Prices in the Anchorage area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.8 percent for the two months ending in October 2024, 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 apparel 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 2.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 1.5 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 advanced 3.0 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Urban Alaska, October 2021–October 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Oct 2021	6.3	4.9
Dec 2021	7.2	5.7
Feb 2022	7.4	5.9
Apr 2022	7.5	5.2
Jun 2022	12.4	6.3
Aug 2022	7.6	6.7
Oct 2022	7.6	6.6
Dec 2022	5.4	5.6
Feb 2023	4.3	5.0
Apr 2023	3.1	5.4
Jun 2023	-3.3	1.8
Aug 2023	2.0	2.7
Oct 2023	1.1	2.2
Dec 2023	1.8	2.5
Feb 2024	1.7	2.0
Apr 2024	3.2	2.7
Jun 2024	2.9	3.2
Aug 2024	1.5	2.4
Oct 2024	2.1	3.0

Food prices increased 0.2 percent for the two months ending in October. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home advanced 0.1 percent, with higher prices in four of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home advanced 0.5 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 1.5 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 1.1 percent since a year ago, with higher prices in five of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home rose 2.8 percent.

The energy index declined 0.2 percent for the two months ending in October. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-1.7 percent). Prices for electricity advanced 2.5 percent, while prices for natural gas service were unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices declined 6.2 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-18.1 percent). Prices paid for electricity advanced 14.6 percent, and prices for natural gas service increased 3.5 percent during the past year.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.0 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for apparel (5.4 percent) and shelter (0.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-2.9 percent) and recreation (-0.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.0 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (10.6 percent) and shelter (3.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in household furnishings and operations (-5.0 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-4.1 percent).

The December 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Anchorage area is scheduled to be released on January 15, 2025.

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 Urban Alaska 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 Urban Alaska area covered in this release consists of Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the State of Alaska.

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

Urban Alaska (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes				Percent change from-
	Historical data	Aug. 2024	Sep. 2024	Oct. 2024	Oct. 2023	Aug. 2024	Sep. 2024
Expenditure category
All items		267.313	-	269.404	2.1	0.8	-
All items (1967=100)		713.494	-	719.076	-	-	-
Food and beverages		262.257	-	263.005	1.6	0.3	-
Food		271.952	-	272.572	1.5	0.2	-
Food at home		258.874	258.352	259.185	1.1	0.1	0.3
Cereals and bakery products		262.288	255.110	265.167	1.3	1.1	3.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		237.046	237.052	238.255	1.3	0.5	0.5
Dairy and related products		247.305	251.020	250.106	1.7	1.1	-0.4
Fruits and vegetables		401.428	409.984	396.613	-0.5	-1.2	-3.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		185.228	180.402	183.723	2.1	-0.8	1.8
Other food at home		218.504	218.358	219.458	1.1	0.4	0.5
Food away from home		296.427	-	297.826	2.8	0.5	-
Alcoholic beverages		-	-	-	-	-	-
Housing		239.822	-	240.220	3.2	0.2	-
Shelter		244.715	246.464	245.631	3.4	0.4	-0.3
Rent of primary residence(2)		244.124	244.692	245.536	4.5	0.6	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		245.395	246.838	247.289	4.0	0.8	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		245.395	246.838	247.289	4.0	0.8	0.2
Fuels and utilities		391.765	-	395.981	8.7	1.1	-
Household energy		398.072	397.102	402.616	8.8	1.1	1.4
Energy services		446.198	446.198	452.880	9.8	1.5	1.5
Electricity		392.256	392.256	402.187	14.6	2.5	2.5
Utility (piped) gas service		508.833	508.833	508.833	3.5	0.0	0.0
Household furnishings and operations		136.520	-	132.547	-5.0	-2.9	-
Apparel		158.163	-	166.761	4.3	5.4	-
Transportation		279.914	-	286.776	-5.1	2.5	-
Private transportation		288.833	-	288.698	-5.6	0.0	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		122.860	-	124.224	-4.1	1.1	-
New vehicles(1)		268.013	-	268.984	-2.4	0.4	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		326.772	-	329.888	-5.4	1.0	-
Motor fuel		310.085	308.722	305.109	-18.7	-1.6	-1.2
Gasoline (all types)		313.222	311.668	307.829	-18.1	-1.7	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		299.266	297.723	294.598	-18.7	-1.6	-1.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		306.317	304.478	299.930	-17.4	-2.1	-1.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		329.710	328.333	322.166	-15.8	-2.3	-1.9
Medical care		803.081	-	808.618	10.6	0.7	-
Recreation(3)		142.049	-	141.403	1.1	-0.5	-
Education and communication(3)		113.667	-	114.058	1.1	0.3	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		819.918	-	823.183	4.3	0.4	-
Other goods and services		512.112	-	508.216	2.5	-0.8	-
Commodity and service group
All items		267.313	-	269.404	2.1	0.8	-
Commodities		210.370	-	210.764	-2.0	0.2	-
Commodities less food & beverages		184.175	-	184.405	-4.5	0.1	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		243.783	-	243.890	-4.1	0.0	-
Durables		136.804	-	137.055	-4.1	0.2	-
Services		318.055	-	321.854	5.1	1.2	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care		249.371	-	251.341	1.4	0.8	-
All items less shelter		276.347	-	279.038	1.4	1.0	-
Commodities less food		183.894	-	184.195	-4.2	0.2	-
Nondurables		254.072	-	254.554	-0.6	0.2	-
Nondurables less food		238.198	-	238.528	-3.4	0.1	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)		440.276	-	449.693	7.0	2.1	-
Services less medical care services		289.367	-	292.982	4.4	1.2	-
Energy		349.994	348.796	349.151	-6.2	-0.2	0.1
All items less energy		262.848	-	265.112	2.7	0.9	-
All items less food and energy		262.169	-	264.751	3.0	1.0	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1978=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.