Prices in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.6 percent for the two months ending in July 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak noted that the bi-monthly increase was most influenced by higher prices for energy. (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 3.1 percent. (See chart 1.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.3 percent over the year. Food prices rose 5.5 percent. In contrast, energy prices decreased 4.8 percent during the previous 12 months. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.9 percent for the two months ending in July. (See table 1.)Prices for food away from home advanced 1.5 percent, and prices for food at home increased 0.5 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 5.5 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 6.6 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home advanced 4.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index jumped 18.8 percent for the two months ending in July. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (41.1 percent). Prices for electricity were unchanged.

Energy prices decreased 4.8 percent over the year, led by lower prices for electricity (-6.0 percent). Prices paid for gasoline also decreased, down 3.1 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.8 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for shelter (2.5 percent) and motor vehicle insurance (29.2 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for recreation (-14.2 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.3 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.8 percent) and household furnishings and operations (8.2 percent). Partly offsetting the increases, prices declined for recreation (-0.4 percent).

The September 2020 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, October 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 -
	May 2020	Jun. 2020	Jul. 2020	Jul. 2019	May 2020	Jun. 2020
All items	271.379	-	275.589	3.1	1.6	-
All items (1967 = 100)	904.936	-	918.976
Food and beverages	247.682	-	249.792	5.2	0.9	-
Food	252.695	-	254.963	5.5	0.9	-
Food at home	236.467	237.104	237.599	4.8	0.5	0.2
Cereals and bakery products	289.369	-	276.611	-2.1	-4.4	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	240.035	-	243.761	14.4	1.6	-
Dairy and related products	202.696	-	206.306	4.6	1.8	-
Fruits and vegetables	284.373	-	276.881	0.1	-2.6	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	165.818	-	169.505	9.6	2.2	-
Other food at home	200.924	-	207.014	1.2	3.0	-
Food away from home	273.810	-	277.786	6.6	1.5	-
Alcoholic beverages	203.528	-	204.114	0.6	0.3	-
Housing	275.401	-	281.526	4.6	2.2	-
Shelter	320.016	326.162	328.036	4.8	2.5	0.6
Rent of primary residence	333.560	334.148	333.200	2.4	-0.1	-0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)	313.310	312.903	313.092	2.2	-0.1	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)	313.310	312.903	313.092	2.2	-0.1	0.1
Fuels and utilities	236.231	-	234.328	-2.9	-0.8	-
Household energy	151.438	151.338	149.731	-7.1	-1.1	-1.1
Energy services	149.838	149.728	148.219	-7.3	-1.1	-1.0
Electricity	157.806	157.806	157.806	-6.0	0.0	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service	-	-	-	-	-	-
Household furnishings and operations	122.792	-	125.383	8.2	2.1	-
Apparel	88.462	-	94.053	2.4	6.3	-
Transportation	240.178	-	258.715	-1.9	7.7	-
Private transportation	236.859	-	260.416	1.2	9.9	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	107.933	-	108.975	-1.5	1.0	-
New vehicles(1)	225.510	-	226.284	1.6	0.3	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	269.663	-	274.652	-0.1	1.9	-
Motor fuel	153.073	196.723	214.343	-3.5	40.0	9.0
Gasoline (all types)	151.532	195.923	213.744	-3.1	41.1	9.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	144.306	188.771	206.293	-3.1	43.0	9.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	160.199	199.724	215.029	-2.4	34.2	7.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	180.509	221.012	239.521	-3.1	32.7	8.4
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	2,470.825	-	3,193.197	11.8	29.2	-
Medical care	631.792	-	631.684	3.0	0.0	-
Recreation(3)	188.013	-	161.313	-0.4	-14.2	-
Education and communication(3)	124.326	-	127.698	3.8	2.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,087.858	-	1,093.168	2.8	0.5	-
Other goods and services	376.366	-	384.760	3.9	2.2	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	172.198	-	177.760	3.2	3.2	-
Commodities less food and beverages	135.907	-	142.393	2.0	4.8	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	154.439	-	168.744	-0.4	9.3	-
Durables	113.815	-	114.378	4.7	0.5	-
Services	360.291	-	362.786	3.1	0.7	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	248.272	-	250.750	2.1	1.0	-
All items less medical care	255.044	-	259.384	3.1	1.7	-
Commodities less food	138.519	-	144.841	2.0	4.6	-
Nondurables	199.980	-	208.904	2.6	4.5	-
Nondurables less food	157.775	-	171.104	-0.3	8.4	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	413.822	-	407.331	0.9	-1.6	-
Services less medical care services	336.859	-	339.226	2.9	0.7	-
Energy	150.220	170.913	178.465	-4.8	18.8	4.4
All items less energy	283.473	-	285.768	3.5	0.8	-
All items less food and energy	289.922	-	292.232	3.3	0.8	-
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.