Prices in the Los Angeles area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.2 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the May increase was influenced by higher prices for household furnishings and operations and natural gas service. (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 3.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices increased 5.9 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 increased 0.2 percent for the month of May. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 0.3 percent, and prices for food away from home moved up 0.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 2.9 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 5.2 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home rose 0.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 1.4 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for natural gas service (11.9 percent). Prices for gasoline increased 0.8 percent, but prices for electricity inched down 0.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 5.9 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (7.6 percent). Prices paid for electricity moved up 3.3 percent, and prices for natural gas service increased 0.6 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.1 percent in May. Higher prices for household furnishings and operations (3.0 percent) and medical care (0.3 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-1.5 percent) and recreation (-0.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included household furnishings and operations (5.7 percent) and shelter (4.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline in recreation (-1.0 percent).

Table A. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 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	-0.1	0.7	3.1	0.9	2.1	0.8	3.5	0.7	3.2
February	0.7	0.1	0.0	2.4	0.6	2.7	0.7	3.6	0.1	2.5
March	1.0	0.5	0.3	1.7	0.3	2.7	0.4	3.8	0.6	2.7
April	-0.1	0.5	0.2	2.0	0.2	2.7	0.4	4.0	1.0	3.3
May	1.0	1.1	0.5	1.4	0.3	2.5	0.4	4.1	0.2	3.1
June	-0.3	0.8	0.1	1.8	-0.2	2.2	-0.2	4.0
July	0.7	1.4	0.0	1.1	0.3	2.5	0.2	3.9
August	-0.3	1.1	0.0	1.4	0.3	2.8	0.2	3.9
September	-0.4	0.7	0.2	1.9	0.4	3.1	0.5	3.9
October	0.2	1.0	0.4	2.2	0.4	3.1	0.5	4.1
November	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.8	0.1	3.6	-0.3	3.6
December	-0.1	2.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	3.6	-0.3	3.2

The June 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles area is scheduled to be released on July 11, 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/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-
	Mar. 2019	Apr. 2019	May 2019	May 2018	Mar. 2019	Apr. 2019
Expenditure category
All items	271.311	273.945	274.479	3.1	1.2	0.2
All items (1967=100)	801.573	809.356	810.932	-	-	-
Food and beverages	264.112	265.788	266.326	2.7	0.8	0.2
Food	264.592	266.459	267.125	2.9	1.0	0.2
Food at home	255.111	256.108	256.821	0.7	0.7	0.3
Cereals and bakery products	267.027	270.934	276.434	6.9	3.5	2.0
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	274.330	278.702	282.296	1.9	2.9	1.3
Dairy and related products	246.976	243.276	247.601	1.8	0.3	1.8
Fruits and vegetables	343.687	342.410	342.939	0.0	-0.2	0.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	265.537	263.960	259.587	-0.2	-2.2	-1.7
Other food at home	197.371	198.575	195.805	-3.5	-0.8	-1.4
Food away from home	270.937	273.686	274.293	5.2	1.2	0.2
Food away from home	270.937	273.686	274.293	5.2	1.2	0.2
Alcoholic beverages	241.589	240.606	239.413	0.3	-0.9	-0.5
Housing	312.127	312.688	313.929	4.3	0.6	0.4
Shelter	359.475	361.669	361.789	4.4	0.6	0.0
Rent of primary residence(2)	380.499	381.531	382.263	5.4	0.5	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	373.265	375.066	375.869	4.8	0.7	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	373.243	375.044	375.847	4.8	0.7	0.2
Fuels and utilities	329.908	321.975	328.064	2.4	-0.6	1.9
Household energy	284.090	274.065	281.595	2.6	-0.9	2.7
Energy services(2)	282.620	272.507	280.104	2.6	-0.9	2.8
Electricity(2)	321.116	323.613	323.435	3.3	0.7	-0.1
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	241.126	204.313	228.545	0.6	-5.2	11.9
Household furnishings and operations	121.782	119.225	122.762	5.7	0.8	3.0
Apparel	109.928	110.382	108.695	0.8	-1.1	-1.5
Transportation	212.514	223.435	224.193	3.4	5.5	0.3
Private transportation	209.911	219.807	220.355	3.7	5.0	0.2
New and used motor vehicles(4)	91.803	91.923	91.852	-0.2	0.1	-0.1
New vehicles(1)	169.506	170.106	170.988	1.0	0.9	0.5
Used cars and trucks(1)	269.606	269.228	266.438	-0.3	-1.2	-1.0
Motor fuel	267.783	307.726	310.132	7.6	15.8	0.8
Gasoline (all types)	261.512	300.758	303.027	7.6	15.9	0.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	261.977	301.683	303.996	7.7	16.0	0.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	252.139	288.797	290.177	7.5	15.1	0.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	249.632	285.205	287.318	7.3	15.1	0.7
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	774.857	774.857	774.857	2.1	0.0	0.0
Medical care	478.912	482.458	484.009	0.7	1.1	0.3
Recreation(6)	105.446	105.404	104.690	-1.0	-0.7	-0.7
Education and communication(6)	146.326	146.969	147.015	1.9	0.5	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,893.391	1,893.391	1,893.391	6.6	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services	438.268	436.530	435.145	1.6	-0.7	-0.3
Commodity and service group
All items	271.311	273.945	274.479	3.1	1.2	0.2
Commodities	182.634	186.418	187.156	2.6	2.5	0.4
Commodities less food & beverages	140.105	144.444	145.211	2.6	3.6	0.5
Nondurables less food & beverages	190.025	199.474	199.884	3.1	5.2	0.2
Durables	91.869	91.741	92.769	1.7	1.0	1.1
Services	350.227	351.856	352.210	3.4	0.6	0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	262.204	264.792	265.285	3.3	1.2	0.2
All items less shelter	232.548	235.395	236.119	2.3	1.5	0.3
Commodities less food	144.522	148.777	149.502	2.5	3.4	0.5
Nondurables	228.388	234.497	234.975	2.9	2.9	0.2
Nondurables less food	195.428	204.438	204.767	2.9	4.8	0.2
Services less rent of shelter(3)	346.301	347.142	347.842	1.9	0.4	0.2
Services less medical care services	338.536	340.005	340.299	3.5	0.5	0.1
Energy	275.385	298.187	302.397	5.9	9.8	1.4
All items less energy	273.189	274.505	274.798	2.9	0.6	0.1
All items less food and energy	274.954	276.185	276.421	2.9	0.5	0.1
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) 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.