Prices in the Los Angeles area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.7 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the February increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter, apparel and gasoline. (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 3.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices increased 10.5 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.4 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices declined 0.3 percent for the month of February. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 0.8 percent, but prices for food away from home increased 0.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 1.7 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.8 percent since a year ago, but prices for food at home inched down 0.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 3.1 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (4.4 percent). Prices for natural gas service advanced 4.0 percent, while prices for electricity did not change for the same period.

Energy prices increased 10.5 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (15.5 percent). Prices paid for electricity increased 4.1 percent, but prices for natural gas service moved down 1.9 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.6 percent in February. Higher prices for apparel (5.0 percent) and shelter (0.6 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for new vehicles (-1.7 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.6 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.4 percent. Higher prices were noted for other goods and services (9.6 percent), shelter (3.8 percent), and medical care (2.1 percent).

Table A. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CPI-U monthly and annual percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual	Monthly	Annual
January	0.8	2.0	0.5	0.8	-0.3	-0.1	0.7	3.1	0.9	2.1	0.8	3.5
February	0.7	2.2	0.5	0.5	0.7	0.1	0.0	2.4	0.6	2.7	0.7	3.6
March	0.1	1.3	0.6	1.0	1.0	0.5	0.3	1.7	0.3	2.7
April	-0.4	0.9	0.0	1.4	-0.1	0.5	0.2	2.0	0.2	2.7
May	0.1	1.0	0.4	1.7	1.0	1.1	0.5	1.4	0.3	2.5
June	-0.1	1.4	0.1	1.8	-0.3	0.8	0.1	1.8	-0.2	2.2
July	-0.1	1.3	0.1	2.0	0.7	1.4	0.0	1.1	0.3	2.5
August	0.1	0.8	-0.1	1.8	-0.3	1.1	0.0	1.4	0.3	2.8
September	0.2	0.6	0.0	1.7	-0.4	0.7	0.2	1.9	0.4	3.1
October	0.1	-0.1	-0.1	1.4	0.2	1.0	0.4	2.2	0.4	3.1
November	-0.5	0.4	-0.7	1.3	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.8	0.1	3.6
December	0.0	1.1	-0.5	0.7	-0.1	2.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	3.6

The March 2018 Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim is scheduled to be released on April 11, 2018.

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 94 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 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/cpi/.

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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Los Angeles and Orange Counties in the State of California.

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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Dec. 2017	Jan. 2018	Feb. 2018	Feb. 2017	Dec. 2017	Jan. 2018
Expenditure category
All items	259.220	261.235	263.012	3.6	1.5	0.7
All items (1967=100)	765.850	771.805	777.054	-	-	-
Food and beverages	257.263	258.138	257.405	1.6	0.1	-0.3
Food	257.669	258.479	257.827	1.7	0.1	-0.3
Food at home	255.375	255.732	253.747	-0.1	-0.6	-0.8
Cereals and bakery products	260.029	263.402	258.340	-	-0.6	-1.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	274.324	271.815	272.744	-	-0.6	0.3
Dairy and related products	241.255	240.294	240.785	-	-0.2	0.2
Fruits and vegetables	350.350	358.881	347.056	-	-0.9	-3.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	259.151	255.489	256.499	-	-1.0	0.4
Other food at home	202.640	201.936	201.782	-	-0.4	-0.1
Food away from home	256.623	257.892	258.638	3.8	0.8	0.3
Food away from home	256.623	257.892	258.638	3.8	0.8	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	236.145	237.846	236.063	0.0	0.0	-0.7
Housing	292.603	294.365	295.865	3.5	1.1	0.5
Shelter	336.552	337.756	339.782	3.8	1.0	0.6
Rent of primary residence(2)	356.235	357.733	357.582	4.5	0.4	0.0
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	350.555	352.125	353.332	4.2	0.8	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	350.535	352.105	353.312	4.2	0.8	0.3
Fuels and utilities	306.585	313.724	316.214	3.8	3.1	0.8
Household energy	263.429	266.805	269.354	2.5	2.2	1.0
Energy services(2)	262.023	265.389	268.008	2.7	2.3	1.0
Electricity(2)	305.653	314.299	314.409	4.1	2.9	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	207.555	200.712	208.717	-1.9	0.6	4.0
Household furnishings and operations	116.428	118.382	117.688	0.8	1.1	-0.6
Apparel	102.476	106.168	111.522	1.2	8.8	5.0
Transportation	203.134	207.120	210.627	7.8	3.7	1.7
Private transportation	199.740	203.649	206.780	8.4	3.5	1.5
New and used motor vehicles(4)	91.726	92.284	92.700	-	1.1	0.5
New vehicles(1)	169.960	173.186	170.211	-	0.1	-1.7
Used cars and trucks(1)	262.549	263.759	266.071	-	1.3	0.9
Motor fuel	239.908	251.952	262.851	15.7	9.6	4.3
Gasoline (all types)	234.242	246.027	256.766	15.5	9.6	4.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	234.420	246.393	257.233	15.6	9.7	4.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	225.746	236.181	246.483	15.6	9.2	4.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	224.929	235.448	245.261	15.1	9.0	4.2
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	730.714	737.507	748.204	-	2.4	1.5
Medical care	475.129	475.556	474.901	2.1	0.0	-0.1
Recreation(6)	108.741	108.296	108.050	1.7	-0.6	-0.2
Education and communication(6)	144.025	144.444	144.182	0.5	0.1	-0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,776.469	1,776.469	1,775.997	-	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services	411.138	415.821	426.575	9.6	3.8	2.6
Commodity and service group
All items	259.220	261.235	263.012	3.6	1.5	0.7
Commodities	177.022	179.512	180.711	3.3	2.1	0.7
Commodities less food & beverages	135.321	138.262	140.115	4.5	3.5	1.3
Nondurables less food & beverages	178.761	184.089	189.149	8.0	5.8	2.7
Durables	92.718	93.529	92.618	-1.3	-0.1	-1.0
Services	332.391	333.995	336.286	3.8	1.2	0.7
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	249.855	251.922	253.782	3.7	1.6	0.7
All items less shelter	225.322	227.716	229.387	3.5	1.8	0.7
Commodities less food	139.660	142.606	144.387	4.3	3.4	1.2
Nondurables	218.884	222.297	224.821	4.5	2.7	1.1
Nondurables less food	184.325	189.529	194.286	7.4	5.4	2.5
Services less rent of shelter(3)	335.417	337.635	340.340	3.6	1.5	0.8
Services less medical care services	320.260	321.939	324.337	4.0	1.3	0.7
Energy	249.827	258.934	266.998	10.5	6.9	3.1
All items less energy	261.896	263.457	264.830	3.2	1.1	0.5
All items less food and energy	262.960	264.641	266.332	3.4	1.3	0.6
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Index is on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (6) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.