Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), crept up 0.1 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The August increase was influenced by higher prices for all items less food and 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 increased 2.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent over the year. Food prices increased 2.2 percent. Energy prices decreased 2.0 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices edged down 0.1 percent for the month of August. (See table 1.) .) Prices for food at home decreased 0.4 percent, but prices for food away from home increased 0.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 2.2 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 3.5 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home increased 1.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 2.1 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-3.0 percent). Prices for both electricity and natural gas service decreased 0.7 percent for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 2.0 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-2.6 percent). Prices for natural gas service decreased 8.2 percent, but prices paid for electricity advanced 1.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.3 percent in August. Higher prices for medical care (0.6 percent) and shelter (0.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-0.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.6 percent) and medical care (3.8 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline in apparel (-1.2 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
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 September 2019 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on October 10, 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-
	Jun. 2019	Jul. 2019	Aug. 2019	Aug. 2018	Jun. 2019	Jul. 2019
Expenditure category
All Items	270.957	271.029	271.264	2.6	0.1	0.1
All items (December 1977=100)	437.988	438.103	438.483
Food and beverages	265.355	265.981	265.684	2.1	0.1	-0.1
Food	265.176	265.820	265.531	2.2	0.1	-0.1
Food at home	250.038	250.450	249.406	1.0	-0.3	-0.4
Cereals and bakery products	264.712	267.252	265.039	2.3	0.1	-0.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	258.131	257.627	257.263	-0.6	-0.3	-0.1
Dairy and related products	228.742	229.565	232.001	3.0	1.4	1.1
Fruits and vegetables	331.796	335.658	332.753	2.3	0.3	-0.9
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	173.807	173.183	171.176	0.0	-1.5	-1.2
Other food at home	214.621	213.575	212.771	0.5	-0.9	-0.4
Food away from home	284.858	285.801	286.485	3.5	0.6	0.2
Alcoholic beverages	264.303	264.692	264.307	1.6	0.0	-0.1
Housing	298.844	300.107	301.000	4.2	0.7	0.3
Shelter	345.131	346.749	348.257	4.6	0.9	0.4
Rent of primary residence(1)	365.456	367.222	368.205	4.8	0.8	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	362.056	363.373	364.784	4.5	0.8	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	362.070	363.387	364.792	4.5	0.8	0.4
Fuels and utilities	308.287	310.304	309.466	0.8	0.4	-0.3
Household energy	260.849	263.307	261.438	-1.0	0.2	-0.7
Energy services(1)	263.219	265.733	263.965	-0.9	0.3	-0.7
Electricity(1)	297.814	299.276	297.286	1.1	-0.2	-0.7
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	196.190	201.779	200.433	-8.2	2.2	-0.7
Household furnishings and operations	133.881	133.648	133.167	3.7	-0.5	-0.4
Apparel	116.627	114.572	115.220	-1.2	-1.2	0.6
Transportation	224.419	221.551	219.655	0.2	-2.1	-0.9
Private transportation	219.151	217.085	215.380	0.2	-1.7	-0.8
New and used motor vehicles(3)	100.820	101.437	101.234	0.5	0.4	-0.2
New vehicles	148.396	148.020	147.708	1.2	-0.5	-0.2
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	103.042	102.785	102.566	1.2	-0.5	-0.2
New cars(4)	146.120	146.176	146.207	2.0	0.1	0.0
Used cars and trucks	135.604	137.543	138.797	2.4	2.4	0.9
Motor fuel	282.052	271.868	263.895	-2.7	-6.4	-2.9
Gasoline (all types)	281.204	270.957	262.925	-2.6	-6.5	-3.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	278.231	267.890	259.833	-2.8	-6.6	-3.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	268.635	259.061	252.338	-1.9	-6.1	-2.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	274.354	265.401	257.964	-2.1	-6.0	-2.8
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	848.406	847.192	846.586	0.7	-0.2	-0.1
Medical Care	507.872	509.995	513.165	3.8	1.0	0.6
Medical care commodities	386.900	388.206	392.902	2.0	1.6	1.2
Medical care services	546.057	548.445	551.076	4.3	0.9	0.5
Professional services	359.820	359.806	359.808	1.6	0.0	0.0
Recreation(3)	114.477	114.362	114.405	0.4	-0.1	0.0
Education and communication(3)	137.108	137.607	138.033	0.6	0.7	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,470.221	1,475.057	1,482.731	3.4	0.9	0.5
Other goods and services	446.371	448.392	450.917	3.3	1.0	0.6
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	270.957	271.029	271.264	2.6	0.1	0.1
Commodities	188.537	187.703	187.223	1.1	-0.7	-0.3
Commodities less food & beverages	150.255	148.918	148.394	0.3	-1.2	-0.4
Nondurables less food & beverages	199.088	196.202	194.665	-0.6	-2.2	-0.8
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	256.935	253.475	250.370	-0.4	-2.6	-1.2
Durables	106.688	106.584	106.852	1.6	0.2	0.3
Services	347.500	348.499	349.461	3.5	0.6	0.3
Rent of shelter(2)	367.550	369.260	370.879	4.6	0.9	0.4
Transportation services	325.504	322.397	321.034	0.9	-1.4	-0.4
Other services	356.563	357.133	357.889	1.7	0.4	0.2
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	260.120	260.103	260.212	2.5	0.0	0.0
All items less food	272.040	272.022	272.339	2.7	0.1	0.1
All items less shelter	241.887	241.338	241.063	1.5	-0.3	-0.1
Commodities less food	154.502	153.199	152.675	0.4	-1.2	-0.3
Nondurables	232.620	231.325	230.342	0.9	-1.0	-0.4
Nondurables less food	204.046	201.333	199.853	-0.4	-2.1	-0.7
Nondurables less food and apparel	257.326	254.234	251.390	-0.2	-2.3	-1.1
Services less rent of shelter(2)	360.887	361.099	361.338	2.0	0.1	0.1
Services less medical care services	333.608	334.514	335.364	3.4	0.5	0.3
Energy	277.892	272.575	266.906	-2.0	-4.0	-2.1
All items less energy	272.707	273.171	273.838	2.9	0.4	0.2
All items less food and energy	274.823	275.257	276.089	3.1	0.5	0.3
Commodities less food and energy commodities	140.433	140.168	140.533	1.1	0.1	0.3
Energy commodities	286.653	276.455	268.359	-2.7	-6.4	-2.9
Services less energy services	353.727	354.648	355.764	3.7	0.6	0.3
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.