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News Release Information

15-1808-SAN
Wednesday, September 16, 2015

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

Consumer Price Index, West Region — August 2015

Area prices were down 0.1 percent over the past month, up 1.3 percent from a year ago

Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged down 0.1 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The August decrease was influenced by lower prices for gasoline. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U advanced 1.3 percent. (See chart 1.) Energy prices decreased 9.5 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.4 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 0.3 percent for the month of August. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home advanced 0.4 percent, and prices for food at home increased 0.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 1.5 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 2.0 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home advanced 1.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 2.5 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-4.5 percent). Prices for electricity edged down 0.1 percent, but prices for natural gas service increased 1.4 percent during the same period.

Energy prices decreased 9.5 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-15.4 percent). Prices for natural gas service declined 1.0 percent during the past year, but prices paid for electricity advanced 0.6 percent

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in August. Categories with higher prices included apparel (1.4 percent), shelter (0.4 percent), and education and communication (0.3 percent). In contrast, prices declined for medical care (-0.8 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.4 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.3 percent) and medical care (2.5 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price declines in apparel (-1.6 percent) and education and communication (-0.5 percent).

Table A. West Region CPI-U monthly and annual percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)
Month201020112012201320142015
MonthlyAnnualMonthlyAnnualMonthlyAnnualMonthlyAnnualMonthlyAnnualMonthlyAnnual

January

0.31.90.51.40.42.60.31.70.31.7-0.30.7

February

0.11.40.61.90.42.50.82.00.41.30.60.9

March

0.31.60.92.60.92.40.41.50.61.50.81.1

April

0.21.50.63.00.22.10.01.30.31.80.31.0

May

0.11.30.33.20.22.00.21.30.62.30.81.2

June

-0.10.6-0.23.1-0.22.00.11.50.12.30.01.1

July

0.10.8-0.12.9-0.31.80.01.90.12.30.31.3

August

0.10.70.23.00.52.10.11.5-0.12.1-0.11.3

September

-0.10.50.43.50.52.20.21.30.12.0  

October

0.10.60.03.40.42.5-0.10.9-0.12.0  

November

0.00.9-0.23.2-0.71.9-0.41.3-0.61.7  

December

0.21.3-0.32.7-0.51.70.01.8-0.51.3  

The September 2015 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on October 15, 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 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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 West Region covered in this release is comprised of the following thirteen states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

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 and percent changes for selected periods

West (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Indexes
 
Percent change from-
Jun.
2015
Jul.
2015
Aug.
2015
Aug.
2014
Jun.
2015
Jul.
2015

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

244.332245.040244.7371.30.2-0.1

All items (December 1977=100)

394.950396.093395.603   

Food and beverages

248.831249.041249.7951.40.40.3

Food

249.018249.229250.0451.50.40.3

Food at home

247.781249.077249.8251.10.80.3

Food away from home

249.537248.217249.1252.0-0.20.4

Alcoholic beverages

243.043243.237243.1870.30.10.0

Housing

254.543255.592256.3833.60.70.3

Shelter

286.858288.418289.5324.30.90.4

Rent of primary residence (1)

300.077301.282302.6654.30.90.5

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

300.971302.165303.4464.30.80.4

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

300.959302.150303.4284.30.80.4

Fuels and utilities

283.095282.591284.5121.70.50.7

Household energy

249.570248.442249.042-0.2-0.20.2

Energy services (1)

252.200251.242251.8950.2-0.10.3

Electricity (1)

276.156276.848276.6090.60.2-0.1

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

211.028206.061208.891-1.0-1.01.4

Household furnishings and operations

129.694129.673128.7510.7-0.7-0.7

Apparel

117.569116.120117.732-1.60.11.4

Transportation

212.102213.790209.616-4.1-1.2-2.0

Private transportation

204.699207.669204.559-4.2-0.1-1.5

New and used motor vehicles (3)

102.482102.678102.2681.0-0.2-0.4

New vehicles

147.987147.620146.3271.6-1.1-0.9

New cars and trucks (3) (4)

102.854102.586101.6741.6-1.1-0.9

New cars (4)

147.414146.810145.4750.6-1.3-0.9

Used cars and trucks

146.081146.251146.008-2.10.0-0.2

Motor fuel

263.316274.229261.905-15.6-0.5-4.5

Gasoline (all types)

262.634273.797261.539-15.4-0.4-4.5

Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)

260.676271.793259.528-15.8-0.4-4.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)

249.069259.585249.585-13.80.2-3.9

Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)

253.719264.212252.389-13.8-0.5-4.5

Medical Care

453.453455.089451.4362.5-0.4-0.8

Medical care commodities

343.741345.506344.3174.30.2-0.3

Medical care services

488.314489.865485.2942.0-0.6-0.9

Professional services

339.843341.435338.3301.8-0.4-0.9

Recreation (3)

111.025111.030110.8340.6-0.2-0.2

Education and communication (3)

137.813137.604138.013-0.50.10.3

Other goods and services

402.541402.499401.9120.5-0.2-0.1
 

Commodity and Service Group

 
 

All Items

244.332245.040244.7371.30.2-0.1

Commodities

182.581183.246182.356-1.7-0.1-0.5

Commodities less food & beverages

148.943149.773148.236-3.8-0.5-1.0

Nondurables less food & beverages

190.276192.300189.788-5.8-0.3-1.3

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

241.327245.683240.400-7.0-0.4-2.2

Durables

110.771110.518109.871-0.5-0.8-0.6

Services

301.127301.866302.1333.10.30.1

Rent of shelter (2)

305.205306.829308.0204.30.90.4

Transportation services

287.959285.501281.8612.1-2.1-1.3

Other services

336.128336.067336.5340.80.10.1
 

Special aggregate indexes:

 
 

All items less medical care

234.732235.399235.2321.20.2-0.1

All items less food

243.790244.577244.0961.20.1-0.2

All items less shelter

228.409228.759227.850-0.3-0.2-0.4

Commodities less food

152.600153.416151.914-3.6-0.4-1.0

Nondurables

220.002221.198220.190-2.10.1-0.5

Nondurables less food

194.409196.334193.957-5.3-0.2-1.2

Nondurables less food and apparel

241.122245.071240.299-6.3-0.3-1.9

Services less rent of shelter (2)

330.100329.763328.8481.7-0.4-0.3

Services less medical care services

288.102288.789289.3323.20.40.2

Energy

259.758265.318258.734-9.5-0.4-2.5

All items less energy

245.143245.488245.6592.20.20.1

All items less food and energy

245.235245.605245.6632.40.20.0

Commodities less food and energy commodities

140.485140.120139.901-0.4-0.4-0.2

Energy commodities

267.044277.746265.451-15.6-0.6-4.4

Services less energy services

305.001305.850306.0933.30.40.1

Footnotes
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(2) Index is on a December 1982=100 base.
(3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
 

Regions defined as the four Census regions. West includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2015