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errata

Incorrect prices for prescription drugs were used for the CPI-U and CPI-W indexes from May through August 2016 in a number of areas. Several indexes were affected, including the all items and medical care indexes.  A list of the series affected can be found at www.bls.gov/bls/errata/cpi-price-corrections-10182016.htm, and the corrected data are available in the CPI database (www.bls.gov/cpi/data.htm).

News Release Information

16-1873-SAN
Friday, September 16, 2016

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

Consumer Price Index, West Region — August 2016

Area prices were up 0.1 percent over the past month, up 1.6 percent from a year ago

Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), inched up 0.1 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The August increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and apparel. (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 advanced 1.6 percent.  (See chart 1 and table A.)Energy prices fell 12.0 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.0 percent over the year. (See table 1.) This is the 10th consecutive month that this index has increased by more than 2.5 percent. (See chart 1.)

Food

Food prices edged down 0.1 percent for the month of August. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home declined 0.4 percent, but prices for food away from home edged up 0.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 0.4 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 4.1 percent, but prices for food at home declined 2.1 percent since a year ago.

Energy

The energy index declined 2.1 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-5.2 percent). Prices for electricity advanced 0.3 percent, and prices for natural gas service rose 4.8 percent in August.

Energy prices fell 12.0 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-23.3 percent). Prices for natural gas service increased 2.0 percent, and prices paid for electricity rose 2.5 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.3 percent in August. Higher prices for apparel (2.3 percent) and medical care (0.7 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for new and used motor vehicles (-1.2 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-1.0 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.0 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (5.0 percent) and shelter (4.9 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price declines in household furnishings and operations (-0.8 percent) and education and communication (-0.1 percent).

Table A. West Region CPI-U monthly and annual percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)
Month 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Monthly Annual Monthly Annual Monthly Annual Monthly Annual Monthly Annual Monthly Annual

January

0.5 1.4 0.4 2.6 0.3 1.7 0.3 1.7 -0.3 0.7 0.5 2.6

February

0.6 1.9 0.4 2.5 0.8 2.0 0.4 1.3 0.6 0.9 0.1 2.1

March

0.9 2.6 0.9 2.4 0.4 1.5 0.6 1.5 0.8 1.1 0.2 1.5

April

0.6 3.0 0.2 2.1 0.0 1.3 0.3 1.8 0.3 1.0 0.5  1.8

May

0.3 3.2 0.2 2.0 0.2 1.3 0.6 2.3 0.8 1.2 0.5 1.5

June

-0.2 3.1 -0.2 2.0 0.1 1.5 0.1 2.3 0.0 1.1 0.2 1.6

July

-0.1 2.9 -0.3 1.8 0.0 1.9 0.1 2.3 0.3 1.3 0.1 1.4

August

0.2 3.0 0.5 2.1 0.1 1.5 -0.1 2.1 -0.1 1.3 0.1 1.6

September

0.4 3.5 0.5 2.2 0.2 1.3 0.1 2.0 -0.2 1.0    

October

0.0 3.4 0.4 2.5 -0.1 0.9 -0.1 2.0 0.0 1.1    

November

-0.2 3.2 -0.7 1.9 -0.4 1.3 -0.6 1.7 -0.2 1.5    

December

-0.3 2.7 -0.5 1.7 0.0 1.8 -0.5 1.3 -0.1 1.8    

The September 2016 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on Tuesday October 18, 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 West Region covered in this release is comprised of the following thirteen states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

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

West (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Indexes
 
Percent change from-
Jun.
2016
Jul.
2016
Aug.
2016
Aug.
2015
Jun.
2016
Jul.
2016

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

248.267248.412248.5371.60.10.1

All items (December 1977=100)

401.310401.545401.746   

Food and beverages

251.503251.396251.1070.5-0.2-0.1

Food

251.582251.483251.1250.4-0.2-0.1

Food at home

246.086245.520244.517-2.1-0.6-0.4

Food away from home

258.137258.704259.2674.10.40.2

Alcoholic beverages

247.140246.919247.5651.80.20.3

Housing

264.688265.868266.9624.10.90.4

Shelter

300.867302.297303.8304.91.00.5

Rent of primary residence (1)

315.746317.191318.8585.41.00.5

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

315.603317.070318.5925.00.90.5

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

315.608317.077318.6055.00.90.5

Fuels and utilities

287.839289.254292.1022.71.51.0

Household energy

249.795252.217255.2582.52.21.2

Energy services (1)

252.137254.664258.0082.42.31.3

Electricity (1)

282.011282.942283.6582.50.60.3

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

196.812203.315213.1552.08.34.8

Household furnishings and operations

128.832129.019127.703-0.8-0.9-1.0

Apparel

118.627116.579119.2041.30.52.3

Transportation

202.092200.972197.258-5.9-2.4-1.8

Private transportation

195.078194.966191.675-6.3-1.7-1.7

New and used motor vehicles (3)

101.889102.117100.866-1.4-1.0-1.2

New vehicles

147.680148.294146.7180.3-0.7-1.1

New cars and trucks (3) (4)

102.562102.996101.8960.2-0.6-1.1

New cars (4)

145.566145.919144.370-0.8-0.8-1.1

Used cars and trucks

140.147139.344138.690-5.0-1.0-0.5

Motor fuel

214.564212.239201.320-23.1-6.2-5.1

Gasoline (all types)

213.878211.507200.512-23.3-6.2-5.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)

211.393208.904197.945-23.7-6.4-5.2

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)

203.730202.213191.411-23.3-6.0-5.3

Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)

210.575208.772198.577-21.3-5.7-4.9

Medical Care

470.348470.568473.8075.00.70.7

Medical care commodities

355.450357.402360.2844.61.40.8

Medical care services

506.997506.562509.8905.10.60.7

Professional services

348.961348.740351.2693.80.70.7

Recreation (3)

111.839112.010112.1951.20.30.2

Education and communication (3)

137.905137.394137.840-0.10.00.3

Other goods and services

407.374408.712408.6641.70.30.0
 

Commodity and Service Group

 
 

All Items

248.267248.412248.5371.60.10.1

Commodities

179.038178.520177.562-2.6-0.8-0.5

Commodities less food & beverages

142.908142.252141.076-4.8-1.3-0.8

Nondurables less food & beverages

180.153178.848177.417-6.5-1.5-0.8

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

223.632222.769218.722-9.0-2.2-1.8

Durables

108.646108.534107.597-2.1-1.0-0.9

Services

312.230313.015314.1834.00.60.4

Rent of shelter (2)

320.176321.703323.3475.01.00.5

Transportation services

294.653292.409289.2172.6-1.8-1.1

Other services

341.254341.692342.7141.80.40.3
 

Special aggregate indexes:

 
 

All items less medical care

238.120238.262238.2481.30.10.0

All items less food

247.924248.107248.3051.70.20.1

All items less shelter

228.083227.681227.204-0.3-0.4-0.2

Commodities less food

146.835146.185145.048-4.5-1.2-0.8

Nondurables

215.785215.023214.108-2.8-0.8-0.4

Nondurables less food

185.106183.854182.531-5.9-1.4-0.7

Nondurables less food and apparel

225.582224.777221.154-8.0-2.0-1.6

Services less rent of shelter (2)

337.394337.286337.9592.80.20.2

Services less medical care services

298.693299.554300.5793.90.60.3

Energy

232.755232.523227.710-12.0-2.2-2.1

All items less energy

251.462251.636252.1312.60.30.2

All items less food and energy

252.210252.432253.0733.00.30.3

Commodities less food and energy commodities

139.804139.347139.368-0.4-0.30.0

Energy commodities

218.754216.414205.360-22.6-6.1-5.1

Services less energy services

316.860317.539318.5754.10.50.3

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) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
 

Regions defined as the four Census regions. West includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, September 16, 2016