Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) During this period higher shelter prices helped counter lower gasoline prices. (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 2.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices increased 0.8 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.9 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 increased 2.7 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.4 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home rose 2.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 2.5 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-4.4 percent). Prices for natural gas service declined 0.7 percent, but prices for electricity increased 1.4 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 0.8 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (1.0 percent). Prices paid for electricity rose 1.7 percent, but prices for natural gas service decreased 2.7 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent in June. Higher prices were reported for household furnishings and operations (0.8 percent), new and used vehicles (0.7 percent), and shelter (0.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included tuition, other school fees, and childcare (6.2 percent), shelter (4.5 percent), and medical care (2.3 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
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 July 2019 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on August 13, 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-
	Apr. 2019	May 2019	Jun. 2019	Jun. 2018	Apr. 2019	May 2019
Expenditure category
All Items	269.522	270.880	270.957	2.7	0.5	0.0
All items (December 1977=100)	435.668	437.862	437.988
Food and beverages	265.309	265.812	265.355	2.6	0.0	-0.2
Food	265.213	265.728	265.176	2.7	0.0	-0.2
Food at home	250.761	251.223	250.038	2.1	-0.3	-0.5
Cereals and bakery products	268.815	269.246	264.712	2.1	-1.5	-1.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	258.895	259.650	258.131	1.8	-0.3	-0.6
Dairy and related products	227.794	230.481	228.742	1.4	0.4	-0.8
Fruits and vegetables	336.582	335.637	331.796	3.3	-1.4	-1.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	174.734	174.776	173.807	3.3	-0.5	-0.6
Other food at home	212.510	212.768	214.621	1.3	1.0	0.9
Food away from home	284.010	284.595	284.858	3.4	0.3	0.1
Alcoholic beverages	263.201	263.539	264.303	1.5	0.4	0.3
Housing	295.968	297.487	298.844	4.2	1.0	0.5
Shelter	342.714	343.752	345.131	4.5	0.7	0.4
Rent of primary residence(1)	363.035	363.623	365.456	5.0	0.7	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	359.596	360.524	362.056	4.5	0.7	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	359.608	360.538	362.070	4.5	0.7	0.4
Fuels and utilities	300.944	306.620	308.287	2.1	2.4	0.5
Household energy	252.052	258.796	260.849	0.7	3.5	0.8
Energy services(1)	253.686	260.761	263.219	0.8	3.8	0.9
Electricity(1)	285.156	293.840	297.814	1.7	4.4	1.4
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	194.118	197.563	196.190	-2.7	1.1	-0.7
Household furnishings and operations	131.321	132.761	133.881	3.4	1.9	0.8
Apparel	118.039	116.675	116.627	0.5	-1.2	0.0
Transportation	222.493	226.846	224.419	1.2	0.9	-1.1
Private transportation	217.909	221.540	219.151	1.1	0.6	-1.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)	100.217	100.135	100.820	0.4	0.6	0.7
New vehicles	147.416	148.318	148.396	0.3	0.7	0.1
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	102.368	102.987	103.042	0.3	0.7	0.1
New cars(4)	144.981	146.045	146.120	0.9	0.8	0.1
Used cars and trucks	135.162	134.113	135.604	1.6	0.3	1.1
Motor fuel	278.896	294.800	282.052	0.9	1.1	-4.3
Gasoline (all types)	278.093	294.057	281.204	1.0	1.1	-4.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	275.236	291.448	278.231	0.9	1.1	-4.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	264.429	278.754	268.635	1.6	1.6	-3.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	271.420	285.004	274.354	1.4	1.1	-3.7
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	851.247	851.108	848.406	0.6	-0.3	-0.3
Medical Care	507.429	507.396	507.872	2.3	0.1	0.1
Medical care commodities	386.605	389.466	386.900	0.3	0.1	-0.7
Medical care services	545.566	544.546	546.057	2.9	0.1	0.3
Professional services	359.178	359.646	359.820	0.4	0.2	0.0
Recreation(3)	115.022	114.357	114.477	0.3	-0.5	0.1
Education and communication(3)	136.774	136.854	137.108	1.0	0.2	0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,460.406	1,466.132	1,470.221	6.2	0.7	0.3
Other goods and services	445.412	446.490	446.371	2.4	0.2	0.0
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	269.522	270.880	270.957	2.7	0.5	0.0
Commodities	187.966	189.555	188.537	1.5	0.3	-0.5
Commodities less food & beverages	149.518	151.431	150.255	0.8	0.5	-0.8
Nondurables less food & beverages	198.966	202.457	199.088	0.7	0.1	-1.7
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	255.702	262.679	256.935	0.7	0.5	-2.2
Durables	105.515	106.148	106.688	0.9	1.1	0.5
Services	345.218	346.298	347.500	3.4	0.7	0.3
Rent of shelter(2)	364.974	366.086	367.550	4.5	0.7	0.4
Transportation services	322.512	325.305	325.504	1.6	0.9	0.1
Other services	356.482	355.680	356.563	2.0	0.0	0.2
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	258.646	260.060	260.120	2.8	0.6	0.0
All items less food	270.374	271.864	272.040	2.7	0.6	0.1
All items less shelter	240.842	242.331	241.887	1.8	0.4	-0.2
Commodities less food	153.749	155.636	154.502	0.8	0.5	-0.7
Nondurables	232.532	234.684	232.620	1.7	0.0	-0.9
Nondurables less food	203.867	207.196	204.046	0.7	0.1	-1.5
Nondurables less food and apparel	256.106	262.447	257.326	0.8	0.5	-2.0
Services less rent of shelter(2)	358.724	359.883	360.887	2.1	0.6	0.3
Services less medical care services	331.216	332.431	333.608	3.5	0.7	0.4
Energy	272.448	284.955	277.892	0.8	2.0	-2.5
All items less energy	271.552	272.109	272.707	2.9	0.4	0.2
All items less food and energy	273.459	274.026	274.823	2.9	0.5	0.3
Commodities less food and energy commodities	139.924	140.177	140.433	0.8	0.4	0.2
Energy commodities	283.769	299.649	286.653	0.9	1.0	-4.3
Services less energy services	351.832	352.589	353.727	3.6	0.5	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.