Prices in the Los Angeles area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.3 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the February increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter 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 increased 3.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent over the year. Food prices rose 4.0 percent. Energy prices increased 5.7 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.5 percent for the month of February. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home increased 0.8 percent, while prices for food at home were unchanged for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 4.0 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 5.8 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home advanced 2.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 0.8 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for natural gas service (-5.5 percent). Prices for gasoline decreased 0.5 percent, while prices for electricity were virtually unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices increased 5.7 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (6.7 percent). Prices paid for electricity advanced 5.8 percent, but prices for natural gas service decreased 0.6 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent in February. Higher prices for apparel (2.2 percent), recreation (0.9 percent), and shelter (0.5 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for other goods and services (-0.7 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent. Components contributing to the increase included apparel (6.8 percent) and shelter (4.3 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in household furnishings and operations (-0.9 percent).

Table A. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2016		2017		2018		2019		2020
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.7	3.1	0.9	2.1	0.8	3.5	0.7	3.2	0.8	3.1
February	0.0	2.4	0.6	2.7	0.7	3.6	0.1	2.5	0.3	3.4
March	0.3	1.7	0.3	2.7	0.4	3.8	0.6	2.7
April	0.2	2.0	0.2	2.7	0.4	4.0	1.0	3.3
May	0.5	1.4	0.3	2.5	0.4	4.1	0.2	3.1
June	0.1	1.8	-0.2	2.2	-0.2	4.0	0.0	3.3
July	0.0	1.1	0.3	2.5	0.2	3.9	0.1	3.3
August	0.0	1.4	0.3	2.8	0.2	3.9	0.0	3.0
September	0.2	1.9	0.4	3.1	0.5	3.9	0.5	3.0
October	0.4	2.2	0.4	3.1	0.5	4.1	0.7	3.2
November	-0.4	1.8	0.1	3.6	-0.3	3.6	-0.3	3.2
December	0.0	2.0	0.0	3.6	-0.3	3.2	-0.6	3.0

The March 2020 Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles area is scheduled to be released on April 10, 2020.

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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 29 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 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 (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-Long Beach-Anaheim. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Los Angeles and Orange 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-Long Beach-Anaheim (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Dec. 2019	Jan. 2020	Feb. 2020	Feb. 2019	Dec. 2019	Jan. 2020
Expenditure category
All items	275.553	277.755	278.657	3.4	1.1	0.3
All items (1967=100)	814.106	820.612	823.275	-	-	-
Food and beverages	267.623	271.402	272.546	3.6	1.8	0.4
Food	269.400	272.904	274.138	4.0	1.8	0.5
Food at home	256.446	258.997	259.080	2.0	1.0	0.0
Cereals and bakery products	271.514	273.713	276.386	4.2	1.8	1.0
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	281.643	283.279	279.993	1.4	-0.6	-1.2
Dairy and related products	253.042	255.915	254.288	3.3	0.5	-0.6
Fruits and vegetables	342.395	346.423	352.276	5.8	2.9	1.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	259.489	265.988	260.897	-3.7	0.5	-1.9
Other food at home	195.258	196.280	197.475	0.8	1.1	0.6
Food away from home	279.297	283.693	286.037	5.8	2.4	0.8
Food away from home	279.297	283.693	286.037	5.8	2.4	0.8
Alcoholic beverages	227.556	234.278	234.278	-2.3	3.0	0.0
Housing	319.257	320.216	321.211	3.8	0.6	0.3
Shelter	369.854	370.579	372.271	4.3	0.7	0.5
Rent of primary residence(2)	394.303	394.761	396.346	5.0	0.5	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	384.958	385.738	386.813	4.1	0.5	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	384.936	385.716	386.791	4.1	0.5	0.3
Fuels and utilities	331.851	338.513	335.785	3.3	1.2	-0.8
Household energy	283.097	293.308	289.442	4.0	2.2	-1.3
Energy services(2)	281.858	291.952	288.050	4.1	2.2	-1.3
Electricity(2)	330.012	335.880	336.323	5.8	1.9	0.1
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	220.806	240.913	227.580	-0.6	3.1	-5.5
Household furnishings and operations	118.839	118.740	118.423	-0.9	-0.4	-0.3
Apparel	106.453	112.147	114.583	6.8	7.6	2.2
Transportation	213.991	214.517	214.885	2.1	0.4	0.2
Private transportation	212.053	211.380	211.600	2.0	-0.2	0.1
New and used motor vehicles(4)	89.681	90.689	91.527	-0.3	2.1	0.9
New vehicles(1)	168.357	169.444	171.904	1.1	2.1	1.5
Used cars and trucks(1)	262.995	261.076	263.406	-1.5	0.2	0.9
Motor fuel	281.470	274.752	273.331	6.6	-2.9	-0.5
Gasoline (all types)	274.921	268.329	266.970	6.7	-2.9	-0.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	274.851	268.258	266.790	6.4	-2.9	-0.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	265.897	259.489	258.470	7.2	-2.8	-0.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	263.520	257.222	256.459	7.1	-2.7	-0.3
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	782.920	782.920	786.324	1.5	0.4	0.4
Medical care	485.696	498.270	499.208	3.5	2.8	0.2
Recreation(6)	105.912	107.744	108.757	2.7	2.7	0.9
Education and communication(6)	149.031	149.118	149.002	1.7	0.0	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,959.856	1,961.158	1,961.158	3.6	0.1	0.0
Other goods and services	447.306	449.830	446.751	2.6	-0.1	-0.7
Commodity and service group
All items	275.553	277.755	278.657	3.4	1.1	0.3
Commodities	182.787	184.534	185.266	2.5	1.4	0.4
Commodities less food & beverages	138.978	139.751	140.276	1.7	0.9	0.4
Nondurables less food & beverages	190.233	191.943	192.518	4.1	1.2	0.3
Durables	89.682	89.672	90.121	-2.2	0.5	0.5
Services	358.083	360.662	361.700	3.7	1.0	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	266.331	268.151	269.046	3.4	1.0	0.3
All items less shelter	234.021	236.840	237.401	2.7	1.4	0.2
Commodities less food	143.044	144.030	144.540	1.6	1.0	0.4
Nondurables	230.114	232.872	233.736	3.9	1.6	0.4
Nondurables less food	194.864	196.962	197.500	3.7	1.4	0.3
Services less rent of shelter(3)	350.670	355.975	356.089	2.8	1.5	0.0
Services less medical care services	346.037	347.836	348.868	3.6	0.8	0.3
Energy	284.050	283.316	281.014	5.7	-1.1	-0.8
All items less energy	277.171	279.587	280.711	3.2	1.3	0.4
All items less food and energy	278.812	281.022	282.124	3.1	1.2	0.4
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (6) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.