From: http://www.bls.gov/ro9/cpiport.htm

Area prices up 0.9 percent over the past six months, up 2.1 percent from a year ago

Prices in the greater Portland area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.9 percent in the second half of 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Richard J. Holden noted the latest six-month increase was influenced by higher prices for shelter and medical care. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the past 12 months, the CPI-U rose 2.1 percent. (See chart 1.) Energy prices declined 0.3 percent, mainly due to a decrease in the price of natural gas service. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.5 percent over the year.