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News Release Information

21-1482-SAN
Wednesday, August 11, 2021

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

Consumer Price Index, West Region — July 2021

Area prices were up 0.6 percent over the past month, up 5.2 percent from a year ago

Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.6 percent in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The July increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter, food, and gasoline. (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 rose 5.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices increased 4.6 percent. Energy prices jumped 24.9 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.9 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 1.1 percent for the month of July. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 1.0 percent with similar gains across all sub-categories except for a 0.2 percent price decline for fruits and vegetables. Prices for food away from home increased 1.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 4.6 percent. Prices for food at home increased 4.0 percent since a year ago, with increases of at least 1.0 percent for all food categories. Prices for food away from home increased 5.3 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 2.5 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (3.6 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 2.2 percent, and prices for electricity rose 0.5 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 24.9 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (39.9 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service rose 10.9 percent, and prices for electricity advanced 6.5 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.3 percent in July. Higher prices for, new and used vehicles (1.0 percent), recreation (0.7 percent), and shelter (0.5 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-1.3 percent), motor vehicle insurance (-0.7 percent), and apparel (-0.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used vehicles (20.7 percent), recreation (4.1 percent), and shelter (2.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in medical care (-0.5 percent).

Table A. West region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20172018201920202021
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.52.50.53.10.22.70.32.90.21.4

February

0.63.00.53.10.22.40.43.10.51.6

March

0.33.10.43.20.42.4-0.22.50.72.4

April

0.32.90.43.20.82.9-0.41.31.03.9

May

0.22.60.53.50.52.90.10.80.84.7

June

0.02.50.23.60.02.70.41.20.95.1

July

0.12.50.13.60.02.70.51.70.65.2

August

0.22.70.23.60.12.60.31.9

September

0.52.90.33.40.32.60.01.6

October

0.32.90.43.50.52.80.21.2

November

0.03.1-0.23.3-0.12.80.01.4

December

0.13.1-0.23.1-0.22.8-0.11.5

The August 2021 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on September 14, 2021.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on July 2021 Consumer Price Index Data

Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in July was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed.

While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at https://www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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 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 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

IndexesPercent change from-
May
2021
Jun.
2021
Jul.
2021
Jul.
2020
May
2021
Jun.
2021

Expenditure category

All Items

285.793288.263289.8635.21.40.6

All items (December 1977=100)

461.969465.962468.547   

Food and beverages

285.813287.615290.4724.41.61.0

Food

286.396288.239291.3984.61.71.1

Food at home

268.142269.676272.5024.01.61.0

Cereals and bakery products

272.227271.134275.2793.01.11.5

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

294.224301.824304.4758.53.50.9

Dairy and related products

246.958244.958249.6182.71.11.9

Fruits and vegetables

348.399349.760348.9951.00.2-0.2

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

189.598190.854191.9184.31.20.6

Other food at home

224.171223.990227.9213.31.71.8

Food away from home

310.095312.352315.9545.31.91.2

Alcoholic beverages

274.803276.072275.1272.50.1-0.3

Housing

314.363315.145316.3742.60.60.4

Shelter

361.317362.727364.6682.40.90.5

Rent of primary residence(1)

384.865385.176385.9601.60.30.2

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

379.821381.084382.5562.30.70.4

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

379.768381.031382.4992.30.70.4

Fuels and utilities

334.314335.277338.6076.51.31.0

Household energy

285.816286.018288.6097.61.00.9

Energy services(1)

288.277288.319290.8597.40.90.9

Electricity(1)

321.911321.124322.7406.50.30.5

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

226.090228.262233.38410.93.22.2

Household furnishings and operations

142.072140.834139.0640.9-2.1-1.3

Apparel

115.403115.707115.1545.4-0.2-0.5

Transportation

239.342248.397251.48520.25.11.2

Private transportation

236.544245.123248.78320.35.21.5

New and used motor vehicles(3)

113.190119.848121.09520.77.01.0

New vehicles

153.721157.642160.0296.84.11.5

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

106.777109.535111.1746.84.11.5

New cars(4)

 155.634    

Used cars and trucks

172.779190.639191.88941.611.10.7

Motor fuel

296.579304.173315.20539.86.33.6

Gasoline (all types)

295.859303.449314.43839.96.33.6

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

292.570300.179311.20340.76.43.7

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

282.733289.837300.05137.56.13.5

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

290.072297.126307.33436.26.03.4

Motor vehicle insurance(6)

844.423844.862838.7310.8-0.7-0.7

Medical Care

542.235540.688541.222-0.5-0.20.1

Medical care commodities

420.523417.626417.940-2.6-0.60.1

Medical care services

579.856578.738579.341-0.1-0.10.1

Professional services

375.704375.654377.2712.10.40.4

Recreation(3)

118.207119.441120.2534.11.70.7

Education and communication(3)

140.499140.538140.4000.2-0.1-0.1

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)

1,509.7791,514.4891,514.7810.80.30.0

Other goods and services

473.656475.949476.4633.20.60.1

Commodity and Service Group

All Items

285.793288.263289.8635.21.40.6

Commodities

201.311204.374206.1539.22.40.9

Commodities less food & beverages

159.513162.903164.18712.72.90.8

Nondurables less food & beverages

205.780207.632210.32312.62.21.3

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

269.177272.099277.02214.92.91.8

Durables

116.574120.586120.89512.73.70.3

Services

363.731365.436366.7632.80.80.4

Rent of shelter(2)

384.873386.375388.4662.40.90.5

Transportation services

328.552335.488334.0069.11.7-0.4

Other services

370.264373.204374.0082.11.00.2

Special aggregate indexes:

All items less medical care

274.068276.697278.3365.71.60.6

All items less food

285.844288.418289.7635.31.40.5

All items less shelter

256.148259.030260.4956.81.70.6

Commodities less food

163.864167.221168.45212.22.80.7

Nondurables

245.959247.797250.5847.81.91.1

Nondurables less food

211.029212.849215.31011.72.01.2

Nondurables less food and apparel

269.409272.153276.44813.42.61.6

Services less rent of shelter(2)

377.557379.711380.2163.50.70.1

Services less medical care services

348.647350.537351.9093.20.90.4

Energy

296.918301.487309.10524.94.12.5

All items less energy

287.446289.794290.9994.01.20.4

All items less food and energy

288.442290.888291.7463.91.10.3

Commodities less food and energy commodities

149.384152.290152.5317.82.10.2

Energy commodities

301.631309.363320.51739.46.33.6

Services less energy services

369.511371.317372.5812.70.80.3

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) Indexes 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.
(6) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.

- Data not available
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: Wednesday, August 11, 2021