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The cost of Super Bowl party staples in Denver has been steadily rising for years, per the latest Consumer Price Index data, Axios' Kavya Beheraj and Alex Fitzpatrick report.

Why it matters: As Denverites gear up for Sunday's matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs (who we're all rooting against, right?) and the Philadelphia Eagles, their bank accounts are about to get sacked.

Details: We zoomed in on a handful of food categories commonly found at Super Bowl parties.

By the numbers: Items falling under "meat, fish and eggs" rose 6%, while "fruits and veggies" categories jumped 11% year-over-year as of December 2022.

Alcoholic drinks were up 7%, and non-alcoholic drinks spiked by double that, at 14%.

Zoom out: Nationally, products classified as "meat, fish and eggs" and "fruits and veggies" were both up 8%. 

The big picture: This is another, more focused way to look at the broader grocery price inflation crisis — which, as Axios has previously reported, has left some families struggling to put enough food on the table.

The good news: Wingheads across the country can breathe a sigh of relief.

The price of whole chicken wings was $2.65 per pound nationally as of early January, down from $3.38 during last year's Super Bowl, per U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Super Bowl parties in Denver are getting pricier

As Denverites gear up for Sunday's matchup, their bank accounts are about to get sacked.

The cost of Super Bowl party staples in Denver has been steadily rising for years, per the latest Consumer Price Index data, Axios&#x27; Kavya Beheraj and Alex Fitzpatrick <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/09/super-bowl-parties-inflation-cost" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/09/super-bowl-parties-inflation-cost" target="_self">report</a>.Why it matters: As Denverites gear up for Sunday&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="matchup" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/07/arizona-super-bowl-phoenix-glendale-1996-2008-2015" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/07/arizona-super-bowl-phoenix-glendale-1996-2008-2015" target="_self">matchup</a> between the Kansas City Chiefs (who we&#x27;re all rooting against, right?) and the Philadelphia Eagles, their bank accounts are about to get sacked.

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Axios Denver, anchored by John Frank and Alayna Alvarez, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.

Have you ever gotten into an argument about where RiNo actually begins? Or which streets make up the East Colfax neighborhood? 

We have! And if you're like us, you're going to love this neighborhood drawing game from Axios. 

How it works: Follow this link to the game on our website and select Denver, then hit play! 

You’ll get some instructions, and have a chance to draw five neighborhoods. 

If you’re unfamiliar with a neighborhood, you can skip it, and we’ll choose a different one for you to draw.

At the end, compare your answers to the average of other Axios Denver readers to see how similar or different your guesses were.

1 cool thing: Axios Denver members got exclusive access to this game last week. 

If you want to support our work and get special perks in the future, consider joining them and becoming a member! 

Play this game to draw Denver neighborhoods and test your knowledge

Play this game to draw 5 neighborhoods, then compare your results to other locals.

Have you ever gotten into an argument about where RiNo actually begins? Or which streets make up the East Colfax neighborhood? <ul><li>We have! And if you&#x27;re like us, you&#x27;re going to love this neighborhood drawing game from Axios. </li></ul>

Things to Do

Data: GasBuddy; Note: Price as of the 1st of each month; Chart: Axios Visuals

Denver motorists are paying less for gas ahead of this weekend's summer travel kickoff.

By the numbers: The average price per gallon of regular gasoline is $3.27 as of May 1, a 21% decrease from the $4.14 gas a year ago.

Denver prices are below the U.S. average of $3.53 per gallon, and down from a month ago, GasBuddy figures show.

The big picture: Gas prices set record all-time highs last year amid a broader inflation crisis, and driven in part by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which destabilized global energy markets.

Nationally, gas prices are rising slightly compared to previous months — but they're still well below last year's levels as we head into Memorial Day weekend and the travel-heavy summer season.

Prices are still well above pre- and mid-pandemic levels.

What they're saying: "Despite mild weather and a less volatile economic forecast, drivers are not hitting the road and raising gasoline demand to traditional seasonal levels," said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross in a statement.

Yes, but: AAA and others are predicting a surge in summer travel in Colorado and near-record travel nationwide, which could spike demand — and thus lead to higher prices.

"It's possible this is merely the lull before Memorial Day, but it could be a trend that lingers into summer," Gross said.

Colorado gas prices lower ahead of summer travel season

Denver motorists are paying less for gas ahead of this weekend&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="summer travel kickoff" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2023/05/23/colorado-summer-travel-surge-aaa-survey" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2023/05/23/colorado-summer-travel-surge-aaa-survey" target="_self">summer travel kickoff</a>.By the numbers: The average price per gallon of regular gasoline is $3.27 as of May 1, a 21% decrease from the $4.14 gas a year ago.<ul><li>Denver prices are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="below the U.S. average" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/25/gas-prices-memorial-day?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axioswhatsnext&amp;stream=science" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/25/gas-prices-memorial-day?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axioswhatsnext&amp;stream=science" target="_self">below the U.S. average</a> of $3.53 per gallon, and down from a month ago, GasBuddy figures show.</li><li>The state&#x27;s average price is $3.33.</li></ul>The big picture: Gas prices set <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="record all-time highs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/10/gas-prices-hit-new-all-time-high" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/10/gas-prices-hit-new-all-time-high" target="_self">record all-time highs</a> last year amid a broader inflation crisis, and driven in part by Russia&#x27;s invasion of Ukraine, which destabilized global energy markets.<ul><li>Nationally, gas prices are rising slightly compared to previous months — but they&#x27;re still well below last year&#x27;s levels as we head into Memorial Day weekend and the travel-heavy summer season.</li><li>Prices are still well above pre- and mid-pandemic levels.</li></ul>What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;Despite mild weather and a less volatile economic forecast, drivers are not hitting the road and raising gasoline demand to traditional seasonal levels,&quot; said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross in a statement.Yes, but: AAA and others are predicting <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a surge in summer travel " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2023/05/23/colorado-summer-travel-surge-aaa-survey" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2023/05/23/colorado-summer-travel-surge-aaa-survey" target="_self">a surge in summer travel </a>in Colorado and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="near-record travel" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/15/memorial-day-travel-2023" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/15/memorial-day-travel-2023" target="_self">near-record travel</a> nationwide, which could spike demand — and thus lead to higher prices.<ul><li>&quot;It&#x27;s possible this is merely the lull before Memorial Day, but it could be a trend that lingers into summer,&quot; Gross said.</li></ul>

Transit

The Denver metro area had one of the country's highest spikes in grocery prices last month, with costs rising 2% compared with the national rate of 0.7%.

Why it matters: For many of the approximately 63% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, rising food prices can be an especially difficult financial challenge.

Grocery prices are particularly vulnerable to outside and difficult-to-control forces, such as climate change and geopolitical happenings.

Zoom in: Among the metro areas with newly published inflation data, other large increases included Washington with a 1.6% increase.

Chicago had among the lowest increases, at 0.8% between November and January.

The big picture: Mark Schneider, CEO of global food giant Nestlé, recently predicted that the price of staple foods will keep rising this year.

"We are still in a situation where we're repairing our gross margin and, like all the consumers around the world, we've been hit by inflation and now we're trying to repair the damage that has been done," Schneider told reporters, per CNN.

Yes, but: The retail price of one key foodstuff — eggs — is expected to drop after a collapse in once-elevated wholesale prices.

The bottom line: While inflation had appeared to be cooling off broadly speaking, experts are warning that price increases are still possible, even likely — like aftershocks following an earthquake.

"No one said disinflation would be a smooth ride," Robert Frick, an economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote in a recent note, as Axios' Neil Irwin and Courtenay Brown reported.

Editor's note: This article was corrected to reflect that the quote from Mark Schneider of Nestlé came from a call with reporters, per CNN.

Denver's grocery prices spiked higher than national average

While inflation appeared to be cool, experts warn that price increases are still possible.

Colorado

The Denver metro area had one of the country&#x27;s highest spikes in grocery prices last month, with costs rising 2% compared with the national rate of 0.7%.Why it matters: For many of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="approximately" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/24/more-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck-as-inflation-outpaces-income.html" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/24/more-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck-as-inflation-outpaces-income.html" target="_blank">approximately</a> 63% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, rising food prices can be an especially difficult financial challenge.

Data: EPA; Note: A concentration below 12 micrograms per cubic meter is considered healthy; Chart: Axios Visuals

Air quality has deteriorated across the Denver metro area since 2015, the latest data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows.

Last September, the EPA officially downgraded the Front Range from a "serious" to "severe" air quality violator after repeated offenses of federal ozone standards.

State of breathing: Colorado's peak season for ozone starts in June, when state health officials begin issuing pollution alerts for the Front Range that run through August.

Why it matters: Fine particles, generated from fossil fuel-burning and other sources, can enter our bodies when we breathe, making their way to the lungs or bloodstream and causing myriad health problems, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.

They are linked to nearly 11,000 needless deaths across the U.S. annually, and put non-white and low-income Americans at higher risk.

By the numbers: The three-year rolling annual average concentration of fine particle pollution across the Denver area was 8.1 micrograms per cubic meter as of 2021 compared to 6.7 in 2015 — a 21% increase, though still below the national average of 8.5 micrograms per cubic meter.

Other Front Range cities also saw their air quality worsen. Air pollution levels spiked by 26% in Greeley and 20% in Boulder.

Concentrations below 12 micrograms per cubic meter are considered healthy, the EPA says — though it is seeking to tighten that standard.

What's happening: Most of the ozone along the Front Range is a result of a few factors, including vehicle emissions, industrial factories, wildfires and Denver's bowl-like topography, which traps pollutants.

Last month, the Suncor oil refinery in Commerce City spewed hazardous chemicals into the surrounding neighborhood, marking its second chemical leak in April.

What's next: State lawmakers are pushing a bill aimed at combating ozone pollution levels, though it was significantly weakened under pressure from the Polis administration and the oil and gas industry.

The intrigue: Some parts of the state saw improvements in air quality, including Grand Junction, where pollution levels dropped by 22% as well as Colorado Springs, which saw a 2% dip.

The big picture: Air quality generally improved in Denver and nationwide during the height of the pandemic, in part because fewer people were driving.

But as the pandemic ebbs and people's behaviors and activities return to normal, air quality nationally is worsening accordingly.

Go deeper: Explore the national interactive map

Air quality in Denver is getting worse

Fine particle pollution across the metro has increased 21%.

Air quality has deteriorated across the Denver metro area since 2015, the latest <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data" data-vars-click-url="https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-design-values" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-design-values" target="_blank">data</a> from the Environmental Protection Agency shows.<ul><li>Last September, the EPA officially <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="downgraded" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-pollution-air-quality-d4ba832736b5c8f5d3eb62a97f6c2237" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-pollution-air-quality-d4ba832736b5c8f5d3eb62a97f6c2237" target="_blank">downgraded</a> the Front Range from a &quot;serious&quot; to &quot;severe&quot; air quality violator after repeated offenses of federal ozone standards.</li></ul>

Kavya Beheraj

Featured stories

Colorado gas prices lower ahead of summer travel season

Air quality in Denver is getting worse

Denver's grocery prices spiked higher than national average

Super Bowl parties in Denver are getting pricier

Play this game to draw Denver neighborhoods and test your knowledge