Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pennsylvania) discusses whether Kamala Harris has a problem connecting with Pennsylvania voters on “Bernie & Co.”
Battleground state of Pennsylvania Consumers in the Keystone State continue to face higher-than-national-average inflation as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump campaign in the state on the eve of the election.
Ministry of Labor Consumer Price Index (CPI) In the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, prices rose 3.4% on an annual basis in September, a broad measure of the cost of everyday necessities such as gasoline, groceries and rent. This figure is significantly higher than the national inflation rate of 2.4%.
In recent years, the Philadelphia metropolitan area has experienced particularly high inflation. The region is an important driver of the region's economy and has significant political influence in what is expected to be a close election.
Consumers in the Philadelphia metropolitan area lost interest in grocery shopping during the 2018 inflation spike, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It turns out that we have experienced one of the highest increases in prices. 2021-2022.
Inflation rate rose 2.4% in September, higher than expected
Pennsylvania consumers continue to face higher inflation than the national average. (Hannah Baier/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
GAO's analysis concluded: philadelphia food prices It increased by 13.63% from 2021 to 2022, which was higher than the national average of 11.42%. As a result, Philadelphia has the third highest food inflation rate of all U.S. cities, behind only Detroit (14.49%) and Dallas (14.03%).
According to a report by the USDA's Economic Research Service, retail food prices philadelphia metropolitan area It grew 6.3% in 2023, the third-highest rate among major metropolitan areas, behind Houston's 7.8% and Boston's 7%.
Donald Trump donates $100 to mother of three for groceries at Pennsylvania Market Store
comparatively high inflation It continues to be a problem in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, where the BLS found that household grocery prices in the area were 3.7% higher in September than a year ago.
As a result, Philadelphia consumers will see faster growth. grocery prices That's higher than the 1.3% average for U.S. cities and the 1.4% grocery price increase in the broader Northeast region. It's also higher than neighboring metropolitan areas, including the Washington, D.C., metro's 2.4% grocery inflation rate and Baltimore's 0.7% increase.
One area where Philadelphia-area consumers are seeing some relief from inflation is home energy prices, which are up 1.9% year-over-year, compared to an average of 2.5% for U.S. cities.
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electricity bill Philadelphia's population has grown more than twice as fast as the national average over the past year, growing 7.6% compared to the average for U.S. cities of 3.7%.
The cost of gas service helped offset the difference, as the cost of city gas service rose 2% nationally, while it fell 2.1% in Philadelphia.
