Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), inched up 0.1 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The February increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter 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 2.1 percent. (See chart 1.) Energy prices decreased 7.0 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.0 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

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

Over the year, food prices rose 1.5 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 3.4 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home edged up 0.2 percent

Energy

The energy index declined 6.1 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-12.3 percent). Prices for electricity advanced 0.3 percent, and prices for natural gas service increased 0.4 percent for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 7.0 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-13.2 percent). Prices for natural gas service declined 4.7 percent, but prices paid for electricity advanced 1.2 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.5 percent in February. Higher prices for apparel (2.8 percent), medical care (1.2 percent), and shelter (0.5 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for education and communication (-0.3 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.2 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.0 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.7 percent) and medical care (3.7 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline for new cars (-0.7 percent).

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

Month	2011		2012		2013		2014		2015		2016
	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual
January	0.5	1.4	0.4	2.6	0.3	1.7	0.3	1.7	-0.3	0.7	0.5	2.6
February	0.6	1.9	0.4	2.5	0.8	2.0	0.4	1.3	0.6	0.9	0.1	2.1
March	0.9	2.6	0.9	2.4	0.4	1.5	0.6	1.5	0.8	1.1
April	0.6	3.0	0.2	2.1	0.0	1.3	0.3	1.8	0.3	1.0
May	0.3	3.2	0.2	2.0	0.2	1.3	0.6	2.3	0.8	1.2
June	-0.2	3.1	-0.2	2.0	0.1	1.5	0.1	2.3	0.0	1.1
July	-0.1	2.9	-0.3	1.8	0.0	1.9	0.1	2.3	0.3	1.3
August	0.2	3.0	0.5	2.1	0.1	1.5	-0.1	2.1	-0.1	1.3
September	0.4	3.5	0.5	2.2	0.2	1.3	0.1	2.0	-0.2	1.0
October	0.0	3.4	0.4	2.5	-0.1	0.9	-0.1	2.0	0.0	1.1
November	-0.2	3.2	-0.7	1.9	-0.4	1.3	-0.6	1.7	-0.2	1.5
December	-0.3	2.7	-0.5	1.7	0.0	1.8	-0.5	1.3	-0.1	1.8

The March 2016 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on April 14, 2016.

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-
	Dec. 2015	Jan. 2016	Feb. 2016	Feb. 2015	Dec. 2015	Jan. 2016
Expenditure category
All Items	243.434	244.600	244.821	2.1	0.6	0.1
All items (December 1977=100)	393.498	395.382	395.739
Food and beverages	251.102	252.297	252.898	1.5	0.7	0.2
Food	251.300	252.408	252.966	1.5	0.7	0.2
Food at home	248.480	249.584	250.045	0.2	0.6	0.2
Food away from home	254.041	255.149	255.841	3.4	0.7	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	245.138	247.478	248.670	2.1	1.4	0.5
Housing	258.106	259.985	261.126	3.9	1.2	0.4
Shelter	293.423	295.183	296.707	4.7	1.1	0.5
Rent of primary residence (1)	308.893	310.112	311.351	4.9	0.8	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)	308.301	309.485	310.751	4.7	0.8	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)	308.284	309.472	310.742	4.7	0.8	0.4
Fuels and utilities	273.085	277.144	278.267	1.3	1.9	0.4
Household energy	234.451	238.794	239.532	-0.1	2.2	0.3
Energy services (1)	236.140	240.609	241.383	-0.2	2.2	0.3
Electricity (1)	260.589	265.864	266.632	1.2	2.3	0.3
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	192.761	195.589	196.429	-4.7	1.9	0.4
Household furnishings and operations	129.113	130.436	130.220	0.7	0.9	-0.2
Apparel	115.729	116.407	119.697	0.8	3.4	2.8
Transportation	195.062	194.907	190.635	-2.1	-2.3	-2.2
Private transportation	188.654	188.555	184.063	-2.2	-2.4	-2.4
New and used motor vehicles (3)	99.778	99.730	100.691	0.0	0.9	1.0
New vehicles	146.074	146.138	147.376	0.1	0.9	0.8
New cars and trucks (3) (4)	101.454	101.496	102.354	0.0	0.9	0.8
New cars (4)	144.765	144.848	146.173	-0.7	1.0	0.9
Used cars and trucks	137.111	137.043	138.133	-0.4	0.7	0.8
Motor fuel	199.182	198.078	173.893	-13.5	-12.7	-12.2
Gasoline (all types)	198.342	197.513	173.287	-13.2	-12.6	-12.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)	195.732	194.666	170.322	-13.7	-13.0	-12.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)	190.802	190.843	168.365	-12.4	-11.8	-11.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)	196.112	196.123	174.285	-11.0	-11.1	-11.1
Medical Care	459.224	460.641	466.390	3.7	1.6	1.2
Medical care commodities	345.408	347.688	351.417	1.8	1.7	1.1
Medical care services	495.621	496.693	503.121	4.3	1.5	1.3
Professional services	341.980	342.595	345.538	2.8	1.0	0.9
Recreation (3)	110.725	111.498	111.764	2.0	0.9	0.2
Education and communication (3)	138.660	138.896	138.429	0.0	-0.2	-0.3
Other goods and services	406.063	406.263	405.812	1.2	-0.1	-0.1
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	243.434	244.600	244.821	2.1	0.6	0.1
Commodities	177.122	177.738	176.682	-0.6	-0.2	-0.6
Commodities less food & beverages	140.486	140.849	139.193	-2.1	-0.9	-1.2
Nondurables less food & beverages	175.142	175.510	171.339	-3.2	-2.2	-2.4
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	217.157	217.336	208.314	-4.6	-4.1	-4.2
Durables	108.388	108.737	109.165	-0.5	0.7	0.4
Services	304.636	306.318	307.770	3.7	1.0	0.5
Rent of shelter (2)	312.178	314.055	315.685	4.7	1.1	0.5
Transportation services	284.624	285.013	286.440	2.4	0.6	0.5
Other services	338.421	339.939	339.607	1.7	0.4	-0.1
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	233.571	234.724	234.701	2.0	0.5	0.0
All items less food	242.386	243.561	243.730	2.2	0.6	0.1
All items less shelter	224.322	225.244	224.910	0.7	0.3	-0.1
Commodities less food	144.404	144.822	143.228	-1.9	-0.8	-1.1
Nondurables	212.867	213.626	211.634	-0.6	-0.6	-0.9
Nondurables less food	180.233	180.714	176.818	-2.8	-1.9	-2.2
Nondurables less food and apparel	219.512	219.885	211.786	-4.0	-3.5	-3.7
Services less rent of shelter (2)	329.466	331.083	332.466	2.4	0.9	0.4
Services less medical care services	291.366	293.083	294.210	3.6	1.0	0.4
Energy	217.214	218.529	205.191	-7.0	-5.5	-6.1
All items less energy	247.391	248.555	249.793	2.7	1.0	0.5
All items less food and energy	247.485	248.661	250.019	3.0	1.0	0.5
Commodities less food and energy commodities	138.860	139.460	140.513	0.1	1.2	0.8
Energy commodities	203.507	202.420	178.266	-13.1	-12.4	-11.9
Services less energy services	309.766	311.280	312.779	3.9	1.0	0.5
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.