ATLANTA — The end of the year for Atlanta saw prices up 2.6% compared to the year before.
That’s according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Every month, the BLS releases a national Consumer Price Index, and then a rotating set of regional inflation reports are published every two months.
For December, the Atlanta metro area was examined, showing prices had risen over the past 12 months.
Based on the report, Atlanta area shoppers and consumers felt those price increases the most in food, rent and mortgages, particularly non-alcoholic drinks.
“The all items CPI-U advanced 2.6 percent for the 12 months ending in December,” BLS reported. “Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the increase in the bi-monthly all items index was largely attributed to an increase in the shelter index.”
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The food index for the metro Atlanta area also rose 1.3%, while energy costs actually went down by 0.2%.
More specifically, eating out at restaurants or getting takeout increased by 2.3% while grocery prices increased 0.7%. That means both grocery shopping and meals where you don’t have to cook it yourself both got more expensive.
“Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the past 12 months, including other food at home (+1.9%) and nonalcoholic beverage and beverage materials (+4.8%),” BLS said.
Taking a look at everything else with price increases, shoppers saw 3.1% price increases when it came to everything that wasn’t food or energy.
The cost of shelter alone rose a full 1% in the two months the report focuses on. Year-over-year, from December to December, the cost of housing, whether you rent or own, rose 4.2%.
While the overall energy index prices went down somewhat, natural gas and gas prices both rose.
According to BLS, natural gas prices in the metro Atlanta area were up almost 15% while gasoline rose nearly 4%, though electricity costs fell 2.1%.
The next look at the Atlanta area’s price trends will be published in March.
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