Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.3 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The August increase was influenced by higher prices for used cars and trucks and food. (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 1.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy also increased 1.9 percent over the year. Food prices rose 5.6 percent. Energy prices decreased 6.4 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 0.6 percent for the month of August. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 0.7 percent, led by fruit and vegetable prices (1.4 percent), and prices for food away from home advanced 0.5 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 5.6 percent. Prices for food at home increased 5.8 percent since a year ago, largely due to price increases in meat, poultry, fish and eggs (8.6 percent), and prices for food away from home advanced 5.3 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 1.0 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (1.8 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 0.4 percent, but prices for electricity edged down 0.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 6.4 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-13.0 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service increased 5.5 percent, and prices for electricity advanced 1.9 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched up 0.2 percent in August. Higher prices for used cars and trucks (5.7 percent), apparel (2.1 percent), and household furnishings and operations (0.7 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for motor vehicle insurance (-2.2 percent) and other goods and services (-0.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (6.1 percent), household furnishings and operations (4.2 percent), and shelter (2.3 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in motor vehicle insurance (-3.9 percent) and apparel (-3.2 percent).

Table A. West region 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	0.5	2.6	0.5	2.5	0.5	3.1	0.2	2.7	0.3	2.9
February	0.1	2.1	0.6	3.0	0.5	3.1	0.2	2.4	0.4	3.1
March	0.2	1.5	0.3	3.1	0.4	3.2	0.4	2.4	-0.2	2.5
April	0.5	1.8	0.3	2.9	0.4	3.2	0.8	2.9	-0.4	1.3
May	0.5	1.5	0.2	2.6	0.5	3.5	0.5	2.9	0.1	0.8
June	0.2	1.6	0.0	2.5	0.2	3.6	0.0	2.7	0.4	1.2
July	0.1	1.4	0.1	2.5	0.1	3.6	0.0	2.7	0.5	1.7
August	0.0	1.5	0.2	2.7	0.2	3.6	0.1	2.6	0.3	1.9
September	0.3	2.0	0.5	2.9	0.3	3.4	0.3	2.6
October	0.3	2.3	0.3	2.9	0.4	3.5	0.5	2.8
November	-0.2	2.3	0.0	3.1	-0.2	3.3	-0.1	2.8
December	0.0	2.5	0.1	3.1	-0.2	3.1	-0.2	2.8

The September 2020 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on October 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-
	Jun. 2020	Jul. 2020	Aug. 2020	Aug. 2019	Jun. 2020	Jul. 2020
Expenditure category
All Items	274.155	275.597	276.443	1.9	0.8	0.3
All items (December 1977=100)	443.156	445.488	446.855
Food and beverages	278.677	278.110	279.790	5.3	0.4	0.6
Food	278.995	278.597	280.333	5.6	0.5	0.6
Food at home	264.126	261.964	263.762	5.8	-0.1	0.7
Cereals and bakery products	269.376	267.275	268.954	1.5	-0.2	0.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	289.818	280.540	279.385	8.6	-3.6	-0.4
Dairy and related products	242.486	243.167	247.264	6.6	2.0	1.7
Fruits and vegetables	345.015	345.610	350.341	5.3	1.5	1.4
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	186.193	184.062	187.429	9.5	0.7	1.8
Other food at home	220.080	220.641	221.197	4.0	0.5	0.3
Food away from home	298.074	300.104	301.748	5.3	1.2	0.5
Alcoholic beverages	271.064	268.402	269.351	1.9	-0.6	0.4
Housing	307.520	308.454	308.782	2.6	0.4	0.1
Shelter	355.083	356.272	356.336	2.3	0.4	0.0
Rent of primary residence(1)	379.296	379.785	379.915	3.2	0.2	0.0
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	373.384	373.920	374.293	2.6	0.2	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	373.389	373.926	374.292	2.6	0.2	0.1
Fuels and utilities	315.578	317.905	318.565	2.9	0.9	0.2
Household energy	266.415	268.110	268.310	2.6	0.7	0.1
Energy services(1)	269.039	270.792	270.918	2.6	0.7	0.0
Electricity(1)	299.699	303.123	302.959	1.9	1.1	-0.1
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	212.874	210.489	211.367	5.5	-0.7	0.4
Household furnishings and operations	138.230	137.821	138.799	4.2	0.4	0.7
Apparel	109.226	109.244	111.588	-3.2	2.2	2.1
Transportation	204.029	209.147	210.669	-4.1	3.3	0.7
Private transportation	200.980	206.739	208.959	-3.0	4.0	1.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)	98.678	100.337	102.058	0.8	3.4	1.7
New vehicles	148.806	149.904	149.765	1.4	0.6	-0.1
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	103.332	104.112	104.015	1.4	0.7	-0.1
New cars(4)	147.456	148.599	148.458	1.5	0.7	-0.1
Used cars and trucks	131.430	135.518	143.303	3.2	9.0	5.7
Motor fuel	215.803	225.536	229.485	-13.0	6.3	1.8
Gasoline (all types)	214.925	224.837	228.850	-13.0	6.5	1.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	211.355	221.156	225.212	-13.3	6.6	1.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	208.762	218.152	222.275	-11.9	6.5	1.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	215.932	225.608	229.037	-11.2	6.1	1.5
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	765.701	832.394	813.922	-3.9	6.3	-2.2
Medical Care	540.943	544.125	544.247	6.1	0.6	0.0
Medical care commodities	428.922	428.925	428.583	9.1	-0.1	-0.1
Medical care services	575.507	579.688	579.956	5.2	0.8	0.0
Professional services	366.273	369.491	366.673	1.9	0.1	-0.8
Recreation(3)	116.512	115.497	115.718	1.1	-0.7	0.2
Education and communication(3)	138.505	140.134	140.519	1.8	1.5	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,500.891	1,503.445	1,510.816	1.9	0.7	0.5
Other goods and services	461.650	461.650	458.151	1.6	-0.8	-0.8
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	274.155	275.597	276.443	1.9	0.8	0.3
Commodities	187.662	188.740	190.608	1.8	1.6	1.0
Commodities less food & beverages	144.067	145.715	147.562	-0.6	2.4	1.3
Nondurables less food & beverages	184.367	186.745	188.437	-3.2	2.2	0.9
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	237.198	241.203	242.467	-3.2	2.2	0.5
Durables	106.190	107.242	109.011	2.0	2.7	1.6
Services	354.845	356.613	356.307	2.0	0.4	-0.1
Rent of shelter(2)	378.200	379.458	379.536	2.3	0.4	0.0
Transportation services	298.883	306.127	300.958	-6.3	0.7	-1.7
Other services	366.325	366.379	366.382	2.4	0.0	0.0
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	262.036	263.401	264.274	1.6	0.9	0.3
All items less food	273.505	275.250	275.950	1.3	0.9	0.3
All items less shelter	242.407	243.949	245.099	1.7	1.1	0.5
Commodities less food	148.627	150.168	152.004	-0.4	2.3	1.2
Nondurables	231.393	232.347	234.043	1.6	1.1	0.7
Nondurables less food	190.704	192.758	194.407	-2.7	1.9	0.9
Nondurables less food and apparel	240.460	243.754	244.984	-2.5	1.9	0.5
Services less rent of shelter(2)	364.867	367.480	366.653	1.5	0.5	-0.2
Services less medical care services	339.476	341.080	340.737	1.6	0.4	-0.1
Energy	240.961	247.429	249.846	-6.4	3.7	1.0
All items less energy	278.718	279.831	280.578	2.5	0.7	0.3
All items less food and energy	279.452	280.839	281.410	1.9	0.7	0.2
Commodities less food and energy commodities	140.799	141.518	143.128	1.8	1.7	1.1
Energy commodities	220.103	229.858	233.876	-12.8	6.3	1.7
Services less energy services	361.172	362.948	362.617	1.9	0.4	-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.