Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — There’s some good news for American Samoa’s community, the territory’s inflation rates have plummeted since the high in 2022 during the COVID pandemic. However, the Consumer Price Index for the 3rd Quarter of 2024 (July-Sept.) increased by 0.1% — a slight increase from the previous quarter but still an increase.

And with tax returns for many still in limbo — the last official notice from Treasury was in February of this year, slight increases in daily expenses are felt in personal wallets.

Transportation is the largest annual expenditure group, showing an increase of 3.8% over the past twelve months.

This is followed by the Entertainment group, which saw a 2.0% increase. Other groups that experienced annual growth include Education & Communication (0.5%) and Other Gods and Services Group (0.3%). Five groups have recorded declines: Alcoholic Beverages (-3.2%), Housing (-1.4%), Medical (-0.6%), Food (-0.1%), and Apparel (-0.1%) and wine at -7.2%. Distilled spirits prices, however, remain the same as last quarter.

The Housing Group finally shows an increase of 0.4% this quarter after two quarters of decline. Housing items that have experienced a spike in prices include freezers (3.8%), construction tools (2.3%), and gas stoves (2.1%). A few housing items went through a decrease, which contains electricity cost (-2.5%), air conditioner (-1.8%), fan (-1.3%), construction materials (-1.0%), and water heater (-0.4%).

The Apparel Group also increased this quarter to 0.9%. Items that have increased are women's accessories (16.5%), girl dresses (2.6%), and women's dresses (1.8%). Items that have decreased include men's footwear (-3.1%), women's slacks (-2.5%), and T-shirts (-1.3%).

This quarter, the Medical Group experienced an increase of 0.3%. The two changes experienced by this group are prescription glasses decreasing in price by -0.4% and non-prescription drugs increasing in price by 0.6%.

The Entertainment Group shows a 5.0% increase this quarter. One item that can be easily accountable for the rise is health and exercise equipment, with an increase of 39.6%, the most significant increase of all the other items monitored in the CPI. Also increased in price is the flat screen TV (5.4%). Despite the overall increase in the Entertainment group, two items have dropped this quarter: the video game system (-5.8%) and nutrition centers (4.4%).

The Education & Communication Group decreased by -0.5% this quarter. Three items increased: backpacks (3.8%), school educational expenses (3.2%), and postal service charges (0.3%). All other items remained constant for the Education Group this quarter.

In the Other Goods and Services Group, there was a decrease of - 1.5%. Prices for laundry items fell by 0.3%. Despite this decline, two items— cigarettes and soap —increased by 0.6%.

The Transportation Group experienced a decline of -4.4% this quarter. Gas (4.8%) and auto tune-up (-3.7%) are the only items that have decreased. Though the CPI recorded a decline for this group, some items of the TransportationGroup have recorded a high increase, including automotive repair at 28.6% and ferry rides at 15.8%. Other items that have increased are automotive prices (3.4%), diesel fuel (2.9%), and tires (0.8%).

Average gas and diesel prices are as follows:

Q3 2023 (Gas) $4.38          (Diesel) $4.40

Q4 2023 (Gas) $4.48          (Diesel) $4.72

Q1 2024 (Gas) $4.43          (Diesel) $4.50

Q2 2024 (Gas) $4.72          (Diesel) $4.52

Q3 2024 (Gas) $4.45          (Diesel) $4.66

COMPARATIVE COST OF SELECTED GOODS AND SERVICES IN MANU' A

Eleven stores in Ta'u, Ofu, and Olosega islands were selected, and 28 commodities, including Food (21 items), Housing (2 items), Alcohol (2 items), Miscellaneous (2 items), and Transportation (1 item), were priced.

During the CPI data collection, data for the third quarter wasn't recorded due to limited staffing in Manua. Therefore, the price differences in Manua and Tutuila from the last quarter were used. The cost differential averaged 53.72%.

As for the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an increase of 0.2% in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).