Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.8 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The April increase was influenced by higher prices for gasoline and shelter. (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 2.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices increased 3.4 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.9 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 0.3 percent for the month of April. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home rose 0.5 percent, while prices for food at home were virtually unchanged for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 2.4 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 3.4 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home advanced 1.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 8.5 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (14.6 percent). Prices for electricity edged up 0.1 percent, but prices for natural gas service declined 1.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 3.4 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (5.8 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service were virtually unchanged, while prices for electricity decreased 0.5 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.3 percent in April. Higher prices for medical care (0.8 percent) and shelter (0.6 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-1.5 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-0.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.6 percent) and medical care (3.3 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline in apparel (-2.4 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
June	0.0	1.1	0.2	1.6	0.0	2.5	0.2	3.6
July	0.3	1.3	0.1	1.4	0.1	2.5	0.1	3.6
August	-0.1	1.3	0.0	1.5	0.2	2.7	0.2	3.6
September	-0.2	1.0	0.3	2.0	0.5	2.9	0.3	3.4
October	0.0	1.1	0.3	2.3	0.3	2.9	0.4	3.5
November	-0.2	1.5	-0.2	2.3	0.0	3.1	-0.2	3.3
December	-0.1	1.8	0.0	2.5	0.1	3.1	-0.2	3.1

The May 2019 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on June 12, 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 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-
	Feb. 2019	Mar. 2019	Apr. 2019	Apr. 2018	Feb. 2019	Mar. 2019
Expenditure category
All Items	266.215	267.370	269.522	2.9	1.2	0.8
All items (December 1977=100)	430.322	432.189	435.668
Food and beverages	264.248	264.728	265.309	2.4	0.4	0.2
Food	263.967	264.503	265.213	2.4	0.5	0.3
Food at home	250.208	250.581	250.761	1.6	0.2	0.1
Cereals and bakery products	263.999	266.782	268.815	4.6	1.8	0.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	257.040	257.109	258.895	0.1	0.7	0.7
Dairy and related products	228.867	230.775	227.794	0.2	-0.5	-1.3
Fruits and vegetables	334.891	334.352	336.582	3.3	0.5	0.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	175.763	174.032	174.734	3.3	-0.6	0.4
Other food at home	213.704	214.244	212.510	0.0	-0.6	-0.8
Food away from home	281.872	282.618	284.010	3.4	0.8	0.5
Alcoholic beverages	264.525	264.272	263.201	1.5	-0.5	-0.4
Housing	293.930	295.049	295.968	3.9	0.7	0.3
Shelter	339.427	340.834	342.714	4.6	1.0	0.6
Rent of primary residence(1)	359.909	361.809	363.035	5.0	0.9	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	356.837	358.207	359.596	4.5	0.8	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	356.844	358.215	359.608	4.5	0.8	0.4
Fuels and utilities	299.218	300.659	300.944	1.5	0.6	0.1
Household energy	250.987	252.622	252.052	-0.4	0.4	-0.2
Energy services(1)	252.537	254.042	253.686	-0.4	0.5	-0.1
Electricity(1)	282.977	284.879	285.156	-0.5	0.8	0.1
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	195.624	196.211	194.118	-0.1	-0.8	-1.1
Household furnishings and operations	133.324	133.339	131.321	0.4	-1.5	-1.5
Apparel	116.537	117.775	118.039	-2.4	1.3	0.2
Transportation	212.308	214.635	222.493	2.6	4.8	3.7
Private transportation	207.509	210.032	217.909	2.9	5.0	3.8
New and used motor vehicles(3)	100.349	100.725	100.217	0.0	-0.1	-0.5
New vehicles	148.132	148.368	147.416	1.0	-0.5	-0.6
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	102.877	103.032	102.368	0.9	-0.5	-0.6
New cars(4)	145.594	145.667	144.981	1.8	-0.4	-0.5
Used cars and trucks	134.124	135.391	135.162	0.7	0.8	-0.2
Motor fuel	234.893	243.824	278.896	5.8	18.7	14.4
Gasoline (all types)	233.532	242.567	278.093	5.8	19.1	14.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	230.505	239.611	275.236	5.8	19.4	14.9
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	224.213	231.986	264.429	6.0	17.9	14.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	230.957	239.031	271.420	5.9	17.5	13.6
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	854.341	852.069	851.247	3.2	-0.4	-0.1
Medical Care	502.117	503.464	507.429	3.3	1.1	0.8
Medical care commodities	382.849	383.737	386.605	2.0	1.0	0.7
Medical care services	539.756	541.250	545.566	3.6	1.1	0.8
Professional services	356.672	356.551	359.178	0.2	0.7	0.7
Recreation(3)	114.556	114.948	115.022	1.3	0.4	0.1
Education and communication(3)	137.144	136.896	136.774	0.9	-0.3	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,460.060	1,459.781	1,460.406	5.7	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services	443.306	444.421	445.412	2.4	0.5	0.2
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	266.215	267.370	269.522	2.9	1.2	0.8
Commodities	184.186	185.324	187.966	1.4	2.1	1.4
Commodities less food & beverages	144.913	146.239	149.518	0.7	3.2	2.2
Nondurables less food & beverages	187.345	190.253	198.966	1.6	6.2	4.6
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	236.860	240.949	255.702	3.0	8.0	6.1
Durables	106.438	106.504	105.515	-0.4	-0.9	-0.9
Services	342.496	343.635	345.218	3.7	0.8	0.5
Rent of shelter(2)	361.431	362.957	364.974	4.7	1.0	0.6
Transportation services	320.168	320.549	322.512	1.8	0.7	0.6
Other services	355.631	356.293	356.482	2.7	0.2	0.1
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	255.433	256.577	258.646	2.8	1.3	0.8
All items less food	266.743	267.996	270.374	2.9	1.4	0.9
All items less shelter	237.518	238.575	240.842	1.9	1.4	1.0
Commodities less food	149.264	150.558	153.749	0.8	3.0	2.1
Nondurables	225.652	227.473	232.532	2.0	3.0	2.2
Nondurables less food	192.926	195.668	203.867	1.6	5.7	4.2
Nondurables less food and apparel	239.195	242.869	256.106	2.8	7.1	5.5
Services less rent of shelter(2)	356.735	357.512	358.724	2.5	0.6	0.3
Services less medical care services	328.703	329.816	331.216	3.7	0.8	0.4
Energy	244.834	251.002	272.448	3.4	11.3	8.5
All items less energy	269.986	270.786	271.552	2.8	0.6	0.3
All items less food and energy	271.834	272.681	273.459	2.9	0.6	0.3
Commodities less food and energy commodities	140.075	140.463	139.924	-0.3	-0.1	-0.4
Energy commodities	239.672	248.744	283.769	5.7	18.4	14.1
Services less energy services	349.012	350.136	351.832	3.9	0.8	0.5
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.