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Consumer price index for Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton rises 1.1 percent for July
August 13th, 2010 at Fri, 13th, 2010 at 11:21 am by dennisboxThe following is a press release form the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Energy costs in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA area rose 1.1 percent in July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden of the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that consumers in the Seattle area faced energy prices in July 2010 that were 8.3 percent higher than a year ago. This over-the-year increase is in contrast to the 26.3 percent decline in energy prices reported during the July 2008 to July 2009 period.
Energy
Gasoline prices moved up 1.5 percent for the month and were the primary reason for the 1.1 percent increase in the energy index from June to July. Over the past year, Seattle-area drivers have seen gasoline prices increase by 10.2 percent. The July 2009-July 2010 increase marked a change from the 36.2 percent decrease in gasoline prices reported during the July 2008 to July 2009 period.
Among household energy categories, the index for electricity rose 0.8 percent in July, while the index for utility (piped) gas service was unchanged. On an annual basis, the household energy index moved up 4.7 percent. Over the year, the electricity index rose 9.8 percent, but the utility (piped) gas service index declined 13.1 percent.
Food
Grocery prices, as measured by the food at home index, increased 0.5 percent in July. Higher meat prices contributed to this increase. Over the year, grocery prices decreased 0.6 percent in the Seattle area.
The August 2010 Consumer Price Index for Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton is scheduled to be released on September 17, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT).
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 87 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 32 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 25,000 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/homch17_a.htm.
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-Bremerton, WA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of Island, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, and Thurston Counties in the State of Washington.
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent
changes for selected periods
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Indexes Percent change from-
Item and Group
Mar. Apr. May May Mar. Apr.
2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010
Expenditure category
All items........... - 226.513 - - - -
All items (1967=100) - 690.500 - - - -
Food and beverages - 229.654 - - - -
Food.............. - 231.152 - - - -
Food at home..... 226.913 227.664 223.755 -3.3 -1.4 -1.7
Food away from
home......... - 237.975 - - - -
Alcoholic
beverages..... - 214.665 - - - -
Housing............ - 233.959 - - - -
Shelter........... 259.450 258.009 257.607 -3.6 -.7 -.2
Rent of primary
residence (1) 253.922 252.538 251.387 -3.3 -1.0 -.5
Owners'
equivalent
rent of
residences
(1) (2) ..... 273.811 272.087 271.945 -3.7 -.7 -.1
Owners'
equivalent
rent of
primary
residence
(1) (2) .... 273.811 272.087 271.945 -3.7 -.7 -.1
Fuels and
utilities..... - 216.699 - - - -
Household energy 203.516 209.916 211.667 2.6 4.0 .8
Gas (piped) and
electricity
(1)......... 239.281 247.201 249.645 2.1 4.3 1.0
Electricity (1) 244.130 253.472 256.650 8.9 5.1 1.3
Utility (piped)
gas service
(1)........ 184.541 187.171 187.171 -16.3 1.4 .0
Household
furnishings
and operations - 166.409 - - - -
See footnotes at end of table.
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent
changes for selected periods-Continued
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Indexes Percent change from-
Item and Group
Mar. Apr. May May Mar. Apr.
2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010
Expenditure category
Apparel............ - 137.881 - - - -
Transportation..... - 213.439 - - - -
Private
transportation - 220.791 - - - -
Motor fuel....... 317.257 325.910 321.439 20.3 1.3 -1.4
Gasoline (all
types)...... 324.219 332.525 327.879 19.8 1.1 -1.4
Gasoline,
unleaded
regular (3) 355.966 365.070 359.664 19.9 1.0 -1.5
Gasoline,
unleaded
midgrade
(3) (4).... 250.145 256.931 254.773 20.3 1.9 -.8
Gasoline,
unleaded
premium (3) 287.327 294.300 290.490 19.0 1.1 -1.3
Medical care....... - 348.981 - - - -
Recreation (5)..... - 94.373 - - - -
Education and
communication
(5)............ - 128.184 - - - -
Other goods and
services....... - 372.608 - - - -
Commodity and
service group
All items........... - 226.513 - - - -
Commodities........ - 185.917 - - - -
Commodities less
food and
beverages..... - 162.789 - - - -
See footnotes at end of table.
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent
changes for selected periods-Continued
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Indexes Percent change from-
Item and Group
Mar. Apr. May May Mar. Apr.
2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010
Commodity and
service group
Nondurables less
food and
beverages.... - 193.036 - - - -
Durables......... - 131.871 - - - -
Services........... - 264.538 - - - -
Special aggregate
indexes
All items less
medical care.... - 220.944 - - - -
All items less
shelter......... - 215.118 - - - -
Commodities less
food............ - 164.792 - - - -
Nondurables......... - 211.085 - - - -
Nondurables less
food............ - 194.554 - - - -
Services less rent
of shelter (2) - 279.368 - - - -
Services less
medical care
services........ - 256.454 - - - -
Energy.............. 266.199 273.893 272.506 12.9 2.4 -0.5
All items less
energy.......... - 226.113 - - - -
All items less food
and energy..... - 225.409 - - - -
1 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other
item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
2 Index is on a November 1982=100 base.
3 Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
4 Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
5 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
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