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News Release Information

19-2017-SAN
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

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

Consumer Price Index, West Region — October 2019

Area prices were up 0.5 percent over the past month, up 2.8 percent from a year ago

Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.5 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The October increase was influenced by higher prices for gasoline and medical care. (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 2.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.8 percent over the year. Food prices rose 2.6 percent. Energy prices rose 2.0 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices edged up 0.2 percent for the month of October. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home increased 0.3 percent, and prices for food at home inched up 0.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 2.6 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 3.9 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home advanced 1.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 4.8 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (7.2 percent). Prices for natural gas service advanced 1.6 percent, and prices for electricity advanced 0.6 percent for the same period.

Energy prices rose 2.0 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (2.1 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service advanced 2.6 percent, and prices for electricity increased 2.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent in October. Higher prices for medical care (1.6 percent), recreation (0.7 percent), and shelter (0.2 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-0.8 percent) and apparel (-0.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (4.9 percent) and shelter (4.6 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline in apparel (-2.1 percent).

Table A. West region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month

January

-0.3 0.7 0.5 2.6 0.5 2.5 0.5 3.1 0.2 2.7

February

0.6 0.9 0.1 2.1 0.6 3.0 0.5 3.1 0.2 2.4

March

0.8 1.1 0.2 1.5 0.3 3.1 0.4 3.2 0.4 2.4

April

0.3 1.0 0.5 1.8 0.3 2.9 0.4 3.2 0.8 2.9

May

0.8 1.2 0.5 1.5 0.2 2.6 0.5 3.5 0.5 2.9

June

0.0 1.1 0.2 1.6 0.0 2.5 0.2 3.6 0.0 2.7

July

0.3 1.3 0.1 1.4 0.1 2.5 0.1 3.6 0.0 2.7

August

-0.1 1.3 0.0 1.5 0.2 2.7 0.2 3.6 0.1 2.6

September

-0.2 1.0 0.3 2.0 0.5 2.9 0.3 3.4 0.3 2.6

October

0.0 1.1 0.3 2.3 0.3 2.9 0.4 3.5 0.5 2.8

November

-0.2 1.5 -0.2 2.3 0.0 3.1 -0.2 3.3

December

-0.1 1.8 0.0 2.5 0.1 3.1 -0.2 3.1

The November 2019 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on December 11, 2019.


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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 29 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 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 (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/homch17_a.htm.

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-
Aug.
2019
Sep.
2019
Oct.
2019
Oct.
2018
Aug.
2019
Sep.
2019

Expenditure category

All Items

271.264 272.102 273.524 2.8 0.8 0.5

All items (December 1977=100)

438.483 439.839 442.137      

Food and beverages

265.684 266.908 267.382 2.5 0.6 0.2

Food

265.531 266.870 267.487 2.6 0.7 0.2

Food at home

249.406 250.531 251.030 1.5 0.7 0.2

Cereals and bakery products

265.039 268.127 266.617 3.4 0.6 -0.6

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

257.263 259.437 257.933 1.0 0.3 -0.6

Dairy and related products

232.001 231.028 234.068 2.4 0.9 1.3

Fruits and vegetables

332.753 332.862 336.864 2.6 1.2 1.2

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

171.176 171.955 174.118 0.2 1.7 1.3

Other food at home

212.771 213.654 212.827 0.5 0.0 -0.4

Food away from home

286.485 288.102 288.871 3.9 0.8 0.3

Alcoholic beverages

264.307 264.029 262.665 0.4 -0.6 -0.5

Housing

301.000 301.774 302.144 4.2 0.4 0.1

Shelter

348.257 349.189 349.802 4.6 0.4 0.2

Rent of primary residence(1)

368.205 370.096 371.955 4.9 1.0 0.5

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

364.784 366.097 367.314 4.5 0.7 0.3

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

364.792 366.101 367.318 4.5 0.7 0.3

Fuels and utilities

309.466 308.582 310.623 3.1 0.4 0.7

Household energy

261.438 259.801 262.208 2.1 0.3 0.9

Energy services(1)

263.965 262.225 264.312 2.2 0.1 0.8

Electricity(1)

297.286 295.549 297.331 2.1 0.0 0.6

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

200.433 198.516 201.626 2.6 0.6 1.6

Household furnishings and operations

133.167 134.040 132.956 1.5 -0.2 -0.8

Apparel

115.220 120.198 119.233 -2.1 3.5 -0.8

Transportation

219.655 219.408 223.674 0.7 1.8 1.9

Private transportation

215.380 215.030 219.314 0.8 1.8 2.0

New and used motor vehicles(3)

101.234 99.719 99.743 -0.5 -1.5 0.0

New vehicles

147.708 147.517 147.391 0.5 -0.2 -0.1

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

102.566 102.436 102.350 0.5 -0.2 -0.1

New cars(4)

146.207 145.982 145.782 1.2 -0.3 -0.1

Used cars and trucks

138.797 133.329 133.071 1.2 -4.1 -0.2

Motor fuel

263.895 267.730 286.854 1.9 8.7 7.1

Gasoline (all types)

262.925 266.861 286.207 2.1 8.9 7.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

259.833 263.710 283.162 2.1 9.0 7.4

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

252.338 255.446 272.405 2.5 8.0 6.6

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

257.964 262.003 279.515 2.4 8.4 6.7

Motor vehicle insurance(6)

846.586 847.027 842.158 -1.2 -0.5 -0.6

Medical Care

513.165 512.817 521.163 4.9 1.6 1.6

Medical care commodities

392.902 388.800 411.526 7.1 4.7 5.8

Medical care services

551.076 552.011 555.400 4.4 0.8 0.6

Professional services

359.808 358.709 359.664 1.3 0.0 0.3

Recreation(3)

114.405 114.847 115.627 1.3 1.1 0.7

Education and communication(3)

138.033 138.154 137.928 -0.1 -0.1 -0.2

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

1,482.731 1,491.739 1,494.313 2.5 0.8 0.2

Other goods and services

450.917 449.522 451.586 2.9 0.1 0.5

Commodity and Service Group

All Items

271.264 272.102 273.524 2.8 0.8 0.5

Commodities

187.223 188.239 190.020 1.6 1.5 0.9

Commodities less food & beverages

148.394 149.280 151.460 1.0 2.1 1.5

Nondurables less food & beverages

194.665 197.192 202.934 1.2 4.2 2.9

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

250.370 251.095 261.643 2.3 4.5 4.2

Durables

106.852 106.454 105.835 0.7 -1.0 -0.6

Services

349.461 350.092 351.102 3.4 0.5 0.3

Rent of shelter(2)

370.879 371.879 372.536 4.6 0.4 0.2

Transportation services

321.034 320.998 321.753 -0.4 0.2 0.2

Other services

357.889 358.571 360.056 1.3 0.6 0.4

Special aggregate indexes:

All items less medical care

260.212 261.099 262.221 2.6 0.8 0.4

All items less food

272.339 273.100 274.649 2.8 0.8 0.6

All items less shelter

241.063 241.866 243.616 1.7 1.1 0.7

Commodities less food

152.675 153.538 155.642 1.0 1.9 1.4

Nondurables

230.342 232.299 235.675 1.9 2.3 1.5

Nondurables less food

199.853 202.233 207.598 1.1 3.9 2.7

Nondurables less food and apparel

251.390 252.020 261.427 2.1 4.0 3.7

Services less rent of shelter(2)

361.338 361.575 363.142 1.9 0.5 0.4

Services less medical care services

335.364 335.975 336.825 3.3 0.4 0.3

Energy

266.906 268.626 281.399 2.0 5.4 4.8

All items less energy

273.838 274.619 275.227 2.8 0.5 0.2

All items less food and energy

276.089 276.778 277.386 2.8 0.5 0.2

Commodities less food and energy commodities

140.533 141.049 141.127 0.7 0.4 0.1

Energy commodities

268.359 272.235 291.662 1.9 8.7 7.1

Services less energy services

355.764 356.528 357.483 3.5 0.5 0.3

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, November 13, 2019