The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has reported a 0.3% increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area from June to August, with a 3.3% rise over the past year.
According to Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund, in August, the index for all items excluding food and energy increased by 0.1%. The food index rose by 1.0%, with grocery store prices up by 1.8% across all six major food groups, while food away from home saw a 0.2% increase. The energy index also edged up by 0.1%, largely due to gasoline prices registering the same increase.
Over the past year ending in August, the Los Angeles all-items CPI-U advanced by 3.3%. Within this period, Rosenlund noted that the index excluding food and energy rose by 3.2%, food increased by 4.2%, and energy climbed by 2.9%. Annual changes included a 3.6% increase in food at home, a 4.8% rise for food away from home, and a 0.9% decrease in gasoline prices despite the overall energy increase.
Detailed component trends showed that in August, prices were higher for apparel (+1.9%), household furnishings and operations (+1.3%), and education and communication (+0.9%), while medical care declined by 0.5%. Over the year, shelter rose by 3.2% and medical care by 3.3%, while education and communication fell by 1.1%. The BLS also noted technical adjustments to how certain services are measured, including new data sources for wireless telephone services and plans to remove long-term care insurance from the health insurance index starting with the October 2025 release.
The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics is part of the U.S Department of Labor and serves as the federal government’s primary agency for labor economics and statistics. It collects, analyzes, and publishes data on employment, wages, prices, productivity, and working conditions to support decision-making across various sectors.
