Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.3 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The September increase was influenced by higher prices for apparel and shelter. (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 2.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.0 percent over the year. Food prices advanced 2.7 percent. Energy prices decreased 1.1 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.5 percent for the month of September. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home increased 0.6 percent, and prices for food at home rose 0.5 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 2.7 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 3.8 percent since a year ago, and prices for food at home advanced 1.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 0.6 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (1.5 percent). Prices for natural gas service decreased 1.0 percent, and prices for electricity decreased 0.6 percent for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 1.1 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-2.2 percent). Prices for natural gas service declined 3.9 percent, but prices paid for electricity advanced 2.4 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent in September. Higher prices for apparel (4.3 percent) and shelter (0.3 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for other goods and services (-0.3 percent) and medical care (-0.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.0 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.6 percent) and household furnishings and operations (3.7 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decline in apparel (-0.7 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	0.0	2.7
August	-0.1	1.3	0.0	1.5	0.2	2.7	0.2	3.6	0.1	2.6
September	-0.2	1.0	0.3	2.0	0.5	2.9	0.3	3.4	0.3	2.6
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 October 2019 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on November 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/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 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-
	Jul. 2019	Aug. 2019	Sep. 2019	Sep. 2018	Jul. 2019	Aug. 2019
Expenditure category
All Items	271.029	271.264	272.102	2.6	0.4	0.3
All items (December 1977=100)	438.103	438.483	439.839
Food and beverages	265.981	265.684	266.908	2.6	0.3	0.5
Food	265.820	265.531	266.870	2.7	0.4	0.5
Food at home	250.450	249.406	250.531	1.7	0.0	0.5
Cereals and bakery products	267.252	265.039	268.127	3.8	0.3	1.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	257.627	257.263	259.437	1.5	0.7	0.8
Dairy and related products	229.565	232.001	231.028	2.2	0.6	-0.4
Fruits and vegetables	335.658	332.753	332.862	1.4	-0.8	0.0
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	173.183	171.176	171.955	0.3	-0.7	0.5
Other food at home	213.575	212.771	213.654	1.3	0.0	0.4
Food away from home	285.801	286.485	288.102	3.8	0.8	0.6
Alcoholic beverages	264.692	264.307	264.029	1.3	-0.3	-0.1
Housing	300.107	301.000	301.774	4.3	0.6	0.3
Shelter	346.749	348.257	349.189	4.6	0.7	0.3
Rent of primary residence(1)	367.222	368.205	370.096	4.8	0.8	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	363.373	364.784	366.097	4.5	0.7	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	363.387	364.792	366.101	4.5	0.7	0.4
Fuels and utilities	310.304	309.466	308.582	2.2	-0.6	-0.3
Household energy	263.307	261.438	259.801	0.9	-1.3	-0.6
Energy services(1)	265.733	263.965	262.225	1.0	-1.3	-0.7
Electricity(1)	299.276	297.286	295.549	2.4	-1.2	-0.6
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	201.779	200.433	198.516	-3.9	-1.6	-1.0
Household furnishings and operations	133.648	133.167	134.040	3.7	0.3	0.7
Apparel	114.572	115.220	120.198	-0.7	4.9	4.3
Transportation	221.551	219.655	219.408	0.0	-1.0	-0.1
Private transportation	217.085	215.380	215.030	0.0	-0.9	-0.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)	101.437	101.234	99.719	0.4	-1.7	-1.5
New vehicles	148.020	147.708	147.517	1.1	-0.3	-0.1
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	102.785	102.566	102.436	1.1	-0.3	-0.1
New cars(4)	146.176	146.207	145.982	1.6	-0.1	-0.2
Used cars and trucks	137.543	138.797	133.329	2.2	-3.1	-3.9
Motor fuel	271.868	263.895	267.730	-2.3	-1.5	1.5
Gasoline (all types)	270.957	262.925	266.861	-2.2	-1.5	1.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	267.890	259.833	263.710	-2.4	-1.6	1.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	259.061	252.338	255.446	-1.5	-1.4	1.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	265.401	257.964	262.003	-1.5	-1.3	1.6
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	847.192	846.586	847.027	-0.1	0.0	0.1
Medical Care	509.995	513.165	512.817	3.6	0.6	-0.1
Medical care commodities	388.206	392.902	388.800	1.6	0.2	-1.0
Medical care services	548.445	551.076	552.011	4.1	0.7	0.2
Professional services	359.806	359.808	358.709	1.2	-0.3	-0.3
Recreation(3)	114.362	114.405	114.847	0.8	0.4	0.4
Education and communication(3)	137.607	138.033	138.154	0.0	0.4	0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,475.057	1,482.731	1,491.739	2.4	1.1	0.6
Other goods and services	448.392	450.917	449.522	2.8	0.3	-0.3
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	271.029	271.264	272.102	2.6	0.4	0.3
Commodities	187.703	187.223	188.239	1.3	0.3	0.5
Commodities less food & beverages	148.918	148.394	149.280	0.5	0.2	0.6
Nondurables less food & beverages	196.202	194.665	197.192	-0.6	0.5	1.3
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	253.475	250.370	251.095	-0.5	-0.9	0.3
Durables	106.584	106.852	106.454	2.1	-0.1	-0.4
Services	348.499	349.461	350.092	3.4	0.5	0.2
Rent of shelter(2)	369.260	370.879	371.879	4.6	0.7	0.3
Transportation services	322.397	321.034	320.998	0.3	-0.4	0.0
Other services	357.133	357.889	358.571	1.3	0.4	0.2
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	260.103	260.212	261.099	2.6	0.4	0.3
All items less food	272.022	272.339	273.100	2.6	0.4	0.3
All items less shelter	241.338	241.063	241.866	1.6	0.2	0.3
Commodities less food	153.199	152.675	153.538	0.5	0.2	0.6
Nondurables	231.325	230.342	232.299	1.1	0.4	0.8
Nondurables less food	201.333	199.853	202.233	-0.4	0.4	1.2
Nondurables less food and apparel	254.234	251.390	252.020	-0.4	-0.9	0.3
Services less rent of shelter(2)	361.099	361.338	361.575	1.9	0.1	0.1
Services less medical care services	334.514	335.364	335.975	3.3	0.4	0.2
Energy	272.575	266.906	268.626	-1.1	-1.4	0.6
All items less energy	273.171	273.838	274.619	2.9	0.5	0.3
All items less food and energy	275.257	276.089	276.778	3.0	0.6	0.2
Commodities less food and energy commodities	140.168	140.533	141.049	1.2	0.6	0.4
Energy commodities	276.455	268.359	272.235	-2.3	-1.5	1.4
Services less energy services	354.648	355.764	356.528	3.5	0.5	0.2
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.