Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), inched up 0.2 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The August increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and education and communication. (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 3.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices jumped 13.4 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.1 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.3 percent for the month of August. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home and prices for food away from home each rose 0.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 1.9 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.5 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home rose 0.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index edged down 0.2 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-1.2 percent). Prices for electricity were unchanged, while prices for natural gas service increased 6.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 13.4 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (21.6 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service increased 5.1 percent, and prices for electricity advanced 2.4 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 education and communication (0.8 percent), apparel (0.5 percent), and shelter (0.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for new vehicles (-0.8 percent), household furnishings and operations (-0.6 percent), and medical care (-0.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.1 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.4 percent) and medical care (2.8 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline in apparel (-0.4 percent).

Table A. West Region CPI-U monthly and annual percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual
January	0.3	1.7	0.3	1.7	-0.3	0.7	0.5	2.6	0.5	2.5	0.5	3.1
February	0.8	2.0	0.4	1.3	0.6	0.9	0.1	2.1	0.6	3.0	0.5	3.1
March	0.4	1.5	0.6	1.5	0.8	1.1	0.2	1.5	0.3	3.1	0.4	3.2
April	0.0	1.3	0.3	1.8	0.3	1.0	0.5	1.8	0.3	2.9	0.4	3.2
May	0.2	1.3	0.6	2.3	0.8	1.2	0.5	1.5	0.2	2.6	0.5	3.5
June	0.1	1.5	0.1	2.3	0.0	1.1	0.2	1.6	0.0	2.5	0.2	3.6
July	0.0	1.9	0.1	2.3	0.3	1.3	0.1	1.4	0.1	2.5	0.1	3.6
August	0.1	1.5	-0.1	2.1	-0.1	1.3	0.0	1.5	0.2	2.7	0.2	3.6
September	0.2	1.3	0.1	2.0	-0.2	1.0	0.3	2.0	0.5	2.9
October	-0.1	0.9	-0.1	2.0	0.0	1.1	0.3	2.3	0.3	2.9
November	-0.4	1.3	-0.6	1.7	-0.2	1.5	-0.2	2.3	0.0	3.1
December	0.0	1.8	-0.5	1.3	-0.1	1.8	0.0	2.5	0.1	3.1

The September 2018 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on October 11, 2018.

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. 2018	Jul. 2018	Aug. 2018	Aug. 2017	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018
Expenditure category
All Items	263.732	263.971	264.395	3.6	0.3	0.2
All items (December 1977=100)	426.308	426.695	427.380
Food and beverages	258.621	259.346	260.098	1.9	0.6	0.3
Food	258.236	258.957	259.839	1.9	0.6	0.3
Food at home	244.882	246.043	246.873	0.5	0.8	0.3
Cereals and bakery products	259.246	257.604	259.020		-0.1	0.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	253.607	254.621	258.828		2.1	1.7
Dairy and related products	225.572	225.280	225.159		-0.2	-0.1
Fruits and vegetables	321.080	328.882	325.125		1.3	-1.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	168.188	169.007	171.246		1.8	1.3
Other food at home	211.942	211.847	211.715		-0.1	-0.1
Food away from home	275.616	275.768	276.720	3.5	0.4	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	260.296	261.082	260.135	3.0	-0.1	-0.4
Housing	286.923	287.898	288.932	3.9	0.7	0.4
Shelter	330.401	331.639	332.959	4.4	0.8	0.4
Rent of primary residence(1)	348.033	349.575	351.431	4.7	1.0	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	346.374	347.643	349.126	4.3	0.8	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	346.390	347.658	349.141	4.3	0.8	0.4
Fuels and utilities	301.858	303.862	306.943	3.4	1.7	1.0
Household energy	259.055	260.716	263.985	3.0	1.9	1.3
Energy services(1)	261.183	263.022	266.349	2.9	2.0	1.3
Electricity(1)	292.957	293.988	294.006	2.4	0.4	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	201.537	205.731	218.282	5.1	8.3	6.1
Household furnishings and operations	129.427	129.110	128.378	0.1	-0.8	-0.6
Apparel	115.992	116.023	116.614	-0.4	0.5	0.5
Transportation	221.744	220.363	219.235	7.6	-1.1	-0.5
Private transportation	216.718	215.824	215.011	8.1	-0.8	-0.4
New and used motor vehicles(3)	100.459	100.701	100.683	0.6	0.2	0.0
New vehicles	147.909	147.075	145.903	0.1	-1.4	-0.8
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	102.731	102.160	101.334	0.1	-1.4	-0.8
New cars(4)	144.775	144.240	143.377	0.7	-1.0	-0.6
Used cars and trucks	133.492	134.821	135.579	0.9	1.6	0.6
Motor fuel	279.527	274.374	271.188	21.7	-3.0	-1.2
Gasoline (all types)	278.459	273.199	269.963	21.6	-3.1	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	275.824	270.477	267.197	21.9	-3.1	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	264.458	259.895	257.208	21.3	-2.7	-1.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	270.652	266.183	263.377	20.3	-2.7	-1.1
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	842.944	843.244	841.012		-0.2	-0.3
Medical Care	496.224	496.037	494.151	2.8	-0.4	-0.4
Medical care commodities	385.823	384.693	385.085	2.9	-0.2	0.1
Medical care services	530.874	531.008	528.357	2.8	-0.5	-0.5
Professional services	358.284	357.697	354.203	0.6	-1.1	-1.0
Recreation(3)	114.081	113.911	114.002	1.4	-0.1	0.1
Education and communication(3)	135.789	136.063	137.172	1.0	1.0	0.8
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,384.425	1,399.067	1,433.387		3.5	2.5
Other goods and services	436.019	436.007	436.312	2.5	0.1	0.1
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	263.732	263.971	264.395	3.6	0.3	0.2
Commodities	185.761	185.376	185.265	2.8	-0.3	-0.1
Commodities less food & beverages	149.100	148.319	147.891	3.4	-0.8	-0.3
Nondurables less food & beverages	197.741	196.321	195.806	6.9	-1.0	-0.3
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	255.085	252.628	251.316	9.4	-1.5	-0.5
Durables	105.729	105.466	105.123	-1.1	-0.6	-0.3
Services	335.919	336.793	337.754	4.0	0.5	0.3
Rent of shelter(2)	351.787	353.072	354.490	4.4	0.8	0.4
Transportation services	320.245	319.043	318.229	5.8	-0.6	-0.3
Other services	349.432	350.245	352.039	2.5	0.7	0.5
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	253.102	253.359	253.881	3.6	0.3	0.2
All items less food	264.765	264.929	265.282	3.8	0.2	0.1
All items less shelter	237.654	237.493	237.558	3.1	0.0	0.0
Commodities less food	153.262	152.516	152.071	3.4	-0.8	-0.3
Nondurables	228.753	228.310	228.376	4.2	-0.2	0.0
Nondurables less food	202.538	201.237	200.694	6.6	-0.9	-0.3
Nondurables less food and apparel	255.274	253.126	251.851	8.8	-1.3	-0.5
Services less rent of shelter(2)	353.301	353.751	354.242	3.4	0.3	0.1
Services less medical care services	322.294	323.213	324.408	4.1	0.7	0.4
Energy	275.620	273.095	272.425	13.4	-1.2	-0.2
All items less energy	265.061	265.503	266.010	2.9	0.4	0.2
All items less food and energy	267.033	267.428	267.873	3.1	0.3	0.2
Commodities less food and energy commodities	139.320	139.098	138.970	-0.1	-0.3	-0.1
Energy commodities	284.236	278.990	275.826	21.5	-3.0	-1.1
Services less energy services	341.570	342.395	343.230	4.0	0.5	0.2
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) 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.