Prices in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 1.2 percent for the two months ending in November 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak noted that a 1.3-percent increase in the index for all items less food and energy accounted for most of the rise, but higher prices for food also contributed. In contrast, the energy index fell 0.8 percent during the period. (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 6.5 percent. The index for all items less food and energy increased 5.2 percent over the year. Energy prices jumped 36.6 percent, while food prices advanced 4.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 1.2 percent for the two months ending in November. Prices for food at home (groceries) rose 1.2 percent, while prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 1.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 4.4 percent. Prices for food at home rose 2.8 percent, mainly due to an increase in prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs. The index for food away from home advanced 6.7 percent over the same period.

Energy

The energy index decreased 0.8 percent in October and November, mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-3.3 percent). Prices for electricity were unchanged over the two-month period.

Energy prices jumped 36.6 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (+63.9 percent). Prices paid for electricity rose 2.4 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.9 percent), used cars and trucks (+5.2 percent), and rent of primary residence (+1.1 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-5.0 percent) and recreation (-0.9 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 5.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+4.9 percent), used cars and trucks (+32.6 percent), and medical care (+5.6 percent).

The January 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 10, 2021.

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures 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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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. For most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods 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 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 individuals with sensory impairments 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. 2021	Oct. 2021	Nov. 2021	Nov. 2020	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021
All items	286.186	-	289.621	6.5	1.2	-
All items (1967 = 100)	954.309	-	965.766
Food and beverages	259.016	-	261.791	4.4	1.1	-
Food	264.203	-	267.397	4.4	1.2	-
Food at home	242.726	244.499	245.520	2.8	1.2	0.4
Cereals and bakery products	285.358	-	286.173	3.6	0.3	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	255.629	-	258.948	6.5	1.3	-
Dairy and related products	200.329	-	203.107	0.3	1.4	-
Fruits and vegetables	279.170	-	275.950	-1.2	-1.2	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	162.961	-	166.294	1.0	2.0	-
Other food at home	216.634	-	222.497	3.3	2.7	-
Food away from home	293.195	-	296.955	6.7	1.3	-
Alcoholic beverages	213.387	-	212.057	3.3	-0.6	-
Housing	283.421	-	287.018	5.0	1.3	-
Shelter	327.539	329.097	331.456	4.9	1.2	0.7
Rent of primary residence	338.040	339.174	341.665	3.7	1.1	0.7
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)	325.494	327.164	328.566	5.2	0.9	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)	325.494	327.164	328.566	5.2	0.9	0.4
Fuels and utilities	245.068	-	250.529	4.5	2.2	-
Household energy	159.823	160.513	165.143	7.5	3.3	2.9
Energy services	158.175	158.792	163.564	7.6	3.4	3.0
Electricity	161.534	161.534	161.534	2.4	0.0	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service	-	-	-	-	-	-
Household furnishings and operations	130.840	-	132.383	5.8	1.2	-
Apparel	112.248	-	106.683	8.1	-5.0	-
Transportation	297.856	-	304.061	20.5	2.1	-
Private transportation	301.709	-	304.598	21.4	1.0	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	-	-	-	-	-	-
New vehicles(1)	-	-	-	-	-	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	371.783	-	391.210	32.6	5.2	-
Motor fuel	299.891	294.069	290.382	63.9	-3.2	-1.3
Gasoline (all types)	298.419	292.488	288.705	63.9	-3.3	-1.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	290.880	284.962	281.102	66.8	-3.4	-1.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	291.970	286.585	283.127	54.8	-3.0	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	321.173	315.327	311.974	51.9	-2.9	-1.1
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	3,105.349	-	3,196.227	6.7	2.9	-
Medical care	-	-	664.571	5.6	-	-
Recreation(3)	170.033	-	168.570	2.4	-0.9	-
Education and communication(3)	126.765	-	125.888	-1.8	-0.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,111.405	-	1,109.925	0.9	-0.1	-
Other goods and services	392.995	-	398.302	4.0	1.4	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	193.330	-	194.842	10.6	0.8	-
Commodities less food and beverages	159.369	-	160.349	14.6	0.6	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	193.547	-	192.402	18.4	-0.6	-
Durables	124.725	-	127.131	10.9	1.9	-
Services	367.380	-	372.657	4.4	1.4	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	266.287	-	269.491	7.5	1.2	-
All items less medical care	270.124	-	272.562	6.6	0.9	-
Commodities less food	161.633	-	162.543	14.1	0.6	-
Nondurables	226.943	-	227.585	10.5	0.3	-
Nondurables less food	194.795	-	193.639	17.1	-0.6	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	420.040	-	427.226	3.7	1.7	-
Services less medical care services	343.259	-	347.618	4.2	1.3	-
Energy	224.284	221.871	222.487	36.6	-0.8	0.3
All items less energy	293.595	-	297.484	5.1	1.3	-
All items less food and energy	299.854	-	303.878	5.2	1.3	-
(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.