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News Release Information

15-303-SAN
Thursday, February 26, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Consumer Price Index, Portland – Second Half 2014

Area prices were up 1.2 percent over the past six months, up 2.3 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Portland Area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), rose 1.2 percent in the second half of 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) 

Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden noted that the January increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and food. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, six-month-to-six-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 2.3 percent.  (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices increased 0.9 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of electricity. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.2 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 2.8 percent in the second half of 2014. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 2.8 percent, and prices for food away from home also rose 2.8 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 3.9 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 4.4 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 3.3 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 2.0 percent since the first half of 2014. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-3.3 percent). Prices for electricity edged down 0.1 percent, but prices for natural gas service rose 0.8 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 0.9 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for electricity (7.2 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service advanced 1.4 percent, but prices for gasoline declined 1.9 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.3 percent in the latest six-month period. Higher prices for shelter (2.7 percent) and medical care (1.9 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for recreation (-0.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.5 percent) and medical care (2.7 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price declines in apparel (-2.2 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.4 percent).

Table A. Portland CPI-U semi-annual and annual percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)
Month200920102011201220132014
Semi-annualAnnualSemi-annualAnnualSemi-annualAnnualSemi-annualAnnualSemi-annualAnnualSemi-annualAnnual

First Half

-1.0-0.20.11.61.82.61.22.51.32.21.02.6

Second Half

1.40.50.80.91.33.10.92.11.52.81.22.3

The first half of 2015 Consumer Price Index for the Portland-Salem, OR is scheduled to be released on August 19, 2015.


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed market basket of goods and services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: (1) a CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) which covers approximately 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 percent of the total population. The CPI-U includes, in addition to wage earners and clerical workers, groups such as professional, managerial, and technical workers, the self-employed, short-term workers, the unemployed, and retirees and others not in the labor force.

The CPI is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, and fuels, transportation fares, charges for doctors' and dentists' services, drugs, and the other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. Each month, prices are collected in 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 retail establishments--department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other types of stores and service establishments. All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included in the index.

The index measures price changes from a designated reference date (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period "market basket" of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.

In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each location are averaged together with weights that represent their importance in the spending of the appropriate population group. Local data are then combined to obtain a U.S. city average. Because the sample size of a local area is smaller, the local area index is subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error than the national index. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although their long-term trends are quite similar. NOTE: Area indexes do not measure differences in the level of prices between cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

The Portland-Salem, OR, WA metropolitan area covered in this release consists of Clackamas, Columbia, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Washington, and Yamhill Counties in the State of Oregon and Clark County in the State of Washington.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods

Portland-Salem, OR-WA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Semiannual average indexes
 
Percent change to
2nd half 2014 from-
2nd half
2013
1st half
2014
2nd half
2014
2nd half
2013
1st half
2014

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

237.322239.751242.6792.31.2

All items (1967=100)

694.780701.889710.462--

Food and beverages

223.207225.641231.5223.72.6

Food

224.950227.401233.8253.92.8

Food at home

210.133213.328219.3504.42.8

Food away from home

247.892249.125256.0783.32.8

Alcoholic beverages

207.014209.176209.0621.0-0.1

Housing

227.663231.548236.7834.02.3

Shelter

264.462268.974276.2484.52.7

Rent of primary residence

263.073267.855275.5584.72.9

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1)

276.089280.762287.6424.22.5

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1)

276.089280.762287.6424.22.5

Fuels and utilities

248.183257.502259.3564.50.7

Household energy

197.338208.833208.4995.7-0.2

Energy services

241.826255.323255.7105.70.2

Electricity

278.282298.351298.1937.2-0.1

Utility (piped) gas service

165.440166.438167.7981.40.8

Household furnishings and operations

106.096104.905105.624-0.40.7

Apparel

128.638124.700125.834-2.20.9

Transportation

241.832242.858237.213-1.9-2.3

Private transportation

243.228245.511241.753-0.6-1.5

Motor fuel

311.396315.835305.276-2.0-3.3

Gasoline (all types)

313.906318.419307.919-1.9-3.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular (2)

312.033316.695306.226-1.9-3.3

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (2) (3)

265.410268.829259.803-2.1-3.4

Gasoline, unleaded premium (2)

287.771291.450282.174-1.9-3.2

Medical care

500.430504.334513.9252.71.9

Recreation (4)

108.594110.231109.6791.0-0.5

Education and communication (4)

116.012115.807116.6640.60.7

Other goods and services

464.108468.845472.0441.70.7
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

237.322239.751242.6792.31.2

Commodities

181.140181.550182.5620.80.6

Commodities less food & beverages

160.414159.936158.647-1.1-0.8

Nondurables less food & beverages

201.011200.948199.795-0.6-0.6

Durables

117.358116.571115.187-1.8-1.2

Services

294.069298.488303.3283.11.6
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

225.525227.874230.5202.21.2

All items less shelter

228.181229.690230.7941.10.5

Commodities less food

161.989161.621160.378-1.0-0.8

Nondurables

211.209212.258214.5401.61.1

Nondurables less food

200.332200.455199.385-0.5-0.5

Services less rent of shelter (1)

339.545343.621344.9441.60.4

Services less medical care services

278.631283.101287.9793.41.7

Energy

252.293259.747254.5200.9-2.0

All items less energy

239.324241.399245.1762.41.6

All items less food and energy

243.795245.815249.1132.21.3

Footnotes
(1) Index is on a December 1982=100 base.
(2) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(3) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
 

- Data not available.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, February 26, 2015