Prices in the Seattle Area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.8 percent for the two months ending in June 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the June increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and new motor vehicles. (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 3.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices jumped 13.4 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.9 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices decreased 0.4 percent for the two months ending in June. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home declined 0.9 percent, but prices for food away from home advanced 0.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 1.8 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.3 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home moved up 0.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 2.7 percent for the two months ending in June. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (5.7 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 0.7 percent, but prices for electricity decreased 2.9 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 13.4 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (24.1 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service moved down 5.6 percent, and prices for electricity declined 1.4 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.8 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for new vehicles (7.9 percent), shelter (1.9 percent) and household furnishings and operations (1.2 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-9.1 percent) and medical care (-0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (6.4 percent) and medical care (1.1 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price declines in apparel (-12.1 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-3.0 percent).

Table A. Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton CPI-U bi-monthly and annual percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	Bi-monthly	Annual	Bi-monthly	Annual	Bi-monthly	Annual	Bi-monthly	Annual	Bi-monthly	Annual	Bi-monthly	Annual
February	0.8	1.8	0.7	1.2	0.2	1.1	0.2	2.2	1.0	3.4	0.8	3.3
April	0.4	1.2	1.6	2.4	0.9	0.4	1.1	2.5	0.8	3.1	0.8	3.3
June	0.8	1.4	0.4	2.0	1.6	1.6	0.9	1.8	0.8	3.0	0.8	3.3
August	0.0	1.1	-0.2	1.8	0.0	1.8	0.3	2.1	-0.2	2.5
October	0.0	0.6	0.3	2.1	-0.3	1.2	0.0	2.4	0.5	3.0
December	-0.7	1.3	-1.1	1.7	-0.2	2.2	0.0	2.6	0.5	3.5

The August 2018 Consumer Price Index for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area is scheduled to be released on September 13, 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties in the State of Washington.

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

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Apr. 2018	May 2018	Jun. 2018	Jun. 2017	Apr. 2018	May 2018
Expenditure category
All items	270.309	-	272.395	3.3	0.8	-
All items (1967=100)	824.007	-	830.365	-	-	-
Food and beverages	270.720	-	269.717	1.9	-0.4	-
Food	273.556	-	272.471	1.8	-0.4	-
Food at home	252.535	248.263	250.211	0.6	-0.9	0.8
Cereals and bakery products	290.492	-	275.653	-	-5.1	-
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	207.377	-	205.693	-	-0.8	-
Dairy and related products	214.826	-	219.035	-	2.0	-
Fruits and vegetables	410.729	-	400.400	-	-2.5	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	299.446	-	301.772	-	0.8	-
Other food at home	215.406	-	216.068	-	0.3	-
Food away from home	305.828	-	306.610	3.3	0.3	-
Food away from home	305.828	-	306.610	3.3	0.3	-
Alcoholic beverages	236.471	-	236.458	2.8	0.0	-
Housing	313.318	-	318.288	5.0	1.6	-
Shelter	360.257	364.516	366.998	6.4	1.9	0.7
Rent of primary residence(2)	370.807	372.487	374.720	7.1	1.1	0.6
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	376.431	377.963	381.577	6.5	1.4	1.0
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	376.431	377.963	381.577	6.5	1.4	1.0
Fuels and utilities	274.063	-	270.949	0.8	-1.1	-
Household energy	250.022	244.375	244.508	-0.8	-2.2	0.1
Energy services(2)	295.507	288.815	288.815	-2.2	-2.3	0.0
Electricity(2)	325.697	316.114	316.114	-1.4	-2.9	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	160.746	161.843	161.843	-5.6	0.7	0.0
Household furnishings and operations	167.734	-	169.830	-3.0	1.2	-
Apparel	135.942	-	123.633	-12.1	-9.1	-
Transportation	227.376	-	235.853	7.6	3.7	-
Private transportation	235.976	-	244.257	8.7	3.5	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	99.587	-	103.863	-	4.3	-
New vehicles(1)	195.983	-	211.376	-	7.9	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	320.205	-	316.837	-	-1.1	-
Motor fuel	361.570	378.293	382.078	24.2	5.7	1.0
Gasoline (all types)	369.041	386.090	389.911	24.1	5.7	1.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	401.042	419.803	423.945	24.6	5.7	1.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	288.977	302.491	304.010	22.5	5.2	0.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	337.184	351.609	355.486	22.0	5.4	1.1
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	582.369	-	582.369	-	0.0	-
Medical care	400.080	-	398.798	1.1	-0.3	-
Recreation(6)	96.814	-	96.805	1.1	0.0	-
Education and communication(6)	133.233	-	132.956	0.3	-0.2	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,443.550	-	1,443.550	-	0.0	-
Other goods and services	405.340	-	407.482	-0.7	0.5	-
Commodity and service group
All items	270.309	-	272.395	3.3	0.8	-
Commodities	193.824	-	194.047	1.1	0.1	-
Commodities less food & beverages	156.037	-	156.735	0.5	0.4	-
Nondurables less food & beverages	196.703	-	194.352	3.2	-1.2	-
Durables	116.573	-	119.816	-2.9	2.8	-
Services	341.544	-	345.438	4.4	1.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	264.479	-	266.734	3.4	0.9	-
All items less shelter	236.017	-	236.275	1.5	0.1	-
Commodities less food	159.449	-	160.130	0.7	0.4	-
Nondurables	232.407	-	230.658	2.6	-0.8	-
Nondurables less food	200.373	-	198.149	3.3	-1.1	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	327.313	-	327.640	1.8	0.1	-
Services less medical care services	333.967	-	338.265	4.7	1.3	-
Energy	312.849	319.187	321.289	13.4	2.7	0.7
All items less energy	270.895	-	272.677	2.7	0.7	-
All items less food and energy	270.701	-	272.962	2.9	0.8	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 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) Indexes 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.