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News Release Information

21-409-SAN
Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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

Consumer Price Index, West Region — February 2021

Area prices were up 0.5 percent over the past month, up 1.6 percent from a year ago

Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.5 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The February increase was influenced by higher prices for gasoline and shelter. (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 rose 1.6 percent. This is the eleventh consecutive month of year-over-year increases less than 2.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 4.5 percent. Energy prices crept up 0.2 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of electricity. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.4 percent for the month of February. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home increased 0.5 percent. Prices for food at home rose 0.4 percent. Higher prices for other food at home (1.3 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for dairy and related products (-1.2 percent).

Over the year, food prices rose 4.5 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 4.6 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home rose 4.3 percent, influenced by higher prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (7.8 percent).

Energy

The energy index rose 3.6 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (5.2 percent). Prices for electricity advanced 2.4 percent, but prices for natural gas service decreased 0.4 percent for the same period.

Energy prices crept up 0.2 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for electricity (5.2 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service increased 6.8 percent, but prices for gasoline declined 3.7 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent in February. Higher prices for motor vehicle insurance (2.9 percent), recreation (1.0 percent), and shelter (0.2 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for alcoholic beverages (-0.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used motor vehicles (4.3 percent), household furnishings and operations (3.0 percent), and shelter (1.2 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in apparel (-3.2 percent) and recreation (-0.7 percent).

Table A. West region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20172018201920202021
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.52.50.53.10.22.70.32.90.21.4

February

0.63.00.53.10.22.40.43.10.51.6

March

0.33.10.43.20.42.4-0.22.5

April

0.32.90.43.20.82.9-0.41.3

May

0.22.60.53.50.52.90.10.8

June

0.02.50.23.60.02.70.41.2

July

0.12.50.13.60.02.70.51.7

August

0.22.70.23.60.12.60.31.9

September

0.52.90.33.40.32.60.01.6

October

0.32.90.43.50.52.80.21.2

November

0.03.1-0.23.3-0.12.80.01.4

December

0.13.1-0.23.1-0.22.8-0.11.5

The March 2021 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on April 13, 2021.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on February 2021 Consumer Price Index Data

Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in February was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed.

While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at https://www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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 93 percent of the total U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods 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

IndexesPercent change from-
Dec.
2020
Jan.
2021
Feb.
2021
Feb.
2020
Dec.
2020
Jan.
2021

Expenditure category

All Items

276.593277.238278.7021.60.80.5

All items (December 1977=100)

447.097448.139450.506   

Food and beverages

280.962281.122282.1614.40.40.4

Food

281.330281.443282.6434.50.50.4

Food at home

263.334263.024263.9564.30.20.4

Cereals and bakery products

269.442265.321265.8290.6-1.30.2

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

279.407281.551283.1557.81.30.6

Dairy and related products

249.450249.225246.3463.8-1.2-1.2

Fruits and vegetables

345.758346.758345.4092.9-0.1-0.4

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

188.808189.380190.5337.40.90.6

Other food at home

220.154218.670221.4633.10.61.3

Food away from home

304.699305.392306.9554.60.70.5

Alcoholic beverages

272.690273.440272.4593.2-0.1-0.4

Housing

308.596309.310310.1821.70.50.3

Shelter

356.259357.040357.6701.20.40.2

Rent of primary residence(1)

381.592381.621382.5381.60.20.2

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

376.555376.862377.6071.70.30.2

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

376.521376.828377.5741.70.30.2

Fuels and utilities

318.685320.809325.2025.02.01.4

Household energy

267.916269.583274.3445.72.41.8

Energy services(1)

269.870271.372276.1925.62.31.8

Electricity(1)

301.284302.211309.3985.22.72.4

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

211.838214.943214.0936.81.1-0.4

Household furnishings and operations

138.186138.132138.3893.00.10.2

Apparel

109.417111.966113.304-3.23.61.2

Transportation

211.613213.427216.515-0.22.31.4

Private transportation

209.457211.674215.2941.42.81.7

New and used motor vehicles(3)

103.780103.808104.0344.30.20.2

New vehicles

151.498151.328151.4871.70.00.1

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

105.216105.131105.2291.70.00.1

New cars(4)

149.827 150.2861.70.3 

Used cars and trucks

145.018144.269145.1219.90.10.6

Motor fuel

224.302232.603244.582-3.99.05.1

Gasoline (all types)

223.441231.807243.806-3.79.15.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

219.641228.073240.237-3.89.45.3

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

218.122225.173235.437-3.57.94.6

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

224.743232.297242.779-3.18.04.5

Motor vehicle insurance(6)

796.456810.395833.674-1.04.72.9

Medical Care

537.478539.245539.7961.20.40.1

Medical care commodities

420.843419.214409.235-3.8-2.8-2.4

Medical care services

573.504576.341580.2142.41.20.7

Professional services

364.747367.490374.0883.52.61.8

Recreation(3)

116.617114.324115.448-0.7-1.01.0

Education and communication(3)

141.355140.694141.1182.2-0.20.3

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)

1,513.9781,503.2071,506.2890.6-0.50.2

Other goods and services

461.308469.789473.0423.12.50.7

Commodity and Service Group

All Items

276.593277.238278.7021.60.80.5

Commodities

190.461191.414192.8942.31.30.8

Commodities less food & beverages

146.924148.131149.7050.91.91.1

Nondurables less food & beverages

185.582189.441192.047-1.93.51.4

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

239.120243.907247.400-1.53.51.4

Durables

109.782109.262110.0634.00.30.7

Services

356.772357.050358.4261.10.50.4

Rent of shelter(2)

379.409380.246380.9661.20.40.2

Transportation services

304.439306.105307.975-4.01.20.6

Other services

368.948364.854366.5390.9-0.70.5

Special aggregate indexes:

All items less medical care

264.713265.309266.8061.60.80.6

All items less food

275.961276.694278.2021.10.80.5

All items less shelter

245.337245.928247.7171.81.00.7

Commodities less food

151.471152.674154.1891.01.81.0

Nondurables

233.136235.212237.0691.61.70.8

Nondurables less food

191.949195.618197.997-1.53.21.2

Nondurables less food and apparel

242.348246.701249.717-1.03.01.2

Services less rent of shelter(2)

367.921367.521369.8851.10.50.6

Services less medical care services

341.661341.769342.9761.00.40.4

Energy

246.618252.230261.3310.26.03.6

All items less energy

280.958281.271282.2291.70.50.3

All items less food and energy

281.681282.032282.9491.20.50.3

Commodities less food and energy commodities

143.016143.491143.9521.80.70.3

Energy commodities

229.130237.605249.676-3.69.05.1

Services less energy services

363.169363.379364.5661.00.40.3

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) Indexes 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.
(6) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.

- Data not available
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, March 10, 2021