Consumer Price Index, Seattle area — August 2024

Prices in the Seattle area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.1 percent for the two months ending in August 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the August increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter. (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 rose 3.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices increased 0.9 percent. Energy prices declined 6.2 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.9 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 0.8 percent for the two months ending in August. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 0.8 percent, led by higher prices for other food at home (3.2 percent) and dairy and related products (3.1 percent). Prices for food away from home increased 0.7 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 0.9 percent. Prices for food at home decreased 0.5 percent since a year ago, with lower prices in four of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home rose 3.2 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 2.0 percent for the two months ending in August. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-3.8 percent). Prices for natural gas service increased 2.1 percent, while prices for electricity were unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices declined 6.2 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-14.9 percent). Prices paid for electricity increased 9.5 percent, and prices for natural gas service increased 9.2 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.2 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for shelter (1.4 percent) and recreation (0.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-3.0 percent) and medical care (-0.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 3.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (6.2 percent) and medical care (6.0 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in used cars and trucks (-12.8 percent).

Table A. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 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	1.0	2.5	1.2	1.7	1.7	8.1	1.4	8.0	1.2	4.3
April	-0.6	1.3	1.1	3.4	2.1	9.1	1.0	6.9	1.2	4.4
June	0.2	0.9	2.2	5.5	3.2	10.1	1.0	4.6	0.4	3.8
August	1.4	1.6	1.1	5.2	0.0	9.0	0.8	5.4	0.1	3.1
October	-0.1	2.1	1.1	6.5	1.0	8.9	0.4	4.8
December	-0.4	1.4	0.6	7.6	0.1	8.4	-0.3	4.4

The October 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Seattle area is scheduled to be released on November 13, 2024.

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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes	Percent change from-
Historical data	Jun. 2024	Jul. 2024	Aug. 2024	Aug. 2023	Jun. 2024	Jul. 2024
Expenditure category
All items		354.824	-	355.179	3.1	0.1	-
All items (1967=100)		1,081.641	-	1,082.725	-	-	-
Food and beverages		359.759	-	362.555	1.4	0.8	-
Food		361.428	-	364.226	0.9	0.8	-
Food at home		318.391	322.335	320.908	-0.5	0.8	-0.4
Cereals and bakery products		389.718	402.412	393.075	4.7	0.9	-2.3
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		289.587	293.073	286.234	-1.1	-1.2	-2.3
Dairy and related products		281.278	282.782	290.133	-1.6	3.1	2.6
Fruits and vegetables		493.726	493.487	492.555	0.7	-0.2	-0.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		407.658	412.053	400.710	-2.3	-1.7	-2.8
Other food at home		244.463	248.469	252.247	-1.6	3.2	1.5
Food away from home		431.965	-	435.193	3.2	0.7	-
Alcoholic beverages		332.010	-	334.704	6.9	0.8	-
Housing		428.071	-	432.954	5.7	1.1	-
Shelter		492.417	493.986	499.076	6.2	1.4	1.0
Rent of primary residence(2)		496.098	498.860	500.302	5.4	0.8	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)		516.220	520.063	524.603	6.7	1.6	0.9
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)		516.220	520.063	524.603	6.7	1.6	0.9
Fuels and utilities		355.403	-	356.495	7.9	0.3	-
Household energy		322.205	323.761	323.765	8.0	0.5	0.0
Energy services(2)		380.535	382.331	382.547	8.8	0.5	0.1
Electricity(2)		397.626	397.626	397.626	9.5	0.0	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service(2)		253.441	258.117	258.682	9.2	2.1	0.2
Household furnishings and operations		228.289	-	227.585	-0.6	-0.3	-
Apparel		140.461	-	136.219	2.3	-3.0	-
Transportation		306.383	-	296.001	-2.3	-3.4	-
Private transportation		321.348	-	316.235	-0.9	-1.6	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)		125.293	-	124.849	-2.2	-0.4	-
New vehicles(1)		225.159	-	224.993	0.0	-0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		410.204	-	399.902	-12.8	-2.5	-
Motor fuel		499.570	487.101	480.620	-14.8	-3.8	-1.3
Gasoline (all types)		509.617	496.833	490.184	-14.9	-3.8	-1.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		550.328	536.249	528.920	-15.4	-3.9	-1.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		406.769	397.441	392.508	-13.8	-3.5	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		478.123	466.935	461.141	-13.1	-3.6	-1.2
Medical care		485.169	-	481.489	6.0	-0.8	-
Recreation(6)		121.857	-	122.355	0.8	0.4	-
Education and communication(6)		148.316	-	-	-	-	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		-	-	-	-	-	-
Other goods and services		537.253	-	537.446	3.5	0.0	-
Commodity and service group
All items		354.824	-	355.179	3.1	0.1	-
Commodities		243.958	-	242.711	-2.0	-0.5	-
Commodities less food & beverages		190.186	-	187.834	-3.9	-1.2	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		233.847	-	228.502	-3.2	-2.3	-
Durables		149.894	-	149.435	-4.5	-0.3	-
Services		458.104	-	459.875	6.0	0.4	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		349.239	-	349.824	3.0	0.2	-
All items less shelter		301.614	-	299.217	1.1	-0.8	-
Commodities less food		195.455	-	193.225	-3.4	-1.1	-
Nondurables		294.728	-	292.911	-0.7	-0.6	-
Nondurables less food		241.999	-	237.178	-2.2	-2.0	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)		427.531	-	422.715	5.5	-1.1	-
Services less medical care services		451.662	-	453.461	5.9	0.4	-
Energy		421.686	416.478	413.325	-6.2	-2.0	-0.8
All items less energy		355.061	-	355.845	3.6	0.2	-
All items less food and energy		353.701	-	354.238	3.9	0.2	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 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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