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CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR DENVER-BOULDER-GREELEY, CO
Prices increase 3.7 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Denver metropolitan area increased 3.7 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. According to Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman, while costs in all eight major expenditure categories were up over the period, over one-third of the increase in the overall index was attributable to advances in the transportation index.
Energy prices, which include prices for motor fuel and household fuels, rose 19.0 percent from one year ago after declining 0.6 percent from the first half of 2006 to the first half of 2007. Excluding the impact of energy prices, the CPI for Denver rose 2.6 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008.
The transportation index, led by accelerating motor fuel prices, had the greatest impact on the overall index. Transportation costs advanced 8.7 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008 following an increase of 0.9 percent in the same period one year ago. Private transportation costs, which include prices for vehicles and motor fuel, rose 8.4 percent over the year. Motor fuel prices in the Denver metropolitan area climbed 24.8 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008, following a 5.9 percent increase over the same period one year ago.
The housing index rose 1.7 percent largely due to the advance in the shelter component. Shelter costs increased 1.6 percent, as rent of primary residence was up 2.0 percent and owners' equivalent rent of primary residence increased 0.2 percent. Higher prices for lodging away from home also contributed to the gain in shelter costs. Prices for fuels and utilities advanced 7.5 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008. Within fuels and utilities, electricity costs rose 4.2 percent over the year and the index for utility (piped) gas service increased 17.4 percent. Prices for household furnishings and operations declined 3.0 percent over the period.
The food and beverages index increased 4.1 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008 primarily as a result of rising costs for food at home. Food at home prices advanced 5.7 percent, the cost of food away from home was up 3.4 percent, and prices for alcoholic beverages rose 1.3 percent over the period.
The remaining five major expenditure categories each accounted for less than ten percent of the increase in the overall index. Costs for medical care advanced 5.8 percent from the first half of 2007 to the first half of 2008. Recreation prices, which include admissions to movies, concerts, and sporting goods, rose 3.1 percent. The apparel index increased 4.3 percent over the year and education and communication costs were up 1.3 percent. The index for other goods and services, which includes tobacco and smoking products and personal care items, rose 2.5 percent over the period.
The Denver CPI-U stood at 208.741 for the first half of 2008. This means that a market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 during the 1982-84 base period cost $208.74 during the first half of 2008. Because metropolitan area CPI data are not adjusted for seasonal price variation, consumers and businesses should be cautious in drawing conclusions about long-term retail price trends from short-term changes in the area indexes.
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Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) Semiannual average indexes Percent change to 1st half 2008 from- Item and Group 1st half 2nd half 1st half 2007 2007 2008 1st half 2nd half 2007 2007 Expenditure category All items.................................... 201.258 202.799 208.741 3.7 2.9 All items (1967=100)......................... 671.112 676.250 696.062 - - Food and beverages.......................... 190.844 193.495 198.694 4.1 2.7 Food....................................... 192.812 195.709 201.300 4.4 2.9 Food at home.............................. 195.093 198.286 206.180 5.7 4.0 Food away from home....................... 188.429 190.746 194.831 3.4 2.1 Alcoholic beverages........................ 177.159 177.959 179.526 1.3 .9 Housing..................................... 189.463 187.856 192.726 1.7 2.6 Shelter.................................... 207.470 208.567 210.836 1.6 1.1 Rent of primary residence................. 197.545 197.873 201.535 2.0 1.9 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) ........................ 205.861 204.749 206.194 .2 .7 Fuels and utilities........................ 189.868 176.639 204.087 7.5 15.5 Household energy.......................... 146.281 132.685 162.211 10.9 22.3 Gas (piped) and electricity.............. 145.203 131.385 160.559 10.6 22.2 Electricity............................. 123.427 119.364 128.589 4.2 7.7 Utility (piped) gas service............. 186.627 160.697 219.193 17.4 36.4 Household furnishings and operations....... 129.497 124.155 125.553 -3.0 1.1 Apparel..................................... 99.061 99.748 103.331 4.3 3.6 Transportation.............................. 215.548 223.280 234.245 8.7 4.9 Private transportation..................... 212.443 219.836 230.264 8.4 4.7 Motor fuel................................ 217.329 238.771 271.312 24.8 13.6 Gasoline (all types)..................... 216.402 237.751 269.589 24.6 13.4 Gasoline, unleaded regular (2).......... 214.015 235.052 267.401 24.9 13.8 Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (2) (3)..... 204.516 224.526 253.554 24.0 12.9 Gasoline, unleaded premium (2).......... 215.531 237.364 266.502 23.6 12.3 Medical care................................ 400.579 405.130 423.776 5.8 4.6 Recreation (4).............................. 122.420 125.918 126.174 3.1 .2 Education and communication (4)............. 110.175 110.703 111.570 1.3 .8 Other goods and services.................... 304.913 301.431 312.664 2.5 3.7 Commodity and service group All items.................................... 201.258 202.799 208.741 3.7 2.9 Commodities................................. 156.532 159.024 163.771 4.6 3.0 Commodities less food and beverages........ 138.248 140.630 145.097 5.0 3.2 Nondurables less food and beverages....... 163.603 169.025 178.221 8.9 5.4 Durables.................................. 113.456 113.057 112.888 -.5 -.1 Services.................................... 239.086 239.539 246.453 3.1 2.9 Special aggregate indexes All items less medical care.................. 191.580 192.999 198.443 3.6 2.8 All items less shelter....................... 199.401 201.266 208.784 4.7 3.7 Commodities less food........................ 139.760 142.046 146.387 4.7 3.1 Nondurables.................................. 177.769 181.832 189.122 6.4 4.0 Nondurables less food........................ 164.083 168.990 177.537 8.2 5.1 Services less rent of shelter (1) ........... 285.079 285.031 298.761 4.8 4.8 Services less medical care services.......... 224.956 225.221 231.196 2.8 2.7 Energy....................................... 178.399 181.413 212.339 19.0 17.0 All items less energy........................ 204.132 205.422 209.366 2.6 1.9 All items less food and energy.............. 206.591 207.563 211.161 2.2 1.7 1 Index is on a November 1982=100 base. 2 Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. 3 Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. 4 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W):Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) Semiannual average indexes Percent change to 1st half 2008 from- Item and Group 1st half 2nd half 1st half 2007 2007 2008 1st half 2nd half 2007 2007 Expenditure category All items.................................... 193.585 194.819 201.124 3.9 3.2 All items (1967=100)......................... 644.352 648.459 669.447 - - Food and beverages.......................... 191.577 194.358 199.964 4.4 2.9 Food....................................... 193.634 196.572 202.522 4.6 3.0 Food at home.............................. 194.754 197.866 206.174 5.9 4.2 Food away from home....................... 190.350 192.956 196.746 3.4 2.0 Alcoholic beverages........................ 181.808 183.108 184.260 1.3 .6 Housing..................................... 183.055 180.345 185.442 1.3 2.8 Shelter.................................... 197.414 197.307 199.463 1.0 1.1 Rent of primary residence................. 197.545 197.873 201.535 2.0 1.9 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1)........................ 192.181 191.143 192.492 .2 .7 Fuels and utilities........................ 186.935 173.492 201.201 7.6 16.0 Household energy.......................... 145.790 132.092 161.594 10.8 22.3 Gas (piped) and electricity.............. 145.730 131.841 161.234 10.6 22.3 Electricity............................. 123.426 119.364 128.589 4.2 7.7 Utility (piped) gas service............. 186.628 160.698 219.195 17.5 36.4 Household furnishings and operations....... 133.978 127.617 129.158 -3.6 1.2 Apparel..................................... 91.658 94.522 99.783 8.9 5.6 Transportation.............................. 213.127 222.035 231.963 8.8 4.5 Private transportation..................... 210.589 219.401 228.988 8.7 4.4 Motor fuel................................ 217.297 238.736 271.268 24.8 13.6 Gasoline (all types)..................... 216.399 237.748 269.585 24.6 13.4 Gasoline, unleaded regular (2).......... 214.019 235.057 267.406 24.9 13.8 Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (2) (3)..... 204.516 224.526 253.554 24.0 12.9 Gasoline, unleaded premium (2).......... 215.561 237.397 266.539 23.6 12.3 Medical care................................ 398.456 403.098 423.167 6.2 5.0 Recreation (4).............................. 112.146 114.859 115.011 2.6 .1 Education and communication (4)............. 112.304 111.652 112.064 -.2 .4 Other goods and services.................... 306.889 302.802 314.058 2.3 3.7 Commodity and service group All items.................................... 193.585 194.819 201.124 3.9 3.2 Commodities................................. 159.082 162.132 167.804 5.5 3.5 Commodities less food and beverages........ 138.819 141.897 147.390 6.2 3.9 Nondurables less food and beverages....... 171.292 178.587 191.296 11.7 7.1 Durables.................................. 107.250 105.790 105.765 -1.4 .0 Services.................................... 229.491 228.722 235.503 2.6 3.0 Special aggregate indexes All items less medical care.................. 185.155 186.272 192.152 3.8 3.2 All items less shelter....................... 194.733 196.615 204.692 5.1 4.1 Commodities less food........................ 140.371 143.371 148.757 6.0 3.8 Nondurables.................................. 184.738 190.037 199.358 7.9 4.9 Nondurables less food........................ 171.805 178.643 190.663 11.0 6.7 Services less rent of shelter (1)........... 263.210 261.695 275.010 4.5 5.1 Services less medical care services.......... 216.032 215.035 220.992 2.3 2.8 Energy....................................... 187.336 191.326 223.597 19.4 16.9 All items less energy........................ 194.572 195.360 199.225 2.4 2.0 All items less food and energy.............. 195.710 196.053 199.457 1.9 1.7 1 Index is on a November 1984=100 base. 2 Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. 3 Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. 4 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
Last Modified Date: August 14, 2008