Prices in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 0.2 percent for the two months ending in September 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Michael Hirniak noted that the energy index decreased 12.5 percent in August and September, entirely driven by a decline in gasoline prices. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.7 percent over the past two months, and the food index rose 0.9 percent. Within the all items less food and energy category, the increase was primarily due to higher costs for owners’ equivalent rent of residences and rent of primary residence. (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 7.7 percent. The index for all items less food and energy rose 7.2 percent over the year. Food prices advanced 11.8 percent, while energy prices increased 7.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.9 percent for the two months ending in September. Prices for food at home rose 1.3 percent, and prices for food away from home advanced 0.2 percent for the same period. The increase in the index for food at home was mainly due to a rise in the price of meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+1.9 percent) and cereals and bakery products (+3.3 percent). The increase in the index was partially offset by a decline in prices for dairy and related products (-2.3 percent).

Over the year, food prices rose 11.8 percent. Prices for food at home experienced a 14.4-percent increase since a year ago, partially due to a 15.1-percent increase in the other food at home index (includes items like sugar, sweets, fats, and oils). Prices for food away from home advanced 8.4 percent over the same period.

Energy

The energy index declined 12.5 percent for the two months ending in September. The decrease within this index was entirely due to lower prices for gasoline (-22.1 percent). An increase in the cost for electricity (+3.1 percent) and natural gas service partially offset the two-month decline.

From September 2021 to September 2022, energy prices rose 7.1 percent over the year. Higher prices for electricity (+11.4 percent) contributed most to the rise. Prices paid for natural gas service increased during the past year, while gasoline (+2.7 percent) also rose.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.7 percent in August and September. Higher prices for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+1.4 percent), rent of primary residence (+2.9 percent), and medical care services were partially offset by lower prices for public transportation, lodging away from home, and used cars and trucks (-4.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 7.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+8.3 percent), medical care, and new and used motor vehicles.

The November 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, December 13, 2022.

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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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. 2022	Aug. 2022	Sep. 2022	Sep. 2021	Jul. 2022	Aug. 2022
All items	308.728	-	308.211	7.7	-0.2	-
All items (1967 = 100)	1,029.480	-	1,027.754
Food and beverages	286.240	-	288.387	11.3	0.8	-
Food	292.930	-	295.451	11.8	0.9	-
Food at home	274.084	275.852	277.635	14.4	1.3	0.6
Cereals and bakery products	325.998	-	336.785	18.0	3.3	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	283.350	-	288.711	12.9	1.9	-
Dairy and related products	234.886	-	229.512	14.6	-2.3	-
Fruits and vegetables	305.635	-	307.252	10.1	0.5	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	188.873	-	193.640	18.8	2.5	-
Other food at home	246.352	-	249.335	15.1	1.2	-
Food away from home	317.014	-	317.803	8.4	0.2	-
Alcoholic beverages	226.810	-	225.612	5.7	-0.5	-
Housing	303.137	-	306.802	8.2	1.2	-
Shelter	350.082	351.529	354.677	8.3	1.3	0.9
Rent of primary residence	362.688	365.408	373.097	10.4	2.9	2.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)	344.462	346.772	349.353	7.3	1.4	0.7
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)	344.462	346.772	349.353	7.3	1.4	0.7
Fuels and utilities	265.122	-	268.097	9.4	1.1	-
Household energy	176.419	176.469	181.118	13.3	2.7	2.6
Energy services	174.211	174.221	179.023	13.2	2.8	2.8
Electricity	174.454	174.454	179.871	11.4	3.1	3.1
Utility (piped) gas service	-	-	-	-	-	-
Household furnishings and operations	139.601	-	140.312	7.2	0.5	-
Apparel	110.729	-	111.816	-0.4	1.0	-
Transportation	337.835	-	318.568	7.0	-5.7	-
Private transportation	336.648	-	320.743	6.3	-4.7	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)	134.964	-	134.301	-	-0.5	-
New vehicles(1)	246.715	-	249.790	-	1.2	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	423.884	-	405.570	9.1	-4.3	-
Motor fuel	397.705	338.783	311.201	3.8	-21.8	-8.1
Gasoline (all types)	393.196	334.011	306.419	2.7	-22.1	-8.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	385.665	325.815	298.271	2.5	-22.7	-8.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	379.233	326.289	300.520	2.9	-20.8	-7.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	411.617	357.759	331.120	3.1	-19.6	-7.4
Medical care	707.674	-	-	-	-	-
Recreation(3)	173.867	-	176.009	3.5	1.2	-
Education and communication(3)	126.358	-	126.193	-0.5	-0.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,115.946	-	1,117.772	0.6	0.2	-
Other goods and services	426.899	-	424.481	8.0	-0.6	-
Commodity and service group
Commodities	213.586	-	208.585	7.9	-2.3	-
Commodities less food and beverages	176.007	-	168.972	6.0	-4.0	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	222.429	-	204.707	5.8	-8.0	-
Durables	134.262	-	133.374	6.9	-0.7	-
Services	390.949	-	395.256	7.6	1.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	288.776	-	285.912	7.4	-1.0	-
All items less medical care	290.572	-	289.478	7.2	-0.4	-
Commodities less food	178.225	-	171.353	6.0	-3.9	-
Nondurables	255.134	-	246.811	8.8	-3.3	-
Nondurables less food	222.290	-	205.989	5.7	-7.3	-
Services less rent of shelter(2)	444.197	-	447.814	6.6	0.8	-
Services less medical care services	364.520	-	367.966	7.2	0.9	-
Energy	274.573	249.294	240.181	7.1	-12.5	-3.7
All items less energy	314.131	-	316.313	7.7	0.7	-
All items less food and energy	319.225	-	321.366	7.2	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.