Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Higher prices for shelter were offset 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 2.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 3.0 percent. Energy prices declined 3.5 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.9 percent over the year. (See table 1.)  

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, West region, December 2021–December 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Dec 2021	7.1	5.5
Jan 2022	7.7	6.2
Feb 2022	8.1	6.7
Mar 2022	8.7	6.8
Apr 2022	8.3	6.4
May 2022	8.3	6.2
Jun 2022	8.8	6.2
Jul 2022	8.3	6.3
Aug 2022	8.1	6.7
Sep 2022	8.3	6.8
Oct 2022	8.1	6.4
Nov 2022	7.1	6.0
Dec 2022	6.2	5.7
Jan 2023	6.3	5.6
Feb 2023	6.0	5.3
Mar 2023	5.1	5.5
Apr 2023	4.9	5.4
May 2023	4.5	5.3
Jun 2023	3.5	4.7
Jul 2023	3.5	4.3
Aug 2023	3.9	4.1
Sep 2023	3.9	3.9
Oct 2023	3.3	3.7
Nov 2023	3.3	3.7
Dec 2023	3.6	3.7
Jan 2024	3.3	3.7
Feb 2024	3.2	3.6
Mar 2024	3.6	3.8
Apr 2024	3.7	3.6
May 2024	3.3	3.3
Jun 2024	2.8	3.0
Jul 2024	2.6	3.0
Aug 2024	2.2	2.9
Sep 2024	2.1	3.0
Oct 2024	2.1	3.1
Nov 2024	2.4	3.1
Dec 2024	2.5	2.9

Food prices rose 0.2 percent for the month of December. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home advanced 0.1 percent, with higher prices in five of the six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home rose 0.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.0 percent. Prices for food at home increased 2.0 percent since a year ago, led by higher prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (4.5 percent). Overall, prices rose in all six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home increased 4.3 percent.

The energy index decreased 1.3 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-2.2 percent). Prices for natural gas service fell 1.0 percent, while prices for electricity rose 0.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 3.5 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-6.9 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service decreased 8.0 percent, while prices for electricity increased 3.9 percent during the past year.

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in December. Higher prices for shelter (0.2 percent) were offset by lower prices for apparel (-1.4 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (3.4 percent) and medical care (2.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in new and used motor vehicles (-0.3 percent).

The January 2025 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on February 12, 2025.

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 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is published monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments 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	Indexes				Percent change from-
	Historical data	Oct. 2024	Nov. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Oct. 2024	Nov. 2024
Expenditure category
All Items		334.558	334.218	334.084	2.5	-0.1	0.0
All items (December 1977=100)		540.794	540.246	540.028	-	-	-
Food and beverages		344.614	345.229	345.973	2.9	0.4	0.2
Food		347.078	347.805	348.565	3.0	0.4	0.2
Food at home		322.551	322.914	323.397	2.0	0.3	0.1
Cereals and bakery products		335.675	334.266	334.695	0.6	-0.3	0.1
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		349.426	358.503	360.050	4.5	3.0	0.4
Dairy and related products		286.113	286.188	286.495	0.9	0.1	0.1
Fruits and vegetables		408.552	405.399	404.157	2.7	-1.1	-0.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		224.647	223.465	224.166	1.0	-0.2	0.3
Other food at home		279.131	277.431	277.990	1.2	-0.4	0.2
Food away from home		382.132	383.446	384.652	4.3	0.7	0.3
Alcoholic beverages		306.878	305.787	306.273	2.2	-0.2	0.2
Housing		375.918	376.174	376.533	3.0	0.2	0.1
Shelter		432.906	433.778	434.699	3.4	0.4	0.2
Rent of primary residence(1)		462.823	463.879	465.647	3.4	0.6	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)		457.313	458.558	460.258	3.5	0.6	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)		457.075	458.316	460.018	3.5	0.6	0.4
Fuels and utilities		425.179	421.175	420.754	2.6	-1.0	-0.1
Household energy		369.591	364.585	363.968	1.1	-1.5	-0.2
Energy services(1)		372.994	367.925	367.361	1.2	-1.5	-0.2
Electricity(1)		418.277	412.634	412.896	3.9	-1.3	0.1
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		285.540	281.553	278.772	-8.0	-2.4	-1.0
Household furnishings and operations		159.084	158.808	157.652	0.5	-0.9	-0.7
Apparel		127.356	125.006	123.265	2.1	-3.2	-1.4
Transportation		279.617	278.413	277.258	2.2	-0.8	-0.4
Private transportation		278.454	277.158	276.406	2.1	-0.7	-0.3
New and used motor vehicles(3)		122.795	123.157	122.944	-0.3	0.1	-0.2
New vehicles		174.804	175.120	175.363	-0.2	0.3	0.1
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		-	-	-	-	-	-
New cars(4)		172.272	172.758	172.990	-1.0	0.4	0.1
Used cars and trucks		171.507	172.878	173.257	-3.3	1.0	0.2
Motor fuel		329.639	319.852	312.850	-7.2	-5.1	-2.2
Gasoline (all types)		328.372	318.506	311.423	-6.9	-5.2	-2.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		323.539	313.510	306.372	-7.2	-5.3	-2.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		315.896	307.016	300.346	-6.4	-4.9	-2.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		326.608	317.893	311.437	-5.8	-4.6	-2.0
Medical Care		612.936	613.360	613.242	2.4	0.0	0.0
Medical care commodities		471.079	469.875	471.659	2.2	0.1	0.4
Medical care services		656.837	657.782	657.054	2.4	0.0	-0.1
Professional services		427.456	428.549	428.250	1.8	0.2	-0.1
Recreation(3)		132.339	131.240	131.192	0.4	-0.9	0.0
Education and communication(3)		144.090	143.188	143.126	0.4	-0.7	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)		1,706.849	1,704.869	1,704.760	3.3	-0.1	0.0
Other goods and services		556.646	561.601	558.254	2.0	0.3	-0.6
Commodity and Service Group
All Items		334.558	334.218	334.084	2.5	-0.1	0.0
Commodities		226.927	225.956	225.143	0.2	-0.8	-0.4
Commodities less food & beverages		172.233	170.752	169.430	-1.8	-1.6	-0.8
Nondurables less food & beverages		229.580	226.058	223.645	-1.8	-2.6	-1.1
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel		301.398	297.040	294.142	-2.9	-2.4	-1.0
Durables		122.106	121.967	121.414	-1.7	-0.6	-0.5
Services		434.967	435.275	435.831	3.8	0.2	0.1
Rent of shelter(2)		461.676	462.610	463.601	3.4	0.4	0.2
Transportation services		424.196	426.031	425.964	10.5	0.4	0.0
Other services		418.238	417.171	417.725	2.0	-0.1	0.1
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care		321.743	321.373	321.238	2.5	-0.2	0.0
All items less food		332.721	332.221	331.952	2.4	-0.2	-0.1
All items less shelter		295.705	294.844	294.256	1.9	-0.5	-0.2
Commodities less food		177.081	175.591	174.294	-1.6	-1.6	-0.7
Nondurables		286.781	285.207	284.283	0.9	-0.9	-0.3
Nondurables less food		235.354	231.934	229.656	-1.6	-2.4	-1.0
Nondurables less food and apparel		301.352	297.279	294.674	-2.5	-2.2	-0.9
Services less rent of shelter(2)		450.003	449.494	449.520	4.3	-0.1	0.0
Services less medical care services		419.350	419.616	420.254	3.9	0.2	0.2
Energy		353.701	345.788	341.413	-3.5	-3.5	-1.3
All items less energy		336.010	336.134	336.259	2.9	0.1	0.0
All items less food and energy		335.009	335.035	335.057	2.9	0.0	0.0
Commodities less food and energy commodities		160.421	159.719	158.966	-0.5	-0.9	-0.5
Energy commodities		335.932	326.067	319.007	-7.1	-5.0	-2.2
Services less energy services		440.270	440.853	441.468	3.9	0.3	0.1
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.