Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged down 0.2 percent in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The December decrease was influenced by lower prices for 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 advanced 2.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent over the year. Food prices rose 2.1 percent. Energy prices advanced 3.4 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices crept up 0.1 percent for the month of December. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home rose 0.3 percent, while prices for food at home were virtually unchanged and for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 2.1 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.6 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home rose 0.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 3.9 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-6.2 percent). Prices for electricity declined 1.2 percent, but prices for natural gas service advanced 4.4 percent for the same period.

Energy prices advanced 3.4 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (5.2 percent). Prices paid for electricity rose 0.8 percent, and prices for natural gas service advanced 0.4 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy crept up 0.1 percent in December. Higher prices for medical care (1.4 percent), recreation (0.4 percent), and shelter (0.1 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-1.3 percent) and education and communication (-0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (6.0 percent) and shelter (4.3 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in apparel (-0.1 percent).

Table A. West region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	-0.3	0.7	0.5	2.6	0.5	2.5	0.5	3.1	0.2	2.7
February	0.6	0.9	0.1	2.1	0.6	3.0	0.5	3.1	0.2	2.4
March	0.8	1.1	0.2	1.5	0.3	3.1	0.4	3.2	0.4	2.4
April	0.3	1.0	0.5	1.8	0.3	2.9	0.4	3.2	0.8	2.9
May	0.8	1.2	0.5	1.5	0.2	2.6	0.5	3.5	0.5	2.9
June	0.0	1.1	0.2	1.6	0.0	2.5	0.2	3.6	0.0	2.7
July	0.3	1.3	0.1	1.4	0.1	2.5	0.1	3.6	0.0	2.7
August	-0.1	1.3	0.0	1.5	0.2	2.7	0.2	3.6	0.1	2.6
September	-0.2	1.0	0.3	2.0	0.5	2.9	0.3	3.4	0.3	2.6
October	0.0	1.1	0.3	2.3	0.3	2.9	0.4	3.5	0.5	2.8
November	-0.2	1.5	-0.2	2.3	0.0	3.1	-0.2	3.3	-0.1	2.8
December	-0.1	1.8	0.0	2.5	0.1	3.1	-0.2	3.1	-0.2	2.8

The January 2020 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on February 13, 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 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.

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

West (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Oct. 2019	Nov. 2019	Dec. 2019	Dec. 2018	Oct. 2019	Nov. 2019
Expenditure category
All Items	273.524	273.128	272.584	2.8	-0.3	-0.2
All items (December 1977=100)	442.137	441.496	440.616
Food and beverages	267.382	266.850	267.096	1.9	-0.1	0.1
Food	267.487	267.107	267.425	2.1	0.0	0.1
Food at home	251.030	250.350	250.222	0.8	-0.3	-0.1
Cereals and bakery products	266.617	266.219	262.004	0.1	-1.7	-1.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	257.933	259.911	260.400	1.2	1.0	0.2
Dairy and related products	234.068	233.698	236.295	4.2	1.0	1.1
Fruits and vegetables	336.864	330.634	331.526	0.0	-1.6	0.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	174.118	174.995	174.619	1.3	0.3	-0.2
Other food at home	212.827	211.908	211.683	-0.1	-0.5	-0.1
Food away from home	288.871	288.878	289.770	3.6	0.3	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	262.665	260.173	259.502	-1.4	-1.2	-0.3
Housing	302.144	301.908	302.112	3.7	0.0	0.1
Shelter	349.802	350.397	350.777	4.3	0.3	0.1
Rent of primary residence(1)	371.955	373.143	374.382	4.6	0.7	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	367.314	368.433	369.702	4.4	0.7	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	367.318	368.436	369.707	4.4	0.7	0.3
Fuels and utilities	310.623	305.066	304.982	2.0	-1.8	0.0
Household energy	262.208	254.427	254.281	0.7	-3.0	-0.1
Energy services(1)	264.312	256.323	256.032	0.7	-3.1	-0.1
Electricity(1)	297.331	290.952	287.434	0.8	-3.3	-1.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	201.626	188.520	196.879	0.4	-2.4	4.4
Household furnishings and operations	132.956	132.061	131.794	0.6	-0.9	-0.2
Apparel	119.233	114.668	113.210	-0.1	-5.1	-1.3
Transportation	223.674	223.156	218.713	1.4	-2.2	-2.0
Private transportation	219.314	218.956	214.895	1.5	-2.0	-1.9
New and used motor vehicles(3)	99.743	99.531	99.488	-0.6	-0.3	0.0
New vehicles	147.391	147.579	147.969	0.2	0.4	0.3
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	102.350	102.480	102.754	0.1	0.4	0.3
New cars(4)	145.782	146.222	146.602	0.9	0.6	0.3
Used cars and trucks	133.071	132.086	131.779	-0.9	-1.0	-0.2
Motor fuel	286.854	285.613	268.140	5.1	-6.5	-6.1
Gasoline (all types)	286.207	284.666	266.882	5.2	-6.8	-6.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	283.162	281.564	263.581	5.1	-6.9	-6.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	272.405	271.444	256.745	5.2	-5.7	-5.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	279.515	278.300	262.545	5.4	-6.1	-5.7
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	842.158	843.534	843.608	-1.1	0.2	0.0
Medical Care	521.163	523.141	530.506	6.0	1.8	1.4
Medical care commodities	411.526	413.647	434.657	12.8	5.6	5.1
Medical care services	555.400	557.317	559.982	4.3	0.8	0.5
Professional services	359.664	359.655	359.697	1.2	0.0	0.0
Recreation(3)	115.627	115.738	116.187	0.7	0.5	0.4
Education and communication(3)	137.928	138.301	137.914	0.6	0.0	-0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,494.313	1,495.444	1,494.758	2.5	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services	451.586	455.293	453.836	3.2	0.5	-0.3
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	273.524	273.128	272.584	2.8	-0.3	-0.2
Commodities	190.020	189.091	187.603	1.8	-1.3	-0.8
Commodities less food & beverages	151.460	150.430	148.369	1.7	-2.0	-1.4
Nondurables less food & beverages	202.934	200.892	197.070	3.3	-2.9	-1.9
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	261.643	261.450	255.951	4.4	-2.2	-2.1
Durables	105.835	105.618	104.983	-0.5	-0.8	-0.6
Services	351.102	351.264	351.706	3.4	0.2	0.1
Rent of shelter(2)	372.536	373.174	373.602	4.3	0.3	0.1
Transportation services	321.753	321.138	318.458	0.2	-1.0	-0.8
Other services	360.056	360.878	362.528	2.0	0.7	0.5
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	262.221	261.724	260.842	2.5	-0.5	-0.3
All items less food	274.649	274.249	273.570	2.9	-0.4	-0.2
All items less shelter	243.616	242.821	241.905	1.9	-0.7	-0.4
Commodities less food	155.642	154.565	152.523	1.5	-2.0	-1.3
Nondurables	235.675	234.306	232.319	2.5	-1.4	-0.8
Nondurables less food	207.598	205.518	201.855	2.9	-2.8	-1.8
Nondurables less food and apparel	261.427	261.017	255.981	3.8	-2.1	-1.9
Services less rent of shelter(2)	363.142	362.722	363.231	2.1	0.0	0.1
Services less medical care services	336.825	336.873	337.168	3.3	0.1	0.1
Energy	281.399	277.542	266.687	3.4	-5.2	-3.9
All items less energy	275.227	275.079	275.280	2.7	0.0	0.1
All items less food and energy	277.386	277.277	277.459	2.8	0.0	0.1
Commodities less food and energy commodities	141.127	140.062	139.819	0.8	-0.9	-0.2
Energy commodities	291.662	290.390	272.955	5.0	-6.4	-6.0
Services less energy services	357.483	358.093	358.577	3.5	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.