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News Release Information

23-2588-SAN
Tuesday, December 12, 2023

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

Consumer Price Index, West Region — November 2023

Area prices were down 0.4 percent over the past month, up 3.3 percent from a year ago

Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 0.4 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The November decrease was influenced by lower prices for 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 advanced 3.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 3.0 percent. Energy prices decreased 0.4 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.7 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices decreased 0.3 percent for the month of November. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home fell 0.7 percent, led by lower prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-1.5 percent) and dairy and related products (-1.2 percent). Overall, prices fell for all six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home rose 0.4 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.0 percent. Prices for food at home increased 1.7 percent since a year ago, led by higher prices for other food at home (4.2 percent) and cereals and bakery products (3.2 percent). Overall, prices rose in four of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 5.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 5.9 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-9.7 percent). Prices for natural gas service declined 0.8 percent, and prices for electricity declined 0.7 percent for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 0.4 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-7.3 percent). Prices paid for electricity advanced 10.9 percent, and prices for natural gas service rose 8.8 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in November. Higher prices for medical care (0.6 percent) and shelter (0.4 percent) were offset by lower prices for apparel (-3.2 percent) and recreation (-1.0 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.7 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (5.5 percent) and medical care (3.6 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in used cars and trucks (-3.9 percent) and education and communication (-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

0.82.9-0.41.31.03.90.78.30.54.9

May

0.52.90.10.80.84.70.88.30.44.5

June

0.02.70.41.20.95.11.28.80.33.5

July

0.02.70.51.70.65.20.18.30.13.5

August

0.12.60.31.90.25.00.08.10.43.9

September

0.32.60.01.60.25.30.38.30.43.9

October

0.52.80.21.20.86.00.78.10.13.3

November

-0.12.80.01.40.56.5-0.47.1-0.43.3

December

-0.22.8-0.11.50.47.1-0.46.2

The December 2023 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on January 11, 2024.


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for the West Region is published 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
Sep.
2023
Oct.
2023
Nov.
2023
Nov.
2022
Sep.
2023
Oct.
2023

Expenditure category

All Items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0
327.491327.708326.2993.3-0.4-0.4

All items (December 1977=100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400AA0
529.372529.722527.444---

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF
335.380336.491335.3633.00.0-0.3

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF1
337.595338.775337.6573.00.0-0.3

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF11
318.187319.135316.8671.7-0.4-0.7

Cereals and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF111
331.317335.184332.9763.20.5-0.7

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF112
346.597348.047342.9271.1-1.1-1.5

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEFJ
281.581283.859280.532-2.6-0.4-1.2

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF113
395.854397.123395.785-0.90.0-0.3

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF114
223.460225.054224.1833.00.3-0.4

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF115
276.840275.318274.2824.2-0.9-0.4

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEFV
363.488365.100366.4155.50.80.4

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAF116
301.188301.343300.0991.7-0.4-0.4

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAH
363.160364.145364.8595.40.50.2

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAH1
416.666417.624419.2005.50.60.4

Rent of primary residence(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHA
444.340446.285448.9666.41.00.6

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHC
438.361440.068442.8125.71.00.6

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHC01
438.153439.852442.5995.71.00.6

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAH2
410.191412.985411.2519.00.3-0.4

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAH21
360.851364.448361.70710.00.2-0.8

Energy services(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHF
363.648367.234364.56710.50.3-0.7

Electricity(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHF01
395.835400.654397.88010.90.5-0.7

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEHF02
309.449310.218307.6288.8-0.6-0.8

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAH3
158.270158.655157.6911.8-0.4-0.6

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAA
126.985127.133123.079-0.4-3.1-3.2

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAT
283.269281.600275.724-1.0-2.7-2.1

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAT1
282.719280.872274.738-0.6-2.8-2.2

New and used motor vehicles(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SETA
124.950124.069123.871-1.8-0.9-0.2

New vehicles

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SETA01
177.585177.110176.2460.8-0.8-0.5

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
176.575176.255175.6170.8-0.5-0.4

Used cars and trucks

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SETA02
180.132177.941178.979-3.9-0.60.6

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SETB
409.534402.155363.616-7.4-11.2-9.6

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SETB01
407.138399.797360.984-7.3-11.3-9.7

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SS47014
403.614395.928356.870-7.6-11.6-9.9

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SS47015
387.187381.431345.099-6.8-10.9-9.5

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SS47016
395.635390.016354.576-6.3-10.4-9.1

Medical Care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAM
590.018590.688594.0113.60.70.6

Medical care commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAM1
458.944458.240460.9465.20.40.6

Medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAM2
630.633631.709635.2263.20.70.6

Professional services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEMC
409.466410.627414.3324.31.20.9

Recreation(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAR
131.381131.154129.8943.8-1.1-1.0

Education and communication(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAE
143.619143.240142.182-1.0-1.0-0.7

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SEEB
1,657.9051,648.6491,648.5841.3-0.60.0

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAG
546.692548.103549.5097.10.50.3

Commodity and Service Group

All Items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0
327.491327.708326.2993.3-0.4-0.4

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAC
230.935230.383226.762-0.1-1.8-1.6

Commodities less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SACL11
180.227179.212175.125-2.1-2.8-2.3

Nondurables less food & beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SANL11
245.570244.012234.318-1.6-4.6-4.0

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SANL113
328.689325.938312.291-1.9-5.0-4.2

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAD
125.350124.730123.923-2.2-1.1-0.6

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAS
416.435417.486418.5805.40.50.3

Rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAS2RS
444.297445.315447.0135.50.60.4

Transportation services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAS4
381.378383.000384.8175.00.90.5

Other services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAS367
409.126408.573407.4813.9-0.4-0.3

Special aggregate indexes:

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0L5
315.364315.562313.9593.3-0.4-0.5

All items less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0L1
325.998326.077324.6263.3-0.4-0.4

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0L2
292.414292.326289.6732.0-0.9-0.9

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SACL1
184.879183.877179.800-1.9-2.7-2.2

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SAN
291.197290.857285.0011.0-2.1-2.0

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SANL1
250.263248.790239.499-1.4-4.3-3.7

Nondurables less food and apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SANL13
325.679323.193310.682-1.6-4.6-3.9

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SASL2RS
427.705428.928429.3115.30.40.1

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SASL5
401.383402.431403.3605.60.50.2

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0E
395.266392.724369.686-0.4-6.5-5.9

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0LE
325.916326.303326.2023.60.10.0

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SA0L1E
324.791325.056325.1133.70.10.0

Commodities less food and energy commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SACL1E
162.356161.862160.543-0.5-1.1-0.8

Energy commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SACE
416.303408.985370.205-7.4-11.1-9.5

Services less energy services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0400SASLE
421.165422.081423.3865.20.50.3

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) 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: Tuesday, December 12, 2023