Prices in the Los Angeles area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged down 0.2 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the June decrease was influenced by lower prices for electricity and apparel. (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 2.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices increased 2.0 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.3 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices inched down 0.1 percent for the month of June. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home edged down 0.2 percent, while prices for food away from home were unchanged for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 1.6 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 3.8 percent since a year ago, while prices for food at home were virtually unchanged

Energy

The energy index decreased 2.3 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for electricity (-5.1 percent). Prices for gasoline declined 1.5 percent, but prices for natural gas service increased 1.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 2.0 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (2.8 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service jumped 10.6 percent, but prices for electricity decreased 2.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in June. Higher prices for other goods and services (1.0 percent) and household furnishings and operations (0.3 percent) were countered by lower prices for apparel (-2.1 percent) and recreation (-0.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.3 percent. Components contributing to the increase included other goods and services (6.5 percent) and shelter (4.1 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price declines in apparel (-3.6 percent) and education and communication (-2.0 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
August	0.6	2.3	0.1	0.8	-0.1	1.8	-0.3	1.1	0.0	1.4
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 July 2017 Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County is scheduled to be released on Friday August 11, 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-
	Apr. 2017	May 2017	Jun. 2017	Jun. 2016	Apr. 2017	May 2017
Expenditure category
All items	254.971	255.674	255.275	2.2	0.1	-0.2
All items (1967=100)	753.297	755.374	754.196	-	-	-
Food and beverages	254.321	255.381	254.967	1.6	0.3	-0.2
Food	254.444	255.493	255.158	1.6	0.3	-0.1
Food at home	253.671	254.910	254.284	-0.1	0.2	-0.2
Food away from home	251.573	252.373	252.400	3.8	0.3	0.0
Alcoholic beverages	237.450	238.612	237.086	1.3	-0.2	-0.6
Housing	286.168	287.251	286.879	3.7	0.2	-0.1
Shelter	327.432	328.269	328.422	4.1	0.3	0.0
Rent of primary residence(1)	344.279	345.534	347.260	5.3	0.9	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	340.072	340.230	341.146	4.2	0.3	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	340.053	340.212	341.127	4.2	0.3	0.3
Fuels and utilities	306.090	313.977	307.089	2.1	0.3	-2.2
Household energy	263.247	273.174	264.173	0.9	0.4	-3.3
Energy services(1)	261.715	272.069	262.828	1.1	0.4	-3.4
Electricity(1)	305.458	305.923	290.451	-2.1	-4.9	-5.1
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	206.940	241.258	244.489	10.6	18.1	1.3
Household furnishings and operations	117.355	116.614	116.951	1.7	-0.3	0.3
Apparel	108.911	108.252	105.976	-3.6	-2.7	-2.1
Transportation	198.562	199.023	198.722	1.4	0.1	-0.2
Private transportation	193.114	193.841	193.968	1.9	0.4	0.1
Motor fuel	233.584	233.161	229.595	2.8	-1.7	-1.5
Gasoline (all types)	228.523	228.118	224.607	2.8	-1.7	-1.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)	228.867	228.362	224.833	2.7	-1.8	-1.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)	219.006	219.655	216.145	3.2	-1.3	-1.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)	218.778	218.704	215.447	3.1	-1.5	-1.5
Medical care	467.445	469.064	469.507	1.1	0.4	0.1
Recreation(5)	107.131	107.409	106.535	-0.1	-0.6	-0.8
Education and communication(5)	141.997	142.072	142.449	-2.0	0.3	0.3
Other goods and services	410.527	407.766	411.935	6.5	0.3	1.0
Commodity and service group
All items	254.971	255.674	255.275	2.2	0.1	-0.2
Commodities	176.498	176.772	175.949	0.9	-0.3	-0.5
Commodities less food & beverages	135.808	135.747	134.801	0.4	-0.7	-0.7
Nondurables less food & beverages	178.728	178.261	176.649	0.9	-1.2	-0.9
Durables	93.721	94.064	93.774	-0.6	0.1	-0.3
Services	324.808	325.895	325.878	2.8	0.3	0.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	245.756	246.421	245.992	2.3	0.1	-0.2
All items less shelter	223.272	223.918	223.265	1.0	0.0	-0.3
Commodities less food	140.174	140.145	139.171	0.4	-0.7	-0.7
Nondurables	217.511	217.737	216.640	1.3	-0.4	-0.5
Nondurables less food	184.361	183.971	182.339	0.9	-1.1	-0.9
Services less rent of shelter(2)	330.104	331.578	331.309	1.0	0.4	-0.1
Services less medical care services	312.469	313.692	313.671	3.0	0.4	0.0
Energy	245.837	249.385	243.719	2.0	-0.9	-2.3
All items less energy	257.596	258.090	258.085	2.2	0.2	0.0
All items less food and energy	258.472	258.872	258.924	2.3	0.2	0.0
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.