The high price of eggs has shoppers scrambling. And it’s boosting inflation, too.
Prices for goods and services in the metro area – which is the Colorado region tracked by the federal government and encompasses Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson and Park counties – were up 2.3 percent in January compared to a year ago, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The index that tracks food was up 4 percent, led in part by a 6.6 percent increase in the category that includes meats, poultry, fish and eggs.
Egg prices across the country are skyrocketing because of a bird flu outbreak. Nationally, egg prices jumped 15 percent from December to January.
Prices around Denver are ticking up in other areas, too, including for medical care, recreation and apparel. After a long stretch of falling gas prices, the cost of gas jumped more than 10 percent from a year ago. On the flip side, hotels got cheaper.
The new U.S. inflation data is concerning for federal regulators that have been struggling to tame stubborn price hikes for more than two years. The January data suggests there is still work to be done. The inflation rate is far lower than it was, but still higher than central bankers would like.
