Prices in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), decreased 0.6 percent for the two months ending in September 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak noted that the September decrease was most influenced by lower prices for shelter and 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 rose 1.1 percent. (See chart 1.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.3 percent over the year and food prices were up 4.5 percent. In contrast, energy prices dropped 10.0 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.3 percent for the two months ending in September. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home advanced 1.3 percent, while prices for food at home decreased 0.5 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 4.5 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 6.5 percent since a year ago and prices for food at home increased 3.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 5.5 percent for the two months ending in September. The decrease was due to lower prices for gasoline (-9.8 percent), as household energy prices edged up 0.1 percent.

Energy prices dropped 10.0 percent over the year, with lower prices for motor fuel and household energy both contributing. Motor fuel prices fell 10.0 percent from a year ago and prices for household energy were down 10.2 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.5 percent in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for shelter (-0.8 percent) and recreation (-2.9 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for used cars and trucks (8.5 percent) and apparel (2.2 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.3 percent. Components contributing the most to the increase were shelter (1.5 percent) and household furnishings and operations (5.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in apparel (-8.8 percent) and recreation (-3.0 percent).

The November 2020 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on Thursday, December 10, 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 -
	Jul. 2020	Aug. 2020	Sep. 2020	Sep. 2019	Jul. 2020	Aug. 2020
All items	275.589	-	273.860	1.1	-0.6	-
All items (1967 = 100)	918.976	-	913.208
Food and beverages	249.792	-	250.561	4.3	0.3	-
Food	254.963	-	255.698	4.5	0.3	-
Food at home	237.599	233.470	236.474	3.0	-0.5	1.3
Cereals and bakery products	276.611	-	287.108	1.4	3.8	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	243.761	-	243.635	12.6	-0.1	-
Dairy and related products	206.306	-	195.732	2.0	-5.1	-
Fruits and vegetables	276.881	-	279.347	-3.4	0.9	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	169.505	-	165.127	6.4	-2.6	-
Other food at home	207.014	-	204.571	-1.3	-1.2	-
Food away from home	277.786	-	281.361	6.5	1.3	-
Alcoholic beverages	204.114	-	205.234	1.7	0.5	-
Housing	281.526	-	279.397	1.4	-0.8	-
Shelter	328.036	326.340	325.379	1.5	-0.8	-0.3
Rent of primary residence	333.200	332.200	329.810	-0.3	-1.0	-0.7
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)	313.092	311.587	311.487	-0.1	-0.5	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)	313.092	311.587	311.487	-0.1	-0.5	0.0
Fuels and utilities	234.328	-	235.042	-5.1	0.3	-
Household energy	149.731	149.721	149.822	-10.2	0.1	0.1
Energy services	148.219	148.202	148.247	-10.5	0.0	0.0
Electricity	157.806	157.806	157.806	-10.5	0.0	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service	-	-	-	-	-	-
Household furnishings and operations	125.383	-	124.091	5.4	-1.0	-
Apparel	94.053	-	96.101	-8.8	2.2	-
Transportation	258.715	-	253.523	-1.9	-2.0	-
Private transportation	260.416	-	256.058	0.6	-1.7	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	108.975	-	110.535	1.7	1.4	-
New vehicles(1)	226.284	-	223.872	0.4	-1.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	274.652	-	298.002	11.2	8.5	-
Motor fuel	214.343	202.898	193.557	-10.7	-9.7	-4.6
Gasoline (all types)	213.744	202.141	192.724	-10.5	-9.8	-4.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	206.293	194.727	185.022	-11.1	-10.3	-5.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	215.029	203.014	197.430	-7.8	-8.2	-2.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	239.521	228.810	221.317	-7.9	-7.6	-3.3
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	3,193.197	-	2,986.270	4.6	-6.5	-
Medical care	631.684	-	634.959	2.1	0.5	-
Recreation(3)	161.313	-	156.603	-3.0	-2.9	-
Education and communication(3)	127.698	-	127.725	3.3	0.0	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,093.168	-	1,097.928	1.0	0.4	-
Other goods and services	384.760	-	388.714	5.0	1.0	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	177.760	-	176.858	1.2	-0.5	-
Commodities less food and beverages	142.393	-	140.946	-0.7	-1.0	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	168.744	-	163.703	-5.4	-3.0	-
Durables	114.378	-	115.551	4.6	1.0	-
Services	362.786	-	360.280	1.0	-0.7	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	250.750	-	249.445	0.8	-0.5	-
All items less medical care	259.384	-	257.476	1.0	-0.7	-
Commodities less food	144.841	-	143.470	-0.6	-0.9	-
Nondurables	208.904	-	206.456	-0.2	-1.2	-
Nondurables less food	171.104	-	166.500	-4.8	-2.7	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	407.331	-	405.374	0.4	-0.5	-
Services less medical care services	339.226	-	336.512	0.8	-0.8	-
Energy	178.465	173.021	168.633	-10.0	-5.5	-2.5
All items less energy	285.768	-	284.681	1.7	-0.4	-
All items less food and energy	292.232	-	290.832	1.3	-0.5	-
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.