Prices in the Los Angeles area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.7 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the October increase was influenced by higher 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 rose 3.2 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 3.7 percent. Energy prices rose 6.3 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 at home rose 0.3 percent, and prices for food away from home inched up 0.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.7 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 6.0 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home advanced 1.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 7.2 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (10.1 percent). Prices for natural gas service advanced 3.0 percent, and prices for electricity advanced 1.4 percent for the same period.

Energy prices rose 6.3 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (7.8 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service advanced 3.4 percent, and prices for electricity increased 3.3 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.3 percent in October. Higher prices for recreation (3.5 percent), medical care (0.9 percent), and shelter (0.3 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-2.7 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-1.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.7 percent) and other goods and services (2.5 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price declines in apparel (-2.5 percent), alcoholic beverages (-1.0 percent), and recreation (-0.4 percent).

Table A. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 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	-0.1	0.7	3.1	0.9	2.1	0.8	3.5	0.7	3.2
February	0.7	0.1	0.0	2.4	0.6	2.7	0.7	3.6	0.1	2.5
March	1.0	0.5	0.3	1.7	0.3	2.7	0.4	3.8	0.6	2.7
April	-0.1	0.5	0.2	2.0	0.2	2.7	0.4	4.0	1.0	3.3
May	1.0	1.1	0.5	1.4	0.3	2.5	0.4	4.1	0.2	3.1
June	-0.3	0.8	0.1	1.8	-0.2	2.2	-0.2	4.0	0.0	3.3
July	0.7	1.4	0.0	1.1	0.3	2.5	0.2	3.9	0.1	3.3
August	-0.3	1.1	0.0	1.4	0.3	2.8	0.2	3.9	0.0	3.0
September	-0.4	0.7	0.2	1.9	0.4	3.1	0.5	3.9	0.5	3.0
October	0.2	1.0	0.4	2.2	0.4	3.1	0.5	4.1	0.7	3.2
November	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.8	0.1	3.6	-0.3	3.6
December	-0.1	2.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	3.6	-0.3	3.2

The November 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles area 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/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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Los Angeles and Orange Counties in the State of California.

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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (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	274.579	276.054	278.075	3.2	1.3	0.7
All items (1967=100)	811.228	815.585	821.558	-	-	-
Food and beverages	266.821	268.178	268.773	3.4	0.7	0.2
Food	267.539	269.243	269.868	3.7	0.9	0.2
Food at home	255.824	256.546	257.259	1.5	0.6	0.3
Cereals and bakery products	271.840	273.250	276.331	4.7	1.7	1.1
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	277.930	279.039	280.590	2.0	1.0	0.6
Dairy and related products	250.521	244.890	249.190	4.3	-0.5	1.8
Fruits and vegetables	347.604	344.965	347.434	2.8	0.0	0.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	258.151	258.029	253.321	-3.9	-1.9	-1.8
Other food at home	194.663	199.400	198.414	-0.3	1.9	-0.5
Food away from home	276.171	278.875	279.400	6.0	1.2	0.2
Food away from home	276.171	278.875	279.400	6.0	1.2	0.2
Alcoholic beverages	240.962	237.594	237.752	-1.0	-1.3	0.1
Housing	317.261	318.579	319.381	4.4	0.7	0.3
Shelter	366.290	367.156	368.322	4.7	0.6	0.3
Rent of primary residence(2)	387.736	389.477	391.895	5.7	1.1	0.6
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	380.668	381.832	382.524	4.7	0.5	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	380.646	381.810	382.502	4.7	0.5	0.2
Fuels and utilities	332.419	332.808	337.793	3.5	1.6	1.5
Household energy	285.464	285.017	290.446	3.4	1.7	1.9
Energy services(2)	284.022	283.613	288.848	3.3	1.7	1.8
Electricity(2)	326.047	326.491	331.131	3.3	1.6	1.4
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	235.594	233.416	240.518	3.4	2.1	3.0
Household furnishings and operations	121.574	124.585	122.880	1.6	1.1	-1.4
Apparel	107.937	112.308	109.325	-2.5	1.3	-2.7
Transportation	214.119	217.643	225.128	3.4	5.1	3.4
Private transportation	211.461	214.749	222.627	3.5	5.3	3.7
New and used motor vehicles(4)	91.674	90.969	91.183	0.3	-0.5	0.2
New vehicles(1)	168.590	168.792	168.472	0.3	-0.1	-0.2
Used cars and trucks(1)	276.858	265.859	265.251	0.8	-4.2	-0.2
Motor fuel	275.496	290.816	319.939	7.7	16.1	10.0
Gasoline (all types)	269.106	284.163	312.811	7.8	16.2	10.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	269.084	284.214	313.280	7.6	16.4	10.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	260.694	274.830	300.817	8.2	15.4	9.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	257.613	271.704	297.181	8.0	15.4	9.4
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	774.857	777.794	782.920	0.0	1.0	0.7
Medical care	486.938	480.073	484.305	2.4	-0.5	0.9
Recreation(6)	104.271	104.177	107.776	-0.4	3.4	3.5
Education and communication(6)	148.897	149.287	149.112	0.6	0.1	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,951.333	1,961.620	1,959.569	2.7	0.4	-0.1
Other goods and services	446.607	443.033	441.100	2.5	-1.2	-0.4
Commodity and service group
All items	274.579	276.054	278.075	3.2	1.3	0.7
Commodities	183.672	186.235	188.209	2.1	2.5	1.1
Commodities less food & beverages	140.444	143.300	145.669	1.2	3.7	1.7
Nondurables less food & beverages	190.511	196.346	202.158	1.9	6.1	3.0
Durables	92.070	92.305	91.689	-0.1	-0.4	-0.7
Services	355.469	355.989	358.059	3.7	0.7	0.6
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	265.277	267.061	268.989	3.2	1.4	0.7
All items less shelter	234.219	235.978	238.399	2.2	1.8	1.0
Commodities less food	144.840	147.569	149.910	1.1	3.5	1.6
Nondurables	229.904	233.824	237.382	2.7	3.3	1.5
Nondurables less food	195.860	201.274	206.858	1.7	5.6	2.8
Services less rent of shelter(3)	349.377	349.406	352.824	2.2	1.0	1.0
Services less medical care services	343.500	344.269	346.147	3.6	0.8	0.5
Energy	280.943	290.873	311.941	6.3	11.0	7.2
All items less energy	276.331	277.256	278.028	3.0	0.6	0.3
All items less food and energy	278.131	278.935	279.732	2.8	0.6	0.3
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (6) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.