The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region rose 0.5 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the one-month increase was almost entirely due to advances in the energy index and all items less food and energy index, up 3.4 and 0.2 percent, respectively. The food index was nearly unchanged since August, inching up 0.1 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 1.7 percent, due mostly to an advance in the all items less food and energy component, also up 1.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The food index and the energy index also rose since September 2011, up 1.7 and 1.5 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

For the third consecutive month, the food index inched up 0.1 percent in September. Prices for food away from home also inched up 0.1 percent, while those for food at home were unchanged.

Over the year, the food index advanced 1.7 percent. Prices for the food away from home and food at home components were up 2.4 and 1.2 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 3.4 percent in September. The recent one-month increase primarily reflected higher prices for gasoline, up 4.7 percent since August. Prices for electricity and utility (piped) gas service also rose over the month, up 1.6 and 1.1 percent, respectively.

Following five straight months of over-the-year decreases, energy prices increased 1.5 percent since September 2011, dominated by a 6.9-percent advance in gasoline prices. The utility (piped) gas service index posted its 23rd consecutive 12-month decrease, falling 10.1 percent since September 2011. Meanwhile, the electricity index recorded its 11th straight 12-month decline, down 3.3 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

Due largely to a seasonal increase in apparel prices (3.7 percent), the index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent since August. Also contributing to the recent rise were advances in the indexes for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (0.2 percent) and education and communication (0.5 percent). Lower prices for new and used motor vehicles (-0.7 percent) helped to moderate the one-month increase in the all items less food and energy index.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.7 percent over the year. The 12-month advance was led by higher shelter prices, particularly those for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (1.9 percent each). Widespread price increases among other components, including medical care (3.9 percent), also contributed to the rise in the all items less food and energy index since September 2011.

The October 2012 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on November 15, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Table A. Northeast region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index (not seasonally adjusted)

Month	2007		2008		2009		2010		2011		2012
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.3	2.3	0.4	3.9	0.2	0.5	0.4	3.0	0.4	1.6	0.4	2.9
February	0.4	2.4	0.4	4.0	0.6	0.7	0.0	2.5	0.5	2.0	0.4	2.8
March	0.8	2.6	0.8	3.9	0.2	0.2	0.3	2.6	0.8	2.5	0.5	2.5
April	0.5	2.2	0.5	3.9	0.2	-0.1	0.2	2.5	0.5	2.8	0.3	2.3
May	0.5	2.3	0.9	4.3	0.1	-0.8	0.2	2.6	0.5	3.2	-0.1	1.7
June	0.4	2.3	1.1	5.0	0.8	-1.2	-0.1	1.7	0.1	3.4	-0.2	1.5
July	0.2	2.0	0.8	5.7	0.1	-1.9	0.0	1.6	0.2	3.6	-0.1	1.1
August	-0.2	1.6	-0.3	5.5	0.3	-1.2	0.1	1.4	0.3	3.8	0.5	1.3
September	-0.1	2.4	-0.4	5.2	0.1	-0.7	-0.1	1.2	0.1	4.0	0.5	1.7
October	0.2	3.1	-0.9	4.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.5	-0.1	3.6
November	0.6	4.0	-1.6	1.7	0.2	2.0	0.2	1.5	-0.1	3.2
December	0.0	3.8	-0.9	0.7	-0.1	2.8	0.0	1.6	-0.3	2.9

 

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed market basket of goods and services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: (1) a CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) which covers approximately 88 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 29 percent of the total population. The CPI-U includes, in addition to wage earners and clerical workers, groups such as professional, managerial, and technical workers, the self-employed, short-term workers, the unemployed, and retirees and others not in the labor force.

The CPI is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, and fuels, transportation fares, charges for doctors’ and dentists’ services, drugs, and the other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. Each month, prices are collected in 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 retail establishments—department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other types of stores and service establishments. All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included in the index.

The index measures price changes from a designated reference date (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period “market basket” of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch17_a.htm.

In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each location are averaged together with weights that represent their importance in the spending of the appropriate population group. Local data are then combined to obtain a U.S. city average. Because the sample size of a local area is smaller, the local area index is subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error than the national index. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although their long-term trends are quite similar. NOTE: Area indexes do not measure differences in the level of prices between cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

The Northeast region is comprised of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

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Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Northeast Region, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Jul. 2012	Aug. 2012	Sep. 2012	Sep. 2011	Jul. 2012	Aug. 2012
All items		244.984	246.252	247.409	1.7	1.0	0.5
All items (December 1977 = 100)		385.775	387.771	389.593
Food and beverages		240.190	240.463	240.621	1.6	0.2	0.1
Food		239.952	240.308	240.456	1.7	0.2	0.1
Food at home		238.950	239.199	239.214	1.2	0.1	0.0
Food away from home		244.446	244.964	245.310	2.4	0.4	0.1
Alcoholic beverages		242.071	241.123	241.443	1.4	-0.3	0.1
Housing		251.688	252.171	252.626	1.2	0.4	0.2
Shelter		303.620	304.202	304.119	1.9	0.2	0.0
Rent of primary residence (1)		300.890	301.813	302.463	2.5	0.5	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		314.409	315.178	315.718	1.9	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		314.307	315.074	315.612	1.9	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities		213.541	214.408	217.829	-2.8	2.0	1.6
Household energy		192.831	193.613	197.244	-4.0	2.3	1.9
Energy services (1)		182.967	181.847	184.493	-5.7	0.8	1.5
Electricity (1)		187.590	186.002	189.012	-3.3	0.8	1.6
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		162.334	162.254	163.986	-10.1	1.0	1.1
Household furnishings and operations		128.357	128.209	128.248	0.9	-0.1	0.0
Apparel		125.107	129.468	134.271	2.8	7.3	3.7
Transportation		213.659	216.851	219.435	2.3	2.7	1.2
Private transportation		206.743	210.547	213.351	2.7	3.2	1.3
New and used motor vehicles (3)		99.843	99.509	98.806	-1.5	-1.0	-0.7
New vehicles		142.371	142.275	141.999	0.2	-0.3	-0.2
New cars and trucks (3) (4)		98.674	98.609	98.416	0.2	-0.3	-0.2
New cars (4)		138.215	138.203	137.791	-0.7	-0.3	-0.3
Used cars and trucks		165.205	164.055	160.495	-1.2	-2.9	-2.2
Motor fuel		293.789	310.036	324.678	6.9	10.5	4.7
Gasoline (all types)		292.702	308.989	323.652	6.9	10.6	4.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		293.771	310.480	325.269	6.8	10.7	4.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)		298.828	314.505	329.733	7.2	10.3	4.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)		283.613	298.182	311.765	7.1	9.9	4.6
Medical care		438.180	439.433	440.739	3.9	0.6	0.3
Medical care commodities		370.806	373.346	373.556	5.0	0.7	0.1
Medical care services		454.432	455.123	456.846	3.5	0.5	0.4
Professional services		341.375	341.370	342.610	1.3	0.4	0.4
Recreation (3)		119.766	119.586	119.649	1.2	-0.1	0.1
Education and communication (3)		134.788	135.460	136.129	0.9	1.0	0.5
Other goods and services		427.746	428.773	428.374	2.4	0.1	-0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		192.791	194.931	196.800	2.0	2.1	1.0
Commodities less food and beverages		164.507	167.378	169.922	2.3	3.3	1.5
Nondurables less food and beverages		211.091	217.193	222.860	3.7	5.6	2.6
Durables		111.988	111.597	110.997	-0.4	-0.9	-0.5
Services		296.215	296.666	297.158	1.5	0.3	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		225.399	226.930	228.556	1.6	1.4	0.7
All items less medical care		236.448	237.710	238.856	1.5	1.0	0.5
Commodities less food		167.528	170.310	172.806	2.2	3.2	1.5
Nondurables		226.616	230.041	233.177	2.6	2.9	1.4
Nondurables less food		212.844	218.576	223.963	3.5	5.2	2.5
Services less rent of shelter (2)		298.715	299.029	300.122	1.0	0.5	0.4
Services less medical care services		285.159	285.594	286.015	1.3	0.3	0.1
Energy		235.042	242.207	250.391	1.5	6.5	3.4
All items less energy		248.389	249.043	249.466	1.7	0.4	0.2
All items less food and energy		251.481	252.195	252.673	1.7	0.5	0.2
Footnotes (1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.