Prices in the Seattle area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.6 percent for the two months ending in August 2019, 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 all items less food and energy. (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 3.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.7 percent over the year. Food prices increased 1.9 percent. Energy prices decreased 1.6 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.4 percent for the two months ending in August. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home advanced 1.8 percent, but prices for food at home declined 0.7 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 1.9 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.7 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home moved up 0.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 4.6 percent for the two months ending in August. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-6.9 percent). Prices for electricity decreased 0.5 percent, while prices for natural gas service were unchanged for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 1.6 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-1.6 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service declined 7.7 percent, but prices for electricity advanced 0.6 during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.0 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for shelter (2.1 percent) and household furnishings and operations (2.0 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-1.3 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 household furnishings and operations (12.7 percent) and shelter (4.8 percent).

Table A. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	0.2	1.1	0.2	2.2	1.0	3.4	0.8	3.3	0.7	2.7
April	0.9	0.4	1.1	2.5	0.8	3.1	0.8	3.3	0.5	2.4
June	1.6	1.6	0.9	1.8	0.8	3.0	0.8	3.3	0.7	2.3
August	0.0	1.8	0.3	2.1	-0.2	2.5	-0.3	3.1	0.6	3.2
October	-0.3	1.2	0.0	2.4	0.5	3.0	0.4	3.1
December	-0.2	2.2	0.0	2.6	0.5	3.5	0.2	2.8

The October 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Seattle area is scheduled to be released on November 13, 2019.

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 94 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 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties in the State of Washington.

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

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Jun. 2019	Jul. 2019	Aug. 2019	Aug. 2018	Jun. 2019	Jul. 2019
Expenditure category
All items	278.631	-	280.286	3.2	0.6	-
All items (1967=100)	849.377	-	854.420	-	-	-
Food and beverages	275.571	-	276.599	2.0	0.4	-
Food	277.874	-	279.043	1.9	0.4	-
Food at home	254.986	256.485	253.251	0.4	-0.7	-1.3
Cereals and bakery products	304.231	-	307.277	7.7	1.0	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	217.192	-	218.511	6.3	0.6	-
Dairy and related products	212.438	-	217.268	-0.9	2.3	-
Fruits and vegetables	406.015	-	398.242	-1.2	-1.9	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	304.021	-	279.579	-6.9	-8.0	-
Other food at home	213.358	-	213.910	-2.1	0.3	-
Food away from home	312.973	-	318.528	3.7	1.8	-
Food away from home	312.973	-	318.528	3.7	1.8	-
Alcoholic beverages	247.778	-	247.102	4.0	-0.3	-
Housing	329.145	-	335.419	5.1	1.9	-
Shelter	378.254	382.141	386.127	4.8	2.1	1.0
Rent of primary residence(2)	384.479	386.740	388.735	3.0	1.1	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	397.971	401.533	403.670	4.6	1.4	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	397.971	401.533	403.670	4.6	1.4	0.5
Fuels and utilities	271.612	-	270.909	0.1	-0.3	-
Household energy	242.143	241.233	241.097	-1.3	-0.4	-0.1
Energy services(2)	286.996	285.856	285.856	-1.0	-0.4	0.0
Electricity(2)	319.636	318.090	318.090	0.6	-0.5	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	148.993	148.993	148.993	-7.7	0.0	0.0
Household furnishings and operations	185.770	-	189.511	12.7	2.0	-
Apparel	130.110	-	128.469	3.0	-1.3	-
Transportation	229.333	-	224.109	-0.8	-2.3	-
Private transportation	240.238	-	236.869	0.0	-1.4	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	98.852	-	98.792	-0.9	-0.1	-
New vehicles(1)	194.280	-	192.668	-1.8	-0.8	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	323.281	-	330.934	2.6	2.4	-
Motor fuel	384.651	371.042	358.388	-1.7	-6.8	-3.4
Gasoline (all types)	392.759	378.786	365.829	-1.6	-6.9	-3.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	426.280	410.940	396.132	-1.8	-7.1	-3.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	309.666	298.561	291.827	-0.8	-5.8	-2.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	360.967	348.990	339.930	-0.7	-5.8	-2.6
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	584.118	-	576.371	-1.0	-1.3	-
Medical care	406.516	-	406.802	2.1	0.1	-
Recreation(6)	98.301	-	97.304	1.7	-1.0	-
Education and communication(6)	139.860	-	142.204	4.3	1.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,644.177	-	1,681.157	11.6	2.2	-
Other goods and services	418.440	-	414.816	1.5	-0.9	-
Commodity and service group
All items	278.631	-	280.286	3.2	0.6	-
Commodities	197.028	-	196.480	2.1	-0.3	-
Commodities less food & beverages	158.470	-	157.324	2.1	-0.7	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	196.679	-	192.321	0.1	-2.2	-
Durables	120.995	-	122.593	4.9	1.3	-
Services	354.795	-	358.602	3.8	1.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	272.910	-	274.634	3.3	0.6	-
All items less shelter	240.558	-	239.765	2.2	-0.3	-
Commodities less food	162.157	-	161.017	2.2	-0.7	-
Nondurables	234.631	-	232.723	1.1	-0.8	-
Nondurables less food	201.038	-	196.876	0.4	-2.1	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	334.802	-	333.479	2.4	-0.4	-
Services less medical care services	347.221	-	351.538	3.9	1.2	-
Energy	321.557	313.798	306.918	-1.6	-4.6	-2.2
All items less energy	279.283	-	281.789	3.5	0.9	-
All items less food and energy	279.775	-	282.507	3.7	1.0	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 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.