Prices in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were virtually unchanged (0.1 percent) for the two months ending in November 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Stanley W. Suchman noted that the November movement was influenced by higher prices for gasoline. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 2.8 percent. The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.0 percent over the year. Food prices increased 3.5 percent. Energy prices decreased 1.5 percent, largely the result of lower prices for household energy. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 0.7 percent for the two months ending in November. Prices for food at home rose 1.4 percent and prices for food away from home were unchanged.

Over the year, food prices increased 3.5 percent. Prices for food at home rose 3.4 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home rose 3.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 1.3 percent for the two months ending in November. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (7.9 percent). Prices for natural gas service decreased 2.9 percent, and prices for electricity fell 10.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 1.5 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices in each of the expenditure categories of household energy, natural gas service (-10.2 percent) and electricity (-3.7 percent). Prices paid for gasoline rose 1.5 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was virtually unchanged (-0.1 percent) in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for apparel (-4.9 percent) and shelter (-0.5 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for recreation (1.0 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 3.0 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.8 percent), medical care (3.6 percent), and apparel (6.7 percent).

CPI-W

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metropolitan area for November 2019 was 260.646.  The CPI-W increased 0.2 percent over the two months and rose 2.5 percent over the year.

The January 2020 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on February 13, 2020.

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 approximately 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 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 (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 ww.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch17.pdf.

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 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metropolitan area is comprised of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Park counties in Colorado.

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,
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from -
	Sep. 2019	Oct. 2019	Nov. 2019	Nov. 2018	Sep. 2019	Oct. 2019
All items	270.974	-	271.142	2.8	0.1	-
All items (1967 = 100)	903.585	-	904.146
Food and beverages	240.289	-	241.946	3.1	0.7	-
Food	244.714	-	246.474	3.5	0.7	-
Food at home	229.594	230.627	232.799	3.4	1.4	0.9
Cereals and bakery products	283.046	-	287.482	0.0	1.6	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	216.364	-	220.666	1.3	2.0	-
Dairy and related products	191.897	-	191.593	-3.5	-0.2	-
Fruits and vegetables	289.325	-	277.983	7.0	-3.9	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	155.257	-	170.681	13.4	9.9	-
Other food at home	207.161	-	210.275	2.6	1.5	-
Food away from home	264.066	-	264.066	3.7	0.0	-
Alcoholic beverages	201.794	-	202.379	-1.6	0.3	-
Housing	275.496	-	273.196	3.7	-0.8	-
Shelter	320.523	319.034	318.780	4.8	-0.5	-0.1
Rent of primary residence	330.705	331.496	331.157	3.2	0.1	-0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)	311.808	312.039	312.375	4.4	0.2	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)	311.808	312.039	312.375	4.4	0.2	0.1
Fuels and utilities	247.679	-	235.947	-2.2	-4.7	-
Household energy	166.792	155.762	153.844	-5.8	-7.8	-1.2
Energy services	165.560	154.245	152.440	-5.9	-7.9	-1.2
Electricity	176.415	161.370	158.629	-3.7	-10.1	-1.7
Utility (piped) gas service	146.836	142.646	142.646	-10.2	-2.9	0.0
Household furnishings and operations	117.712	-	117.395	-0.8	-0.3	-
Apparel	105.428	-	100.212	6.7	-4.9	-
Transportation	258.410	-	265.363	0.8	2.7	-
Private transportation	254.540	-	259.723	1.0	2.0	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	108.738	-	107.540	0.3	-1.1	-
New vehicles(1)	222.884	-	223.103	3.3	0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	267.950	-	267.059	1.6	-0.3	-
Motor fuel	216.865	228.732	233.788	1.4	7.8	2.2
Gasoline (all types)	215.277	227.154	232.193	1.5	7.9	2.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	208.022	219.669	224.374	1.6	7.9	2.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	214.101	225.131	231.688	1.0	8.2	2.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	240.208	252.590	258.901	1.4	7.8	2.5
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	2,856.141	-	2,995.966	4.8	4.9	-
Medical care	621.735	-	621.217	3.6	-0.1	-
Recreation(3)	161.495	-	163.093	1.5	1.0	-
Education and communication(3)	123.658	-	123.843	0.1	0.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,086.901	-	1,086.901	2.3	0.0	-
Other goods and services	370.073	-	371.558	1.5	0.4	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	174.766	-	175.768	2.4	0.6	-
Commodities less food and beverages	141.879	-	142.592	1.9	0.5	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	173.102	-	174.533	1.6	0.8	-
Durables	110.474	-	110.643	2.3	0.2	-
Services	356.690	-	355.996	3.1	-0.2	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	247.395	-	248.471	1.7	0.4	-
All items less medical care	255.015	-	255.209	2.8	0.1	-
Commodities less food	144.268	-	144.981	1.8	0.5	-
Nondurables	206.951	-	208.508	2.4	0.8	-
Nondurables less food	174.986	-	176.362	1.3	0.8	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	403.614	-	404.702	0.8	0.3	-
Services less medical care services	333.965	-	333.037	2.8	-0.3	-
Energy	187.460	188.222	189.857	-1.5	1.3	0.9
All items less energy	280.020	-	279.996	3.1	0.0	-
All items less food and energy	287.217	-	286.895	3.0	-0.1	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a January 1978=100 base. (2) Indexes on a November 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Index on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available.