Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged up 0.1 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The May increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter 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 rose 0.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) This is the lowest year-over-year increase in the CPI-U since January 2015 (0.7 percent.)The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.9 percent over the year. Food prices rose 4.3 percent. Energy prices fell 18.7 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.5 percent for the month of May. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 0.6 percent, and prices for food away from home advanced 0.5 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 4.3 percent. Prices for food at home increased 4.6 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 3.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 0.8 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-4.5 percent). Prices for natural gas service increased 3.8 percent, and prices for electricity rose 3.4 percent for the same period.

Energy prices fell 18.7 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-32.7 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service advanced 7.1 percent, and prices for electricity advanced 2.7 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in May. Higher prices for household furnishings and operations (1.3 percent), recreation (1.2 percent), and shelter (0.2 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-3.0 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (6.2 percent), household furnishings and operations (3.7 percent), and shelter (3.3 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in apparel (-6.5 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
July	0.1	1.4	0.1	2.5	0.1	3.6	0.0	2.7
August	0.0	1.5	0.2	2.7	0.2	3.6	0.1	2.6
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 June 2020 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on July 14, 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-
	Mar. 2020	Apr. 2020	May 2020	May 2019	Mar. 2020	Apr. 2020
Expenditure category
All Items	273.995	272.913	273.062	0.8	-0.3	0.1
All items (December 1977=100)	442.898	441.149	441.390
Food and beverages	271.333	275.516	276.925	4.2	2.1	0.5
Food	271.492	275.641	277.148	4.3	2.1	0.5
Food at home	254.483	261.197	262.813	4.6	3.3	0.6
Cereals and bakery products	265.166	271.272	272.076	1.1	2.6	0.3
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	263.630	276.071	280.200	7.9	6.3	1.5
Dairy and related products	241.558	241.599	243.306	5.6	0.7	0.7
Fruits and vegetables	337.847	342.233	341.515	1.8	1.1	-0.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	179.269	187.682	188.511	7.9	5.2	0.4
Other food at home	214.953	219.675	221.161	3.9	2.9	0.7
Food away from home	293.552	294.153	295.501	3.8	0.7	0.5
Alcoholic beverages	265.791	270.351	270.519	2.6	1.8	0.1
Housing	304.886	305.807	307.387	3.3	0.8	0.5
Shelter	353.446	354.156	354.997	3.3	0.4	0.2
Rent of primary residence(1)	377.417	378.119	379.044	4.2	0.4	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	372.093	372.566	373.203	3.5	0.3	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	372.108	372.571	373.207	3.5	0.3	0.2
Fuels and utilities	309.696	309.517	316.367	3.2	2.2	2.2
Household energy	259.304	258.870	267.642	3.4	3.2	3.4
Energy services(1)	261.370	261.216	270.223	3.6	3.4	3.4
Electricity(1)	294.333	292.080	301.886	2.7	2.6	3.4
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	198.659	203.872	211.584	7.1	6.5	3.8
Household furnishings and operations	133.972	135.860	137.629	3.7	2.7	1.3
Apparel	116.235	112.484	109.115	-6.5	-6.1	-3.0
Transportation	213.878	204.370	200.154	-11.8	-6.4	-2.1
Private transportation	210.630	201.473	196.948	-11.1	-6.5	-2.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)	100.255	99.753	99.034	-1.1	-1.2	-0.7
New vehicles	149.093	149.164	149.301	0.7	0.1	0.1
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	103.547	103.600	103.681	0.7	0.1	0.1
New cars(4)	147.940	147.766	147.708	1.1	-0.2	0.0
Used cars and trucks	135.137	133.884	132.932	-0.9	-1.6	-0.7
Motor fuel	242.430	208.592	199.168	-32.4	-17.8	-4.5
Gasoline (all types)	241.209	207.227	197.908	-32.7	-18.0	-4.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	237.743	203.402	194.064	-33.4	-18.4	-4.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	234.805	205.018	194.281	-30.3	-17.3	-5.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	239.430	209.613	201.306	-29.4	-15.9	-4.0
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	850.000	793.060	721.405	-15.2	-15.1	-9.0
Medical Care	536.698	535.571	538.722	6.2	0.4	0.6
Medical care commodities	428.797	427.784	429.435	10.3	0.1	0.4
Medical care services	569.968	568.807	572.427	5.1	0.4	0.6
Professional services	363.126	363.232	365.655	1.7	0.7	0.7
Recreation(3)	116.013	115.634	116.986	2.3	0.8	1.2
Education and communication(3)	138.229	138.623	138.681	1.3	0.3	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,497.109	1,497.312	1,498.314	2.2	0.1	0.1
Other goods and services	459.989	460.098	459.898	3.0	0.0	0.0
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	273.995	272.913	273.062	0.8	-0.3	0.1
Commodities	188.077	186.623	186.192	-1.8	-1.0	-0.2
Commodities less food & beverages	147.396	143.882	142.776	-5.7	-3.1	-0.8
Nondurables less food & beverages	192.993	184.066	180.727	-10.7	-6.4	-1.8
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	247.003	234.472	231.123	-12.0	-6.4	-1.4
Durables	105.990	106.093	106.449	0.3	0.4	0.3
Services	354.069	353.443	354.215	2.3	0.0	0.2
Rent of shelter(2)	376.453	377.209	378.107	3.3	0.4	0.2
Transportation services	314.092	302.810	293.348	-9.8	-6.6	-3.1
Other services	363.911	364.152	366.729	3.1	0.8	0.7
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	262.049	260.972	260.995	0.4	-0.4	0.0
All items less food	274.548	272.609	272.536	0.2	-0.7	0.0
All items less shelter	242.825	241.044	240.923	-0.6	-0.8	-0.1
Commodities less food	151.744	148.426	147.347	-5.3	-2.9	-0.7
Nondurables	232.275	229.695	228.654	-2.6	-1.6	-0.5
Nondurables less food	198.445	190.374	187.254	-9.6	-5.6	-1.6
Nondurables less food and apparel	248.657	237.950	234.978	-10.5	-5.5	-1.2
Services less rent of shelter(2)	365.238	362.787	363.485	1.0	-0.5	0.2
Services less medical care services	339.019	338.430	339.011	2.0	0.0	0.2
Energy	253.650	233.488	231.664	-18.7	-8.7	-0.8
All items less energy	277.685	277.889	278.173	2.2	0.2	0.1
All items less food and energy	279.573	279.072	279.139	1.9	-0.2	0.0
Commodities less food and energy commodities	141.536	141.293	141.049	0.6	-0.3	-0.2
Energy commodities	247.053	212.911	203.477	-32.1	-17.6	-4.4
Services less energy services	360.782	360.127	360.437	2.2	-0.1	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.