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CPI In Major Metros

Phoenix Inflation

If you have been to the grocery store it is no secret that prices are way up year over year and phoenix metro has been hit especially hard

The Phoenix metro area experienced the biggest consumer price index (CPI) increase in the country over the past year — 13%

State of play: That’s well above the national average, which increased by 8.3% over the past year, according to data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Valley’s increase is not only the highest in the nation, but it’s the highest any metro area in the U.S. has seen in 20 years, Bloomberg reported.

Yes, and: Arizona also has higher gas prices — $4.04 per gallon — than the national average, which is $3.70.

Why it matters: The numbers are bad news for consumers and for Democrats who have been hoping that slight economic improvements, coupled with the overturning of Roe, would help them stave off a red wave.

What they’re saying: “Welcome to Joe Biden and Mark Kelly’s America, where rising inflation is the new norm, groceries are more expensive, gas prices are up and real wages have been negative for 17 straight months — the Democrats have failed spectacularly, and Arizonans are hurting the most,” Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters told The Arizona Republic.

The other side: Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly said he’s pushed President Biden to take steps to lower energy and prescription drug costs.

“We’ll keep working on solutions that bring down these rising costs and also make our economy less reliant on foreign countries and supply chains overseas.”

Axios Phoenix By Jeremy Duda and Jessica Boehm · Sep 15, 2022