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News Release Information

23-708-SAN
Wednesday, April 12, 2023

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

Consumer Price Index, West Region — March 2023

Area prices were up 0.5 percent over the past month, up 5.1 percent from a year ago

Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.5 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The March increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter. (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 5.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices increased 8.3 percent. Energy prices declined 4.3 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.5 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices were unchanged for the month of March. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 0.2 percent, with lower prices in four of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 0.5 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 8.3 percent. Prices for food at home increased 7.5 percent since a year ago. Price increases across food at home expenditure categories ranged from 3.7 percent for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs to 13.4 percent for cereals and bakery products. Prices for food away from home increased 9.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 1.3 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (3.4 percent). Prices for electricity advanced 2.6 percent, but prices for natural gas service declined 11.5 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 4.3 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-12.7 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service advanced 11.9 percent, and prices for electricity increased 8.0 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.5 percent in March. Higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (0.8 percent), medical care (0.8 percent), and shelter (0.7 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-0.5 percent) and education and communication (-0.2 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.5 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (8.2 percent) and recreation (5.2 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in new and used motor vehicles (-1.0 percent).

Table A. West region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20192020202120222023
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.22.70.32.90.21.40.97.70.96.3

February

0.22.40.43.10.51.60.88.10.56.0

March

0.42.4-0.22.50.72.41.38.70.55.1

April

0.82.9-0.41.31.03.90.78.3

May

0.52.90.10.80.84.70.88.3

June

0.02.70.41.20.95.11.28.8

July

0.02.70.51.70.65.20.18.3

August

0.12.60.31.90.25.00.08.1

September

0.32.60.01.60.25.30.38.3

October

0.52.80.21.20.86.00.78.1

November

-0.12.80.01.40.56.5-0.47.1

December

-0.22.8-0.11.50.47.1-0.46.2

The April 2023 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on May 10, 2023.


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Atlanta is published bi-monthly. 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 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, 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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-
Historical
data
Jan.
2023
Feb.
2023
Mar.
2023
Mar.
2022
Jan.
2023
Feb.
2023

Expenditure category

All Items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0
317.477319.130320.7155.11.00.5

All items (December 1977=100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400AA0
513.185515.856518.418---

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF
329.284331.238331.2588.00.60.0

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF1
331.457333.661333.7018.30.70.0

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF11
314.531316.268315.5037.50.3-0.2

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF111
326.905331.262333.57413.42.00.7

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF112
341.966341.195338.8263.7-0.9-0.7

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEFJ
288.707290.008287.07110.2-0.6-1.0

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF113
394.782396.585392.8783.9-0.5-0.9

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF114
222.159223.518222.0047.4-0.1-0.7

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF115
268.668270.958272.4869.51.40.6

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEFV
352.467355.544357.2539.71.40.5

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF116
295.732294.269294.0052.6-0.6-0.1

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAH
353.857355.153356.7337.60.80.4

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAH1
403.199406.180409.0938.21.50.7

Rent of primary residence(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHA
428.560431.790433.3738.31.10.4

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHC
424.802427.127428.7857.90.90.4

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHC01
424.580426.893428.5487.90.90.4

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAH2
417.117399.576396.5777.7-4.9-0.8

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAH21
375.743351.683347.9128.8-7.4-1.1

Energy services(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHF
378.297353.797349.9689.2-7.5-1.1

Electricity(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHF01
374.564374.628384.2818.02.62.6

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHF02
414.711327.209289.48711.9-30.2-11.5

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAH3
156.463158.779157.9473.80.9-0.5

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAA
123.886127.478127.3652.22.8-0.1

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAT
265.223268.311271.597-1.02.41.2

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAT1
263.372265.621269.122-1.72.21.3

New and used motor vehicles(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SETA
124.288123.902124.853-1.00.50.8

New vehicles

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SETA01
175.967176.331176.9805.30.60.4

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SS4501A
------

New cars(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SS45011
175.380176.063176.4036.40.60.2

Used cars and trucks

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SETA02
178.847176.567178.001-10.9-0.50.8

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SETB
328.019344.103355.131-12.58.33.2

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SETB01
324.521341.017352.676-12.78.73.4

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SS47014
320.754337.356349.057-13.08.83.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SS47015
310.165325.409336.140-12.18.43.3

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SS47016
319.036334.111344.904-11.48.13.2

Medical Care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAM
576.065570.411574.6912.2-0.20.8

Medical care commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAM1
444.290445.564448.1403.80.90.6

Medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAM2
616.839609.124613.9211.9-0.50.8

Professional services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEMC
399.932396.720397.8563.0-0.50.3

Recreation(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAR
127.880129.436129.8875.21.60.3

Education and communication(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAE
143.907143.669143.3751.4-0.4-0.2

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEEB
1,630.2131,631.6401,637.9344.70.50.4

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAG
512.705515.768520.7855.61.61.0

Commodity and Service Group

All Items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0
317.477319.130320.7155.11.00.5

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAC
223.799225.645226.6261.81.30.4

Commodities less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SACL11
173.354175.017176.212-2.01.60.7

Nondurables less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SANL11
225.097230.487233.678-2.03.81.4

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SANL113
296.049302.702308.205-3.04.11.8

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAD
126.051125.666125.726-1.8-0.30.0

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAS
403.783405.137407.3027.20.90.5

Rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAS2RS
429.822433.033436.1648.21.50.7

Transportation services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAS4
364.790369.034372.16310.62.00.8

Other services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAS367
397.187399.384400.2394.90.80.2

Special aggregate indexes:

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0L5
305.550307.503308.9695.41.10.5

All items less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0L1
315.432317.006318.8114.61.10.6

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0L2
283.773284.886285.9293.40.80.4

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SACL1
177.954179.572180.751-1.81.60.7

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAN
277.099280.973282.7373.52.00.6

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SANL1
230.485235.533238.553-1.73.51.3

Nondurables less food and apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SANL13
295.533301.446306.423-2.53.71.7

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SASL2RS
416.078414.997416.0725.80.00.3

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SASL5
388.825390.792392.7767.81.00.5

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0E
355.921354.104358.631-4.30.81.3

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0LE
317.614319.491320.9095.91.00.4

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0L1E
316.137317.968319.6015.51.10.5

Commodities less food and energy commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SACL1E
161.291161.770162.1650.80.50.2

Energy commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SACE
335.030351.001362.031-12.38.13.1

Services less energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SASLE
406.965409.738412.2407.11.30.6

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) 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, April 12, 2023