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News Release Information

19-1633-SAN
Thursday, September 12, 2019

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

Consumer Price Index, Los Angeles area – August 2019

Area prices were unchanged over the past month, up 3.0 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 August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that during this period lower prices for energy helped counter higher prices for all items less food and energy. (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 3.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.4 percent over the year. Food prices increased 2.8 percent. Energy prices decreased 2.1 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of natural gas service. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices inched down 0.1 percent for the month of August. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 0.3 percent, while prices for food away from home were virtually unchanged for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 2.8 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 5.1 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home increased 0.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 2.8 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-3.4 percent). Prices for electricity decreased 2.1 percent, and prices for natural gas service declined 0.9 percent for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 2.1 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for natural gas service (-18.3 percent). Prices for gasoline decreased 1.4 percent, but prices paid for electricity advanced 3.0 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent in August. Higher prices for apparel (2.0 percent), education and communication (0.6 percent), and shelter (0.3 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-1.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.4 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.9 percent) and medical care (4.0 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline in recreation (-2.0 percent).

Table A. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20152016201720182019
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

-0.3-0.10.73.10.92.10.83.50.73.2

February

0.70.10.02.40.62.70.73.60.12.5

March

1.00.50.31.70.32.70.43.80.62.7

April

-0.10.50.22.00.22.70.44.01.03.3

May

1.01.10.51.40.32.50.44.10.23.1

June

-0.30.80.11.8-0.22.2-0.24.00.03.3

July

0.71.40.01.10.32.50.23.90.13.3

August

-0.31.10.01.40.32.80.23.90.03.0

September

-0.40.70.21.90.43.10.53.9

October

0.21.00.42.20.43.10.54.1

November

0.01.6-0.41.80.13.6-0.33.6

December

-0.12.00.02.00.03.6-0.33.2

The September 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles area is scheduled to be released on October 10, 2019.

Consumer Price Index Geographic Revision for 2018

In January 2018, BLS introduced a new geographic area sample for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). As part of the new sample, Los Angeles and Riverside have separate indexes. Additional information on the geographic revision is available at: www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/geographic-revision-2018.htm.


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 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 5,000 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 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-Long Beach-Anaheim. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Los Angeles and Orange 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-Long Beach-Anaheim (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Jun.
2019
Jul.
2019
Aug.
2019
Aug.
2018
Jun.
2019
Jul.
2019

Expenditure category

All items

274.380274.682274.5793.00.10.0

All items (1967=100)

810.640811.534811.228---

Food and beverages

265.569266.975266.8212.60.5-0.1

Food

266.300267.789267.5392.80.5-0.1

Food at home

255.135256.670255.8240.40.3-0.3

Cereals and bakery products

273.550278.288271.8403.8-0.6-2.3

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

276.577279.145277.930-1.00.5-0.4

Dairy and related products

247.328245.850250.5213.91.31.9

Fruits and vegetables

344.121345.694347.6041.91.00.6

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

256.609255.491258.151-2.70.61.0

Other food at home

196.263197.945194.663-1.0-0.8-1.7

Food away from home

274.377275.796276.1715.10.70.1

Food away from home

274.377275.796276.1715.10.70.1

Alcoholic beverages

239.605239.819240.9621.10.60.5

Housing

315.967317.017317.2614.40.40.1

Shelter

364.285365.102366.2904.90.60.3

Rent of primary residence(2)

384.472386.502387.7365.50.80.3

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)

378.241379.331380.6685.00.60.4

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

378.219379.309380.6465.00.60.4

Fuels and utilities

330.978336.032332.419-1.70.4-1.1

Household energy

285.199290.527285.464-3.50.1-1.7

Energy services(2)

283.915289.173284.022-3.60.0-1.8

Electricity(2)

328.400332.992326.0473.0-0.7-2.1

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

230.518237.789235.594-18.32.2-0.9

Household furnishings and operations

122.835123.428121.5744.8-1.0-1.5

Apparel

107.736105.821107.9370.30.22.0

Transportation

218.918217.078214.1190.5-2.2-1.4

Private transportation

215.066214.303211.4610.6-1.7-1.3

New and used motor vehicles(4)

91.78392.09491.674-0.4-0.1-0.5

New vehicles(1)

170.548168.876168.590-0.1-1.1-0.2

Used cars and trucks(1)

269.839273.654276.8581.62.61.2

Motor fuel

289.321285.269275.496-1.3-4.8-3.4

Gasoline (all types)

282.687278.711269.106-1.4-4.8-3.4

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

282.930278.800269.084-1.6-4.9-3.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

272.609268.892260.694-0.5-4.4-3.0

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

269.393266.404257.613-0.8-4.4-3.3

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

774.857774.857774.8572.10.00.0

Medical care

484.327486.727486.9384.00.50.0

Recreation(6)

104.541104.282104.271-2.0-0.30.0

Education and communication(6)

147.723148.046148.8971.70.80.6

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)

1,915.7291,920.7551,951.3335.41.91.6

Other goods and services

440.145443.955446.6074.41.50.6

Commodity and service group

All items

274.380274.682274.5793.00.10.0

Commodities

185.060184.820183.6721.2-0.8-0.6

Commodities less food & beverages

142.742141.895140.4440.2-1.6-1.0

Nondurables less food & beverages

194.186192.698190.511-0.5-1.9-1.1

Durables

93.11092.83992.0701.4-1.1-0.8

Services

353.871354.652355.4693.80.50.2

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

265.171265.392265.2772.90.00.0

All items less shelter

234.840234.910234.2191.7-0.3-0.3

Commodities less food

147.071146.242144.8400.2-1.5-1.0

Nondurables

231.408231.210229.9041.1-0.6-0.6

Nondurables less food

199.311197.895195.860-0.4-1.7-1.0

Services less rent of shelter(3)

348.341349.081349.3772.10.30.1

Services less medical care services

341.972342.706343.5003.70.40.2

Energy

289.953289.143280.943-2.1-3.1-2.8

All items less energy

275.518275.897276.3313.30.30.2

All items less food and energy

277.384277.590278.1313.40.30.2

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.
(2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(3) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
(4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(6) 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: Thursday, September 12, 2019