March 22, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
1998 consumer price rise in the
West slightly above national increase
In the West region, the Consumer Price Index
for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 1.8 percent from December 1997 to December 1998, just
above the national rise of 1.6 percent. The West CPI had risen 2.6 percent in 1997. The
CPI-U measures retail price changes for goods and services purchased by consumers in
metropolitan areas.
[Chart data—TXT]
Housing combined with food and beverages account for 58 percent of total consumer
expenditures in the West (42 percent and 16 percent, respectively); in 1998, the West
housing index rose 3.0 percent and the food and beverages index increased
2.5 percent. Medical care prices rose 2.7 percent, while the "other goods and services"
index—which includes prices for tobacco products—increased 6.3 percent.
Price declines were reported in transportation (-1.4 percent) and recreation (-0.4
percent), while prices for education and communication (0.4 percent) and apparel (0.6
percent) rose slightly.
These data are produced by the BLS Consumer Price
Index program. More information can be obtained in news release USDL 99-01,
"Consumer Prices in the West: December 1998." Annual comparisons are based on
changes in indexes from December 1997 to December 1998. For data on price increases
during 1998 in other U.S. regions, see "Consumer prices in the Midwest rise 1.6 percent in 1998" and "Consumer prices rise 1.7 percent
in the Northeast in 1998."
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
.
Read more »