Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged up 0.2 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The June increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter, medical care, and gasoline. (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 3.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices jumped 14.0 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.2 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices inched down 0.2 percent for the month of June. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 0.5 percent, while prices for food away from home were virtually unchanged for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 1.6 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 3.6 percent since a year ago, while prices for food at home were unchanged.

Energy

The energy index increased 0.9 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (1.0 percent). Prices for electricity increased 0.9 percent, but prices for natural gas service decreased 0.6 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 14.0 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (24.3 percent). Prices paid for electricity rose 2.1 percent, but prices for natural gas service decreased 4.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent in June. Higher prices for medical care (0.6 percent) and shelter (0.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-2.4 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.6 percent) and medical care (4.0 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline in apparel (-1.3 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
August	0.1	1.5	-0.1	2.1	-0.1	1.3	0.0	1.5	0.2	2.7
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 July 2018 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on August 10, 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-
	Apr. 2018	May 2018	Jun. 2018	Jun. 2017	Apr. 2018	May 2018
Expenditure category
All Items	262.037	263.240	263.732	3.6	0.6	0.2
All items (December 1977=100)	423.568	425.513	426.308
Food and beverages	259.152	258.988	258.621	1.7	-0.2	-0.1
Food	258.887	258.727	258.236	1.6	-0.3	-0.2
Food at home	246.843	246.051	244.882	0.0	-0.8	-0.5
Cereals and bakery products	257.067	257.138	259.246		0.8	0.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	258.696	255.165	253.607		-2.0	-0.6
Dairy and related products	227.303	225.802	225.572		-0.8	-0.1
Fruits and vegetables	325.959	328.314	321.080		-1.5	-2.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	169.217	168.029	168.188		-0.6	0.1
Other food at home	212.407	212.282	211.942		-0.2	-0.2
Food away from home	274.576	275.231	275.616	3.6	0.4	0.1
Alcoholic beverages	259.285	259.074	260.296	3.0	0.4	0.5
Housing	284.763	285.962	286.923	4.0	0.8	0.3
Shelter	327.549	329.057	330.401	4.6	0.9	0.4
Rent of primary residence(1)	345.911	346.695	348.033	4.6	0.6	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	344.234	345.130	346.374	4.5	0.6	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	344.237	345.138	346.390	4.5	0.6	0.4
Fuels and utilities	296.545	300.626	301.858	1.7	1.8	0.4
Household energy	252.987	257.597	259.055	0.8	2.4	0.6
Energy services(1)	254.807	259.694	261.183	0.7	2.5	0.6
Electricity(1)	286.660	290.388	292.957	2.1	2.2	0.9
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	194.318	202.803	201.537	-4.1	3.7	-0.6
Household furnishings and operations	130.820	129.855	129.427	1.2	-1.1	-0.3
Apparel	120.914	118.820	115.992	-1.3	-4.1	-2.4
Transportation	216.897	220.592	221.744	7.6	2.2	0.5
Private transportation	211.852	215.538	216.718	8.5	2.3	0.5
New and used motor vehicles(3)	100.206	100.389	100.459	-0.2	0.3	0.1
New vehicles	146.001	147.222	147.909	0.0	1.3	0.5
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	101.409	102.250	102.731	0.0	1.3	0.5
New cars(4)	142.395	144.442	144.775	-0.6	1.7	0.2
Used cars and trucks	134.162	133.079	133.492	-1.0	-0.5	0.3
Motor fuel	263.723	276.632	279.527	24.4	6.0	1.0
Gasoline (all types)	262.783	275.640	278.459	24.3	6.0	1.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	260.153	272.991	275.824	24.7	6.0	1.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	249.448	261.436	264.458	23.0	6.0	1.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	256.204	268.167	270.652	22.5	5.6	0.9
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	824.995	835.102	842.944		2.2	0.9
Medical Care	491.184	493.298	496.224	4.0	1.0	0.6
Medical care commodities	379.122	386.046	385.823	4.1	1.8	-0.1
Medical care services	526.431	526.890	530.874	4.0	0.8	0.8
Professional services	358.344	358.466	358.284	3.2	0.0	-0.1
Recreation(3)	113.495	114.078	114.081	1.3	0.5	0.0
Education and communication(3)	135.561	135.799	135.789	0.3	0.2	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,381.239	1,382.887	1,384.425		0.2	0.1
Other goods and services	434.942	434.750	436.019	2.6	0.2	0.3
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	262.037	263.240	263.732	3.6	0.6	0.2
Commodities	185.388	186.094	185.761	3.0	0.2	-0.2
Commodities less food & beverages	148.408	149.403	149.100	3.8	0.5	-0.2
Nondurables less food & beverages	195.852	198.339	197.741	7.7	1.0	-0.3
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	248.276	254.061	255.085	10.9	2.7	0.4
Durables	105.975	105.794	105.729	-1.4	-0.2	-0.1
Services	332.917	334.595	335.919	4.0	0.9	0.4
Rent of shelter(2)	348.755	350.363	351.787	4.6	0.9	0.4
Transportation services	316.800	319.606	320.245	5.0	1.1	0.2
Other services	347.053	348.412	349.432	2.1	0.7	0.3
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	251.555	252.716	253.102	3.6	0.6	0.2
All items less food	262.703	264.120	264.765	4.0	0.8	0.2
All items less shelter	236.418	237.502	237.654	3.1	0.5	0.1
Commodities less food	152.555	153.527	153.262	3.8	0.5	-0.2
Nondurables	227.961	229.253	228.753	4.5	0.3	-0.2
Nondurables less food	200.688	203.034	202.538	7.3	0.9	-0.2
Nondurables less food and apparel	249.022	254.233	255.274	10.1	2.5	0.4
Services less rent of shelter(2)	350.002	351.954	353.301	3.2	0.9	0.4
Services less medical care services	319.393	321.147	322.294	4.0	0.9	0.4
Energy	263.443	273.252	275.620	14.0	4.6	0.9
All items less energy	264.114	264.702	265.061	2.9	0.4	0.1
All items less food and energy	265.809	266.526	267.033	3.2	0.5	0.2
Commodities less food and energy commodities	140.387	139.963	139.320	-0.2	-0.8	-0.5
Energy commodities	268.456	281.322	284.236	24.1	5.9	1.0
Services less energy services	338.739	340.249	341.570	4.2	0.8	0.4
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.