Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged up 0.2 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The February increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter, food, and apparel. (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 2.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices declined 2.0 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.7 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.3 percent for the month of February. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 0.4 percent, and prices for food away from home increased 0.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 2.6 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 3.5 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home increased 1.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 1.5 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-2.1 percent). Prices for natural gas service declined 1.2 percent, and prices for electricity decreased 0.4 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 2.0 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-3.3 percent). Prices for natural gas service decreased 0.8 percent, and prices paid for electricity declined 0.3 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 February. Higher prices for apparel (1.4 percent), household furnishings and operations (0.9 percent), and shelter (0.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for recreation (-0.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.7 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.2 percent) and medical care (2.8 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline in apparel (-3.2 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
April	0.3	1.0	0.5	1.8	0.3	2.9	0.4	3.2
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 March 2019 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on April 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-
	Dec. 2018	Jan. 2019	Feb. 2019	Feb. 2018	Dec. 2018	Jan. 2019
Expenditure category
All Items	265.209	265.624	266.215	2.4	0.4	0.2
All items (December 1977=100)	428.696	429.366	430.322
Food and beverages	262.181	263.345	264.248	2.6	0.8	0.3
Food	261.855	263.047	263.967	2.6	0.8	0.3
Food at home	248.218	249.310	250.208	1.8	0.8	0.4
Cereals and bakery products	261.853	262.666	263.999	3.1	0.8	0.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	257.246	257.439	257.040	1.3	-0.1	-0.2
Dairy and related products	226.828	228.486	228.867	1.3	0.9	0.2
Fruits and vegetables	331.647	334.573	334.891	2.3	1.0	0.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	172.432	175.277	175.763	2.9	1.9	0.3
Other food at home	211.872	211.549	213.704	0.9	0.9	1.0
Food away from home	279.600	280.922	281.872	3.5	0.8	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	263.056	263.861	264.525	3.0	0.6	0.3
Housing	291.204	292.683	293.930	3.8	0.9	0.4
Shelter	336.308	337.955	339.427	4.2	0.9	0.4
Rent of primary residence(1)	357.850	358.907	359.909	4.6	0.6	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	354.193	355.581	356.837	4.3	0.7	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	354.199	355.586	356.844	4.3	0.7	0.4
Fuels and utilities	298.971	299.677	299.218	1.4	0.1	-0.2
Household energy	252.425	252.252	250.987	-0.3	-0.6	-0.5
Energy services(1)	254.277	253.980	252.537	-0.4	-0.7	-0.6
Electricity(1)	285.289	284.146	282.977	-0.3	-0.8	-0.4
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	195.999	197.947	195.624	-0.8	-0.2	-1.2
Household furnishings and operations	131.016	132.196	133.324	2.7	1.8	0.9
Apparel	113.373	114.914	116.537	-3.2	2.8	1.4
Transportation	215.713	212.839	212.308	0.2	-1.6	-0.2
Private transportation	211.645	208.593	207.509	0.4	-2.0	-0.5
New and used motor vehicles(3)	100.103	100.415	100.349	0.0	0.2	-0.1
New vehicles	147.735	148.085	148.132	0.6	0.3	0.0
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	102.607	102.848	102.877	0.6	0.3	0.0
New cars(4)	145.307	145.533	145.594	1.3	0.2	0.0
Used cars and trucks	132.951	133.580	134.124	1.0	0.9	0.4
Motor fuel	255.210	239.968	234.893	-3.2	-8.0	-2.1
Gasoline (all types)	253.747	238.517	233.532	-3.3	-8.0	-2.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	250.792	235.515	230.505	-3.4	-8.1	-2.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	244.108	230.099	224.213	-2.8	-8.2	-2.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	249.022	235.203	230.957	-2.8	-7.3	-1.8
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	852.986	854.341	854.341	4.5	0.2	0.0
Medical Care	500.699	502.208	502.117	2.8	0.3	0.0
Medical care commodities	385.342	384.030	382.849	0.7	-0.6	-0.3
Medical care services	537.012	539.474	539.756	3.3	0.5	0.1
Professional services	355.554	356.295	356.672	0.0	0.3	0.1
Recreation(3)	115.330	115.443	114.556	0.9	-0.7	-0.8
Education and communication(3)	137.114	136.832	137.144	1.2	0.0	0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,458.000	1,460.073	1,460.060	5.9	0.1	0.0
Other goods and services	439.672	441.881	443.306	2.2	0.8	0.3
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	265.209	265.624	266.215	2.4	0.4	0.2
Commodities	184.375	183.890	184.186	0.6	-0.1	0.2
Commodities less food & beverages	145.936	144.858	144.913	-0.7	-0.7	0.0
Nondurables less food & beverages	190.829	187.921	187.345	-1.6	-1.8	-0.3
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	245.129	239.022	236.860	-1.0	-3.4	-0.9
Durables	105.547	105.906	106.438	0.6	0.8	0.5
Services	340.293	341.620	342.496	3.4	0.6	0.3
Rent of shelter(2)	358.088	359.855	361.431	4.3	0.9	0.4
Transportation services	317.832	318.519	320.168	1.8	0.7	0.5
Other services	355.347	356.032	355.631	2.5	0.1	-0.1
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	254.447	254.814	255.433	2.4	0.4	0.2
All items less food	265.909	266.202	266.743	2.4	0.3	0.2
All items less shelter	237.358	237.279	237.518	1.4	0.1	0.1
Commodities less food	150.229	149.192	149.264	-0.5	-0.6	0.0
Nondurables	226.607	225.549	225.652	0.7	-0.4	0.0
Nondurables less food	196.144	193.433	192.926	-1.2	-1.6	-0.3
Nondurables less food and apparel	246.533	241.088	239.195	-0.6	-3.0	-0.8
Services less rent of shelter(2)	355.727	356.645	356.735	2.3	0.3	0.0
Services less medical care services	326.541	327.790	328.703	3.4	0.7	0.3
Energy	257.960	248.473	244.834	-2.0	-5.1	-1.5
All items less energy	267.943	269.081	269.986	2.7	0.8	0.3
All items less food and energy	269.797	270.930	271.834	2.7	0.8	0.3
Commodities less food and energy commodities	138.775	139.403	140.075	0.1	0.9	0.5
Energy commodities	259.887	244.677	239.672	-3.1	-7.8	-2.0
Services less energy services	346.582	348.004	349.012	3.5	0.7	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.