Shoppers are feeling nervous in California and across the nation.

The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index for California was at 116.6 for September, down from a revised 121.5 a month earlier and up from 103.6 a year ago, according to the Conference Board.

Taking a longer view, with a political spin, my trusty spreadsheet shows September as 3% below the Trump presidency average and the 11th lowest California reading since he took office in January 2017. Conversely, the state index is up 9% since Gavin Newsom became California governor this year while U.S. confidence is down 5% in the same period.

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Now let’s look at two measures inside the index …

1. California consumers’ view of current conditions was down from August but improved from a year earlier.

2. Shoppers’ outlook statewide was more optimistic vs. the previous month and up from a year earlier.

Antsy states

The Conference Board found consumers in seven other big states almost as anxious as Californians.

For the month, overall confidence rose in 2 states — Illinois and Pennsylvania — and increased in only Pennsylvania over the year.

Consumers saw current conditions improving in three states for the month and rising in two states over 12 months. Expectations rose in one state for the month and none for the year.

National nervousness

The overall U.S. consumer confidence index was 125.1 for September, down from 134.2 a month earlier and down from 135.3 a year ago. Taking a longer view, also with a political spin, the latest U.S. confidence level is 2% below average Trump-era level.

U.S. shoppers’ view of current conditions fell from August and was lower over 12 months. Meanwhile, consumer hopes nationwide were worse compared with the previous month and less optimistic vs. a year earlier.

As for two major purchases, the national view …

Plans to buy a home within six months? 5.2% of consumers said yes this month vs. 6% a month earlier and 6.2% a year ago. Five-year average? 6.1%.