Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.8 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The October increase was influenced by higher prices for 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 increased 6.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices rose 5.4 percent. Energy prices jumped 27.8 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 4.5 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.9 percent for the month of October. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 1.1 percent, influenced by higher prices for cereals and bakery products (1.7 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (1.5 percent). Prices for food away from home increased 0.7 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 5.4 percent. Prices for food at home increased 5.8 percent since a year ago, dominated by higher prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (14.6 percent). Prices for food away from home increased 4.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 1.8 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for electricity (2.4 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 4.5 percent, and prices for gasoline increased 0.9 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 27.8 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (42.8 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service increased 17.6 percent, and prices for electricity rose 8.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.7 percent in October. Higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (1.4 percent), recreation (1.0 percent), and shelter (0.5 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for education and communication (-0.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.5 percent. Components contributing to the increase included used cars and trucks (26.3 percent), recreation (5.5 percent), and shelter (3.5 percent).

Table A. West region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.5	2.5	0.5	3.1	0.2	2.7	0.3	2.9	0.2	1.4
February	0.6	3.0	0.5	3.1	0.2	2.4	0.4	3.1	0.5	1.6
March	0.3	3.1	0.4	3.2	0.4	2.4	-0.2	2.5	0.7	2.4
April	0.3	2.9	0.4	3.2	0.8	2.9	-0.4	1.3	1.0	3.9
May	0.2	2.6	0.5	3.5	0.5	2.9	0.1	0.8	0.8	4.7
June	0.0	2.5	0.2	3.6	0.0	2.7	0.4	1.2	0.9	5.1
July	0.1	2.5	0.1	3.6	0.0	2.7	0.5	1.7	0.6	5.2
August	0.2	2.7	0.2	3.6	0.1	2.6	0.3	1.9	0.2	5.0
September	0.5	2.9	0.3	3.4	0.3	2.6	0.0	1.6	0.2	5.3
October	0.3	2.9	0.4	3.5	0.5	2.8	0.2	1.2	0.8	6.0
November	0.0	3.1	-0.2	3.3	-0.1	2.8	0.0	1.4
December	0.1	3.1	-0.2	3.1	-0.2	2.8	-0.1	1.5

The November 2021 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on December 10, 2021.

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 6,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods 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-
	Historical data	Aug. 2021	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021	Oct. 2020	Aug. 2021	Sep. 2021
Expenditure category
All Items		290.393	291.053	293.397	6.0	1.0	0.8
All items (December 1977=100)		469.404	470.472	474.260
Food and beverages		291.059	292.714	295.381	5.3	1.5	0.9
Food		291.915	293.563	296.297	5.4	1.5	0.9
Food at home		273.184	276.214	279.212	5.8	2.2	1.1
Cereals and bakery products		273.850	275.683	280.324	2.9	2.4	1.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		305.328	313.044	317.661	14.6	4.0	1.5
Dairy and related products		247.499	248.095	249.035	1.6	0.6	0.4
Fruits and vegetables		352.899	354.381	357.199	1.1	1.2	0.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		194.802	197.773	198.908	6.8	2.1	0.6
Other food at home		227.589	229.150	231.812	4.6	1.9	1.2
Food away from home		316.242	315.983	318.338	4.9	0.7	0.7
Alcoholic beverages		276.575	278.304	280.104	3.5	1.3	0.6
Housing		317.480	319.019	321.344	4.0	1.2	0.7
Shelter		365.599	366.780	368.754	3.5	0.9	0.5
Rent of primary residence(1)		387.334	388.815	390.734	2.6	0.9	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)		384.151	385.975	388.374	3.3	1.1	0.6
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)		384.080	385.876	388.255	3.3	1.1	0.6
Fuels and utilities		339.920	342.087	349.302	8.8	2.8	2.1
Household energy		289.239	291.092	299.642	10.5	3.6	2.9
Energy services(1)		291.461	293.039	301.509	10.2	3.4	2.9
Electricity(1)		322.659	322.529	330.360	8.1	2.4	2.4
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		235.786	241.875	252.691	17.6	7.2	4.5
Household furnishings and operations		140.539	142.813	144.246	4.3	2.6	1.0
Apparel		117.294	119.128	120.233	5.2	2.5	0.9
Transportation		249.282	246.721	249.555	17.9	0.1	1.1
Private transportation		248.765	247.022	249.813	19.9	0.4	1.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)		119.949	118.358	120.070	17.0	0.1	1.4
New vehicles		160.827	161.638	163.336	9.1	1.6	1.1
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		111.723	112.270	113.465	9.2	1.6	1.1
New cars(4)		158.469	159.196	160.574	8.6	1.3	0.9
Used cars and trucks		189.367	182.374	186.515	26.3	-1.5	2.3
Motor fuel		321.517	320.510	323.637	42.8	0.7	1.0
Gasoline (all types)		320.704	319.671	322.622	42.8	0.6	0.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		317.473	316.337	319.375	43.7	0.6	1.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		306.023	305.294	307.761	39.8	0.6	0.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		313.192	312.584	315.063	39.0	0.6	0.8
Motor vehicle insurance(6)		820.964	817.470	818.567	4.5	-0.3	0.1
Medical Care		542.553	543.062	546.468	1.2	0.7	0.6
Medical care commodities		417.318	417.893	417.921	-1.6	0.1	0.0
Medical care services		581.285	581.774	586.240	1.8	0.9	0.8
Professional services		378.388	378.333	379.051	3.6	0.2	0.2
Recreation(3)		121.615	121.185	122.423	5.5	0.7	1.0
Education and communication(3)		140.721	142.224	142.045	0.9	0.9	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)		1,528.969	1,559.456	1,565.035	3.5	2.4	0.4
Other goods and services		476.138	476.856	483.228	5.3	1.5	1.3
Commodity and Service Group
All Items		290.393	291.053	293.397	6.0	1.0	0.8
Commodities		207.313	207.778	209.871	9.7	1.2	1.0
Commodities less food & beverages		165.508	165.499	167.274	12.9	1.1	1.1
Nondurables less food & beverages		212.392	213.264	215.434	14.4	1.4	1.0
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel		279.061	279.288	282.201	17.4	1.1	1.0
Durables		121.638	121.093	122.463	11.4	0.7	1.1
Services		366.581	367.423	369.925	3.8	0.9	0.7
Rent of shelter(2)		389.465	390.728	392.847	3.5	0.9	0.5
Transportation services		319.961	315.690	317.998	5.0	-0.6	0.7
Other services		375.390	377.355	379.554	3.4	1.1	0.6
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care		278.830	279.495	281.786	6.4	1.1	0.8
All items less food		290.295	290.794	293.075	6.1	1.0	0.8
All items less shelter		260.868	261.325	263.812	7.4	1.1	1.0
Commodities less food		169.787	169.825	171.614	12.5	1.1	1.1
Nondurables		251.941	253.200	255.624	9.1	1.5	1.0
Nondurables less food		217.345	218.277	220.430	13.4	1.4	1.0
Nondurables less food and apparel		278.422	278.807	281.599	15.7	1.1	1.0
Services less rent of shelter(2)		378.514	378.916	382.183	4.1	1.0	0.9
Services less medical care services		351.586	352.450	354.816	4.0	0.9	0.7
Energy		313.100	313.295	318.786	27.8	1.8	1.8
All items less energy		291.298	291.996	294.146	4.7	1.0	0.7
All items less food and energy		292.007	292.537	294.588	4.5	0.9	0.7
Commodities less food and energy commodities		153.360	153.479	155.102	7.7	1.1	1.1
Energy commodities		326.880	326.102	329.472	42.5	0.8	1.0
Services less energy services		372.354	373.158	375.333	3.5	0.8	0.6
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.