Inflation In Metro Detroit: How Much More Does Food, Gas Cost?

METRO DETROIT — The Consumer Price Index shows prices have soared to 6.8 percent in November, which is the highest since 1982. Food, fuel, energy and vehicles were among the major contributors to rising prices.

Data released this month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show energy prices have risen 33.3 percent since November 2020, including a 3.5 percent surge in November. Gasoline alone has spiked 58.1 percent.

In addition, food prices have jumped 6.1 percent over the year, while used car and truck prices, which is a major contributor to the inflation burst, are up 31.4 percent, following a 2.5 percent increase last month.

However, the price increases vary by region. The most recently available data show how much more consumers in the metro Detroit area are paying for goods and services.

Here's a look at how prices stood in October in the metro Detroit area:

Overall, prices were up 5.5 percent in metro Detroit over the 12-month period ending in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here's a breakdown of how much more residents are paying for everyday items:

Food

Food prices have increased 7.4 percent since last year, including jumping 1.5 percent in October. Leading the way is a 11.7 percent increase in meats, poultry, fish and eggs from last October. Cereals and bakery products have also sharply increased 9 percent since last October.

Energy

Energy prices have increased 26.5 percent over the year. Gasoline makes up the largest spike at 55.8 percent, while utility (piped) gas service rose 14.3 percent, and prices for electricity rose 2.0 percent during the past year.

Gasoline prices averaged $3.313 per gallon in metro Detroit, which was $1.246 higher than a year ago in September when they averaged $2.067 per gallon. Although gasoline prices have spiked in metro Detroit, they're still slightly lower than the national average of $3.361 per gallon in September 2021.

Metro Detroit households paid 18.3 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity in September 2021, which was 27.1 percent more than the nationwide average cost of 14.4 cents per kWh. Not only is the increase 27.1 percent higher than the national average, but it's also 2 percent higher than last year.

Although metro Detroit households paid above the national average for electricity, they paid below the national average for gas. Households paid $1.022 per therm in September 2021, which was 21.5 percent below the national average of $1.302 per therm. However, it's still a 14.3 percent increase from last year.

Housing

Overall, housing is up 5.5 percent from last October, and rents have increased 6.3 percent. The average rent in the City of Detroit alone is over $1,100, which is a 4% increase from last year, according to Rent Cafe.

Gino Tozzi, an associate broker for Johnstone and Johnstone Realtors, Governor for Realcomp and the 2022 President elect for the Grosse Pointe Board of Realtors told Patch one of the reasons why rental rates have gone up is because of a labor shortage.

"Not just homes, rental rates have gone up was well," Tozzi said "A lot of people have retired, which has constituted a smaller labor force."

Transportation

Overall transportation has increased 10.1 percent since last October, with private transportation sharply rising to 11.1 percent. While there was no available data for new vehicles, used cars and trucks have increased 26 percent from last October.

Patch has reached out to a local expert and will update when we hear back.