Report: Consumer prices down in Utah, nationally

SALT LAKE CITY — The Zions Bank Wasatch Front Consumer Price Index fell 0.2 percent from October to November, while the national index dropped 0.5 percent over the same period.

The difference between the two indexes over the past 12 months was 1.3 percentage points. Prices across the Wasatch Front have increased 3.1 percent year-over-year compared with just 1.8 percent nationally, according to the report released Friday.

Gasoline prices fell by an overage of 10 cents from October to November, and airfare costs decreased more than 12 percent, the report stated.

Transportation costs make up almost 20 percent of the average Utahn's monthly expenses, so the 1.3 percent decrease represents a substantial fall in prices, said Randy Shumway, chief executive officer with The Cicero Group/Dan Jones and Associates, which complied the data.

— Jasen Lee

Twitter: JasenLee1