Prices in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), decreased 0.7 percent for the two months ending in November 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak noted that the November decrease was most influenced by a decline in the index for all items less food and energy, though energy prices also fell. (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 0.3 percent. (See chart 1.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.6 percent over the year and food prices rose 3.9 percent. In contrast, energy prices fell 14.2 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices inched up 0.1 percent for the two months ending in November. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 1.0 percent and prices for food away from home decreased 1.0 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.9 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 5.4 percent and prices for food at home rose 2.6 percent since a year ago.

Energy

The energy index decreased 3.4 percent for the two months ending in November. The decrease was due to lower prices for gasoline (-8.6 percent). Prices for electricity were unchanged during the period.

Energy prices fell 14.2 percent over the year, with lower prices for gasoline (-24.1 percent) and electricity (-0.5 percent) contributing to the decline.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.7 percent in the latest two-month period. Lower prices for shelter (-2.9 percent) and new vehicles (-3.4 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for recreation (5.1 percent) and apparel (2.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 0.6 percent. Components contributing to the increase included household furnishings and operations (6.5 percent) and education and communication (3.5 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in shelter (-0.9 percent) and new vehicles (-3.0 percent).

The January 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 10, 2021.

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. 2020	Oct. 2020	Nov. 2020	Nov. 2019	Sep. 2020	Oct. 2020
All items	273.860	-	271.837	0.3	-0.7	-
All items (1967 = 100)	913.208	-	906.463
Food and beverages	250.561	-	250.860	3.7	0.1	-
Food	255.698	-	256.023	3.9	0.1	-
Food at home	236.474	236.216	238.936	2.6	1.0	1.2
Cereals and bakery products	287.108	-	276.354	-3.9	-3.7	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	243.635	-	243.215	10.2	-0.2	-
Dairy and related products	195.732	-	202.537	5.7	3.5	-
Fruits and vegetables	279.347	-	279.377	0.5	0.0	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	165.127	-	164.699	-3.5	-0.3	-
Other food at home	204.571	-	215.337	2.4	5.3	-
Food away from home	281.361	-	278.408	5.4	-1.0	-
Alcoholic beverages	205.234	-	205.272	1.4	0.0	-
Housing	279.397	-	273.423	0.1	-2.1	-
Shelter	325.379	317.905	316.005	-0.9	-2.9	-0.6
Rent of primary residence	329.810	330.622	329.424	-0.5	-0.1	-0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)	311.487	313.599	312.203	-0.1	0.2	-0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)	311.487	313.599	312.203	-0.1	0.2	-0.4
Fuels and utilities	235.042	-	239.635	1.6	2.0	-
Household energy	149.822	150.000	153.689	-0.1	2.6	2.5
Energy services	148.247	148.276	152.033	-0.3	2.6	2.5
Electricity	157.806	157.806	157.806	-0.5	0.0	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service	-	-	-	-	-	-
Household furnishings and operations	124.091	-	125.071	6.5	0.8	-
Apparel	96.101	-	98.685	-1.5	2.7	-
Transportation	253.523	-	252.316	-4.9	-0.5	-
Private transportation	256.058	-	250.966	-3.4	-2.0	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	110.535	-	109.016	1.4	-1.4	-
New vehicles(1)	223.872	-	216.321	-3.0	-3.4	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	298.002	-	295.109	10.5	-1.0	-
Motor fuel	193.557	183.812	177.156	-24.2	-8.5	-3.6
Gasoline (all types)	192.724	182.915	176.135	-24.1	-8.6	-3.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	185.022	175.218	168.524	-24.9	-8.9	-3.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	197.430	188.533	182.883	-21.1	-7.4	-3.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	221.317	212.256	205.392	-20.7	-7.2	-3.2
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	2,986.270	-	2,994.586	0.0	0.3	-
Medical care	634.959	-	629.609	1.4	-0.8	-
Recreation(3)	156.603	-	164.643	1.0	5.1	-
Education and communication(3)	127.725	-	128.223	3.5	0.4	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,097.928	-	1,099.824	1.2	0.2	-
Other goods and services	388.714	-	383.063	3.1	-1.5	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	176.858	-	176.130	0.2	-0.4	-
Commodities less food and beverages	140.946	-	139.893	-1.9	-0.7	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	163.703	-	162.500	-6.9	-0.7	-
Durables	115.551	-	114.674	3.6	-0.8	-
Services	360.280	-	356.999	0.3	-0.9	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	249.445	-	250.738	0.9	0.5	-
All items less medical care	257.476	-	255.600	0.2	-0.7	-
Commodities less food	143.470	-	142.448	-1.7	-0.7	-
Nondurables	206.456	-	205.925	-1.2	-0.3	-
Nondurables less food	166.500	-	165.385	-6.2	-0.7	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	405.374	-	411.913	1.8	1.6	-
Services less medical care services	336.512	-	333.541	0.2	-0.9	-
Energy	168.633	164.093	162.817	-14.2	-3.4	-0.8
All items less energy	284.681	-	282.950	1.1	-0.6	-
All items less food and energy	290.832	-	288.745	0.6	-0.7	-
(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.