Prices in the Los Angeles area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.3 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the August increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter 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 increased 2.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices rose 5.6 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.7 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices decreased 0.3 percent for the month of August. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home declined 0.5 percent, but prices for food away from home edged up 0.1 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 2.0 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 4.5 percent since a year ago, while prices for food at home were virtually unchanged.

Energy

The energy index rose 1.6 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (2.8 percent). Prices for electricity were unchanged, while prices for natural gas service edged down 0.2 percent for the same period.

Energy prices rose 5.6 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (12.0 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service decreased 3.2 percent,  and prices for electricity decreased 2.2 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.3 percent in August. Higher prices for apparel (1.0 percent) and shelter (0.6 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for recreation (-0.3 percent) and medical care (-0.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.7 percent. Components contributing to the increase included other goods and services (6.1 percent) and shelter (4.3 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline in apparel (-5.7 percent).

Table A. Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County CPI-U monthly and annual percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)

Month	2012		2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual
January	0.8	2.1	0.8	2.0	0.5	0.8	-0.3	-0.1	0.7	3.1	0.9	2.1
February	0.5	2.1	0.7	2.2	0.5	0.5	0.7	0.1	0.0	2.4	0.6	2.7
March	1.0	2.0	0.1	1.3	0.6	1.0	1.0	0.5	0.3	1.7	0.3	2.7
April	0.0	1.5	-0.4	0.9	0.0	1.4	-0.1	0.5	0.2	2.0	0.2	2.7
May	0.1	1.6	0.1	1.0	0.4	1.7	1.0	1.1	0.5	1.4	0.3	2.5
June	-0.4	1.6	-0.1	1.4	0.1	1.8	-0.3	0.8	0.1	1.8	-0.2	2.2
July	-0.1	1.9	-0.1	1.3	0.1	2.0	0.7	1.4	0.0	1.1	0.3	2.5
August	0.6	2.3	0.1	0.8	-0.1	1.8	-0.3	1.1	0.0	1.4	0.3	2.8
September	0.4	2.2	0.2	0.6	0.0	1.7	-0.4	0.7	0.2	1.9
October	0.8	3.0	0.1	-0.1	-0.1	1.4	0.2	1.0	0.4	2.2
November	-1.0	2.1	-0.5	0.4	-0.7	1.3	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.8
December	-0.7	1.9	0.0	1.1	-0.5	0.7	-0.1	2.0	0.0	2.0

The September 2017 Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County is scheduled to be released on October 13, 2017.

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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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/homch17_a.htm.

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-Riverside-Orange County, CA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura 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-Riverside-Orange County, CA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Jun. 2017	Jul. 2017	Aug. 2017	Aug. 2016	Jun. 2017	Jul. 2017
Expenditure category
All items	255.275	256.023	256.739	2.8	0.6	0.3
All items (1967=100)	754.196	756.405	758.521	-	-	-
Food and beverages	254.967	256.155	255.487	1.9	0.2	-0.3
Food	255.158	256.524	255.877	2.0	0.3	-0.3
Food at home	254.284	254.786	253.407	0.1	-0.3	-0.5
Food away from home	252.400	254.810	255.075	4.5	1.1	0.1
Alcoholic beverages	237.086	235.649	234.701	-0.8	-1.0	-0.4
Housing	286.879	288.012	289.452	3.8	0.9	0.5
Shelter	328.422	330.223	332.242	4.3	1.2	0.6
Rent of primary residence(1)	347.260	348.898	350.842	5.1	1.0	0.6
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	341.146	343.386	345.158	4.3	1.2	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	341.127	343.367	345.138	4.3	1.2	0.5
Fuels and utilities	307.089	305.844	305.732	0.8	-0.4	0.0
Household energy	264.173	262.398	262.274	-2.3	-0.7	0.0
Energy services(1)	262.828	261.037	260.901	-2.5	-0.7	-0.1
Electricity(1)	290.451	290.636	290.631	-2.2	0.1	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	244.489	237.957	237.504	-3.2	-2.9	-0.2
Household furnishings and operations	116.951	116.628	116.584	2.5	-0.3	0.0
Apparel	105.976	104.844	105.922	-5.7	-0.1	1.0
Transportation	198.722	196.789	197.851	4.4	-0.4	0.5
Private transportation	193.968	192.507	194.299	5.0	0.2	0.9
Motor fuel	229.595	223.750	230.041	12.0	0.2	2.8
Gasoline (all types)	224.607	218.844	225.027	12.0	0.2	2.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)	224.833	218.910	225.207	12.1	0.2	2.9
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)	216.145	210.910	216.434	11.5	0.1	2.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)	215.447	210.705	216.132	12.0	0.3	2.6
Medical care	469.507	474.778	474.509	1.5	1.1	-0.1
Recreation(5)	106.535	107.220	106.849	0.5	0.3	-0.3
Education and communication(5)	142.449	143.696	143.587	0.3	0.8	-0.1
Other goods and services	411.935	416.736	416.493	6.1	1.1	-0.1
Commodity and service group
All items	255.275	256.023	256.739	2.8	0.6	0.3
Commodities	175.949	175.886	176.177	2.0	0.1	0.2
Commodities less food & beverages	134.801	134.231	134.898	2.1	0.1	0.5
Nondurables less food & beverages	176.649	175.941	177.558	3.5	0.5	0.9
Durables	93.774	93.340	93.067	-0.3	-0.8	-0.3
Services	325.878	327.351	328.448	3.2	0.8	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	245.992	246.563	247.314	2.9	0.5	0.3
All items less shelter	223.265	223.536	223.663	1.9	0.2	0.1
Commodities less food	139.171	138.572	139.205	2.0	0.0	0.5
Nondurables	216.640	216.790	217.391	2.6	0.3	0.3
Nondurables less food	182.339	181.583	183.093	3.2	0.4	0.8
Services less rent of shelter(2)	331.309	332.326	332.082	1.7	0.2	-0.1
Services less medical care services	313.671	314.998	316.137	3.4	0.8	0.4
Energy	243.719	239.415	243.267	5.6	-0.2	1.6
All items less energy	258.085	259.220	259.705	2.6	0.6	0.2
All items less food and energy	258.924	260.020	260.698	2.7	0.7	0.3
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) Index is on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.