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News Release Information

23-2003-SAN
Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (415) 625-2270

Consumer Price Index, West Region — August 2023

Area prices were up 0.4 percent over the past month, up 3.9 percent from a year ago

Prices in the West Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.4 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The August increase was influenced by higher prices for gasoline 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 3.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices increased 4.3 percent. Energy prices increased 1.3 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of electricity. The index for all items less food and energy rose 4.1 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.4 percent for the month of August. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 0.4 percent, influenced by higher prices for dairy and related products (1.1 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (1.0 percent). Prices for food away from home increased 0.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 4.3 percent. Prices for food at home rose 2.9 percent since a year ago, with higher prices in all six grocery categories. Prices for food away from home advanced 6.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 2.9 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (4.3 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 3.7 percent, and prices for electricity increased 0.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 1.3 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for electricity (10.9 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service increased 7.0 percent, but prices for gasoline declined 3.8 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.2 percent in August. Higher prices for other goods and services (2.3 percent), medical care (0.8 percent), and shelter (0.3 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for used cars and trucks (-1.1 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 4.1 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (6.3 percent) and recreation (5.0 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in used cars and trucks (-6.5 percent).

Table A. West region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month

January

0.2 2.7 0.3 2.9 0.2 1.4 0.9 7.7 0.9 6.3

February

0.2 2.4 0.4 3.1 0.5 1.6 0.8 8.1 0.5 6.0

March

0.4 2.4 -0.2 2.5 0.7 2.4 1.3 8.7 0.5 5.1

April

0.8 2.9 -0.4 1.3 1.0 3.9 0.7 8.3 0.5 4.9

May

0.5 2.9 0.1 0.8 0.8 4.7 0.8 8.3 0.4 4.5

June

0.0 2.7 0.4 1.2 0.9 5.1 1.2 8.8 0.3 3.5

July

0.0 2.7 0.5 1.7 0.6 5.2 0.1 8.3 0.1 3.5

August

0.1 2.6 0.3 1.9 0.2 5.0 0.0 8.1 0.4 3.9

September

0.3 2.6 0.0 1.6 0.2 5.3 0.3 8.3

October

0.5 2.8 0.2 1.2 0.8 6.0 0.7 8.1

November

-0.1 2.8 0.0 1.4 0.5 6.5 -0.4 7.1

December

-0.2 2.8 -0.1 1.5 0.4 7.1 -0.4 6.2

The September 2023 Consumer Price Index for the West Region is scheduled to be released on October 12, 2023.


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Atlanta is published bi-monthly. 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 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, 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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
Jun.
2023
Jul.
2023
Aug.
2023
Aug.
2022
Jun.
2023
Jul.
2023

Expenditure category

All Items

324.448 324.865 326.234 3.9 0.6 0.4

All items (December 1977=100)

524.452 525.126 527.340 - - -

Food and beverages

333.399 333.882 335.089 4.2 0.5 0.4

Food

335.671 336.273 337.512 4.3 0.5 0.4

Food at home

316.652 317.450 318.756 2.9 0.7 0.4

Cereals and bakery products

335.657 333.771 335.896 6.3 0.1 0.6

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

336.487 340.804 344.174 1.8 2.3 1.0

Dairy and related products

283.021 281.520 284.593 0.1 0.6 1.1

Fruits and vegetables

398.145 398.876 396.348 1.5 -0.5 -0.6

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

224.651 223.402 225.210 3.9 0.2 0.8

Other food at home

274.316 275.730 276.216 3.8 0.7 0.2

Food away from home

360.841 361.011 362.061 6.7 0.3 0.3

Alcoholic beverages

298.455 297.319 298.075 2.9 -0.1 0.3

Housing

359.907 361.070 361.936 6.0 0.6 0.2

Shelter

412.895 413.469 414.761 6.3 0.5 0.3

Rent of primary residence(1)

438.909 440.117 441.884 7.3 0.7 0.4

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)

433.261 434.550 436.052 6.4 0.6 0.3

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)

433.036 434.331 435.839 6.4 0.6 0.3

Fuels and utilities

397.944 406.011 409.439 8.7 2.9 0.8

Household energy

347.349 356.198 359.290 9.6 3.4 0.9

Energy services(1)

349.898 358.881 362.155 10.0 3.5 0.9

Electricity(1)

386.548 394.103 394.357 10.9 2.0 0.1

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

283.586 296.771 307.813 7.0 8.5 3.7

Household furnishings and operations

159.572 160.080 158.904 1.8 -0.4 -0.7

Apparel

127.492 125.295 126.129 2.1 -1.1 0.7

Transportation

279.390 280.081 282.174 -0.3 1.0 0.7

Private transportation

277.548 278.985 281.415 0.0 1.4 0.9

New and used motor vehicles(3)

128.793 128.809 128.121 -2.3 -0.5 -0.5

New vehicles

177.950 177.899 177.631 2.1 -0.2 -0.2

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

- - - - - -

New cars(4)

176.932 176.927 176.411 1.4 -0.3 -0.3

Used cars and trucks

193.589 193.510 191.354 -6.5 -1.2 -1.1

Motor fuel

367.307 368.938 385.366 -4.0 4.9 4.5

Gasoline (all types)

365.896 367.687 383.575 -3.8 4.8 4.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

362.270 364.008 379.946 -3.9 4.9 4.4

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

348.497 350.482 365.104 -3.7 4.8 4.2

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

357.340 359.201 373.938 -3.3 4.6 4.1

Medical Care

580.121 578.175 582.797 1.3 0.5 0.8

Medical care commodities

455.711 457.845 460.952 6.1 1.2 0.7

Medical care services

618.739 615.583 620.667 0.3 0.3 0.8

Professional services

402.789 403.119 409.657 4.7 1.7 1.6

Recreation(3)

130.432 130.987 130.827 5.0 0.3 -0.1

Education and communication(3)

143.390 142.905 143.073 0.1 -0.2 0.1

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)

1,650.109 1,635.802 1,644.339 2.1 -0.3 0.5

Other goods and services

538.391 533.951 546.275 7.4 1.5 2.3

Commodity and Service Group

All Items

324.448 324.865 326.234 3.9 0.6 0.4

Commodities

229.492 229.247 230.254 0.7 0.3 0.4

Commodities less food & beverages

179.066 178.618 179.482 -1.6 0.2 0.5

Nondurables less food & beverages

237.010 236.154 239.979 0.3 1.3 1.6

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel

313.781 313.862 319.783 0.0 1.9 1.9

Durables

127.985 127.795 127.089 -3.3 -0.7 -0.6

Services

411.792 412.915 414.611 5.9 0.7 0.4

Rent of shelter(2)

440.243 440.871 442.249 6.4 0.5 0.3

Transportation services

378.716 380.992 380.872 6.0 0.6 0.0

Other services

405.637 405.146 408.719 5.7 0.8 0.9

Special aggregate indexes:

All items less medical care

312.618 313.133 314.361 4.1 0.6 0.4

All items less food

322.795 323.185 324.573 3.8 0.6 0.4

All items less shelter

289.655 290.009 291.418 2.5 0.6 0.5

Commodities less food

183.672 183.204 184.076 -1.5 0.2 0.5

Nondurables

285.567 285.321 287.987 2.6 0.8 0.9

Nondurables less food

241.969 241.092 244.773 0.5 1.2 1.5

Nondurables less food and apparel

311.889 311.860 317.308 0.2 1.7 1.7

Services less rent of shelter(2)

421.679 423.630 425.975 5.2 1.0 0.6

Services less medical care services

397.238 398.650 400.114 6.5 0.7 0.4

Energy

365.261 370.197 380.890 1.3 4.3 2.9

All items less energy

324.494 324.638 325.450 4.1 0.3 0.3

All items less food and energy

323.444 323.518 324.264 4.1 0.3 0.2

Commodities less food and energy commodities

164.331 163.708 163.371 -0.6 -0.6 -0.2

Energy commodities

373.848 375.567 391.970 -4.0 4.8 4.4

Services less energy services

416.999 417.698 419.315 5.7 0.6 0.4

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2023