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News Release Information

16-537-SAN
Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Consumer Price Index, Los Angeles area — February 2016

Area prices were unchanged over the past month, up 2.4 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Los Angeles area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden noted that the two expenditure categories with the largest opposing effects were lower gasoline prices and higher apparel prices. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 2.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices decreased 7.9 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.4 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.7 percent for the month of February. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home rose 0.7 percent, and prices for food at home advanced 0.6 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 1.9 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 4.2 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home advanced 0.3 percent

Energy

The energy index decreased 8.3 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-14.3 percent). Prices for natural gas service decreased 0.3 percent, while prices for electricity were virtually unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 7.9 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-12.5 percent). Prices for electricity declined 1.7 percent, and prices paid for natural gas service declined 1.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.6 percent in February. Higher prices for apparel (6.9 percent) and medical care (2.7 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for education and communication (-1.7 percent) and recreation (-1.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.4 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (9.2 percent), apparel (7.0 percent), and shelter (4.1 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price declines in household furnishings and operations (-1.0 percent) and education and communication (-0.7 percent).

Table A. Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County CPI-U monthly and annual percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)
Month201120122013201420152016
MonthlyAnnualMonthlyAnnualMonthlyAnnualMonthlyAnnualMonthlyAnnualMonthlyAnnual

January

0.91.80.82.10.82.00.50.8-0.3-0.10.73.1

February

0.52.30.52.10.72.20.50.50.70.10.02.4

March

1.13.01.02.00.11.30.61.01.00.5  

April

0.53.30.01.5-0.40.90.01.4-0.10.5  

May

0.03.10.11.60.11.00.41.71.01.1  

June

-0.42.9-0.41.6-0.11.40.11.8-0.30.8  

July

-0.42.4-0.11.9-0.11.30.12.00.71.4  

August

0.22.40.62.30.10.8-0.11.8-0.31.1  

September

0.53.10.42.20.20.60.01.7-0.40.7  

October

0.02.80.83.00.1-0.1-0.11.40.21.0  

November

-0.13.0-1.02.1-0.50.4-0.71.30.01.6  

December

-0.52.2-0.71.90.01.1-0.50.7-0.12.0  

The March 2016 Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County area is scheduled to be released on April 14, 2016.


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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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 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 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties in the State of California.

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

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Indexes
 
Percent change from-
Dec.
2015
Jan.
2016
Feb.
2016
Feb.
2015
Dec.
2015
Jan.
2016

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

245.357247.155247.1132.40.70.0

All items (1967=100)

724.893730.207730.081---

Food and beverages

249.752251.903253.6851.91.60.7

Food

249.838252.083253.7841.91.60.7

Food at home

256.077258.072259.6950.31.40.6

Food away from home

238.404240.923242.6954.21.80.7

Alcoholic beverages

233.690234.369237.2032.41.51.2

Housing

270.386272.241273.0473.21.00.3

Shelter

307.810309.527310.7744.11.00.4

Rent of primary residence (1)

323.270324.583325.5094.30.70.3

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

320.073321.183322.2263.80.70.3

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

320.054321.164322.2083.80.70.3

Fuels and utilities

290.880294.663295.788-0.21.70.4

Household energy

256.045259.428259.039-1.51.2-0.1

Energy services (1)

254.881258.261257.877-1.51.2-0.1

Electricity (1)

296.080301.034300.681-1.71.6-0.1

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

204.688205.093204.573-1.1-0.1-0.3

Household furnishings and operations

115.587117.049116.170-1.00.5-0.8

Apparel

106.662109.239116.7307.09.46.9

Transportation

191.681192.534185.554-2.9-3.2-3.6

Private transportation

186.458187.604180.257-2.9-3.3-3.9

Motor fuel

218.367223.372191.643-12.6-12.2-14.2

Gasoline (all types)

213.709218.785187.573-12.5-12.2-14.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

214.090219.173187.470-12.8-12.4-14.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

204.578209.295181.278-11.1-11.4-13.4

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

204.270208.928180.614-11.7-11.6-13.6

Medical care

443.162445.247457.0569.23.12.7

Recreation (5)

106.622108.878107.6554.71.0-1.1

Education and communication (5)

146.643146.789144.245-0.7-1.6-1.7

Other goods and services

390.022390.459392.0852.60.50.4
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

245.357247.155247.1132.40.70.0

Commodities

173.172175.053173.879-0.30.4-0.7

Commodities less food & beverages

133.158134.833132.515-2.0-0.5-1.7

Nondurables less food & beverages

171.621174.709169.987-2.1-1.0-2.7

Durables

95.47995.76195.816-1.70.40.1

Services

309.571311.291312.2653.90.90.3
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

236.745238.525238.0282.00.5-0.2

All items less shelter

218.173220.019219.3871.40.6-0.3

Commodities less food

137.462139.132136.919-1.8-0.4-1.6

Nondurables

211.415214.140212.3070.10.4-0.9

Nondurables less food

177.323180.331175.929-1.8-0.8-2.4

Services less rent of shelter (2)

320.856322.629323.2163.70.70.2

Services less medical care services

297.997299.771299.9173.40.60.0

Energy

233.640238.041218.222-7.9-6.6-8.3

All items less energy

248.104249.720251.1683.21.20.6

All items less food and energy

248.140249.652251.0593.41.20.6

Footnotes
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(2) Index is on a December 1982=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
 

- Data not available
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2016