	3.3	0.7	2.7	1.0	2.5	1.2	1.7
April	0.8	3.1	0.8	3.3	0.5	2.4	-0.6	1.3	1.1	3.4
June	0.8	3.0	0.8	3.3	0.7	2.3	0.2	0.9	2.2	5.5
August	-0.2	2.5	-0.3	3.1	0.6	3.2	1.4	1.6	1.1	5.2
October	0.5	3.0	0.4	3.1	-0.6	2.2	-0.1	2.1	1.1	6.5
December	0.5	3.5	0.2	2.8	0.3	2.2	-0.4	1.4

The December 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Seattle area is scheduled to be released on January 12, 2022.

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/cpiand 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties in the State of Washington.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Item and Group	Indexes				Percent change from-
	Historical data	Aug. 2021	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021	Oct. 2020	Aug. 2021	Sep. 2021
Expenditure category
All items		299.704	-	303.099	6.5	1.1	-
All items (1967=100)		913.615	-	923.964	-	-	-
Food and beverages		309.258	-	313.134	8.1	1.3	-
Food		311.155	-	315.339	7.9	1.3	-
Food at home		280.350	279.897	286.313	9.1	2.1	2.3
Cereals and bakery products		322.891	-	319.078	5.1	-1.2	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		260.960	-	273.492	22.5	4.8	-
Dairy and related products		238.956	-	244.544	8.2	2.3	-
Fruits and vegetables		432.764	-	444.553	8.6	2.7	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		362.105	-	362.350	3.2	0.1	-
Other food at home		218.104	-	222.116	3.7	1.8	-
Food away from home		358.221	-	359.862	6.6	0.5	-
Alcoholic beverages		283.533	-	284.625	9.9	0.4	-
Housing		350.818	-	353.673	3.4	0.8	-
Shelter		401.243	400.694	404.396	2.6	0.8	0.9
Rent of primary residence		407.217	407.680	411.695	1.7	1.1	1.0
Owners' equiv. rent of residences		419.206	420.443	423.403	1.5	1.0	0.7
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence		419.206	420.443	423.403	1.5	1.0	0.7
Fuels and utilities		289.756	-	289.446	3.6	-0.1	-
Household energy		259.888	260.451	259.411	4.6	-0.2	-0.4
Energy services		306.785	306.879	305.872	4.3	-0.3	-0.3
Electricity		333.950	334.021	332.168	2.9	-0.5	-0.6
Utility (piped) gas service		176.841	176.948	177.637	9.2	0.5	0.4
Household furnishings and operations		198.269	-	201.337	8.7	1.5	-
Apparel		135.178	-	129.504	2.1	-4.2	-
Transportation		247.132	-	253.876	17.2	2.7	-
Private transportation		265.412	-	270.069	19.4	1.8	-
New and used motor vehicles		117.583	-	122.162	20.9	3.9	-
New vehicles		201.973	-	211.753	12.8	4.8	-
Used cars and trucks		456.269	-	450.934	28.0	-1.2	-
Motor fuel		438.066	437.437	437.313	42.9	-0.2	0.0
Gasoline (all types)		447.847	447.030	446.855	42.9	-0.2	0.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular		485.072	484.022	483.910	43.7	-0.2	0.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade		355.726	355.526	355.365	36.6	-0.1	0.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium		415.493	415.227	414.807	40.4	-0.2	-0.1
Motor vehicle insurance		473.696	-	465.102	-8.7	-1.8	-
Medical care		417.400	-	425.299	2.5	1.9	-
Recreation		111.782	-	114.965	15.2	2.8	-
Education and communication		147.761	-	146.890	1.3	-0.6	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care		1,760.932	-	1,744.130	0.8	-1.0	-
Other goods and services		-	-	440.462	5.9	-	-
Commodity and service group
All items		299.704	-	303.099	6.5	1.1	-
Commodities		221.604	-	223.826	12.9	1.0	-
Commodities less food & beverages		179.102	-	180.549	16.9	0.8	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		207.507	-	207.279	12.3	-0.1	-
Durables		147.980	-	150.645	22.2	1.8	-
Services		371.359	-	375.863	3.0	1.2	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		294.517	-	297.698	6.8	1.1	-
All items less shelter		260.384	-	263.816	8.7	1.3	-
Commodities less food		183.220	-	184.648	16.4	0.8	-
Nondurables		256.286	-	258.097	9.7	0.7	-
Nondurables less food		213.854	-	213.750	12.0	0.0	-
Services less rent of shelter		344.083	-	350.102	3.4	1.7	-
Services less medical care services		363.777	-	367.933	3.0	1.1	-
Energy		357.300	357.264	356.670	25.8	-0.2	-0.2
All items less energy		299.961	-	303.573	5.7	1.2	-
All items less food and energy		298.196	-	301.708	5.3	1.2	-
- Data not available NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

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