Inflation Spikes to Over 7% in Atlanta — How Are Other Major US Cities Faring?
Of 14 major cities reporting October data, consumer prices have climbed fastest in Atlanta, Saint Louis and Phoenix. Residents of the Atlanta area are experiencing the worst inflation among major U.S. cities, with October prices up 7.9% from a year ago — more than double the rate in San Francisco.
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The consumer price index surged 6.2% from a year ago in October, the most since December 1990, according to Labor Department data released earlier this week.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (CPI percent change from Oct. 2020 to Oct. 2021)
Bloomberg reports that St. Louis and Phoenix metro areas also saw inflation above 7% last month, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show. The cities are above the national average of 6.2%, which itself was the fastest annual pace since 1990 in the county.
“The numbers highlight a pandemic-era divide, with scorching inflation in regions that have attracted people during the COVID-19 crisis and more moderate increases in the East Coast and West Coast cities they fled,” according to Bloomberg.
Transportation costs are leading the way in Atlanta, whose residents paid 21% more for expenses including fuel and vehicles than they were a year ago, the data show. Georgia’s capital also saw outsize gains in the price of clothes, up 11%, as well as recreation and housing.
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Jay Hatfield, founder and chief executive at Infrastructure Capital Advisors, told GOBankingRates that October’s numbers reiterate his belief that the Fed has “lost control of inflation.”
“We forecast that true run-rate inflation is currently over 10% as ultra-loose Fed policy has driven housing prices up at a record rate of 19.7% y/y and rents are increasing at over 10% per year for the first time since the 70s.In addition, energy prices are up 40% over the last 3 months and food prices are accelerating.”
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