The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region edged up 0.3 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent increase was due largely to a one-month advance in the all items less food and energy index (0.2 percent). The indexes for energy and food also increased since December, up 1.1 and 0.7 percent, respectively. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

For the third consecutive month, the CPI-U and its largest component, all items less food and energy, each posted over-the-year price advances of 1.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The indexes for food and energy also rose since January 2012, up 1.7 percent each. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.7 percent in January. Prices for food at home and food away from home increased over the month, up 1.0 and 0.2 percent, respectively.

Over the last 12 months, the food index rose 1.7 percent as both of its components—food at home and food away from home—posted identical price increases of 1.7 percent. Over-the-year price advances for food away from home have remained uninterrupted since the inception of the index in 1977. The food at home index has posted consecutive 12-month price increases for the last 34 months.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, rose 1.1 percent since December. The one-month increase was due mostly to a 4.4-percent advance in electricity prices. Utility (piped) gas service prices were also higher in January, up 0.8 percent. Moderating the overall increase in the energy index were lower gasoline prices, down 0.4 percent.

Energy prices increased 1.7 percent over the year, primarily reflecting a 2.2-percent advance in gasoline prices. Electricity prices also rose since January 2012, up 2.0 percent. Partially offsetting these increases was the 27th consecutive over-the-year decrease in utility (piped) gas service prices, down 0.4 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent in January, led by an increase in education and communication prices, up 0.4 percent. Prices were also higher for various other components including recreation (0.5 percent), and shelter (0.1 percent). Moderating the advance in the all items less food and energy index was a smaller-than-usual seasonal decrease in apparel prices, down 0.8 percent over the month.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.8 percent over the year. The 12-month advance was led by higher prices for shelter (2.1 percent), particularly those for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (1.9 percent). Widespread price increases among other components, including medical care (2.1 percent) and education and communication (1.3 percent), also contributed to the rise in the all items less food and energy index since January 2012.

The February 2013 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on March 15, 2013, 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	2008		2009		2010		2011		2012		2013
	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	0.4	3.9	0.2	0.5	0.4	3.0	0.4	1.6	0.4	2.9	0.3	1.8
February	0.4	4.0	0.6	0.7	0.0	2.5	0.5	2.0	0.4	2.8
March	0.8	3.9	0.2	0.2	0.3	2.6	0.8	2.5	0.5	2.5
April	0.5	3.9	0.2	-0.1	0.2	2.5	0.5	2.8	0.3	2.3
May	0.9	4.3	0.1	-0.8	0.2	2.6	0.5	3.2	-0.1	1.7
June	1.1	5.0	0.8	-1.2	-0.1	1.7	0.1	3.4	-0.2	1.5
July	0.8	5.7	0.1	-1.9	0.0	1.6	0.2	3.6	-0.1	1.1
August	-0.3	5.5	0.3	-1.2	0.1	1.4	0.3	3.8	0.5	1.3
September	-0.4	5.2	0.1	-0.7	-0.1	1.2	0.1	4.0	0.5	1.7
October	-0.9	4.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.5	-0.1	3.6	0.1	1.9
November	-1.6	1.7	0.2	2.0	0.2	1.5	-0.1	3.2	0.2	1.8
December	-0.9	0.7	-0.1	2.8	0.0	1.6	-0.3	2.9	-0.3	1.8

 

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.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service:  1-800-877-8339.

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	Nov. 2012	Dec. 2012	Jan. 2013	Jan. 2012	Nov. 2012	Dec. 2012
All items		247.097	246.456	247.277	1.8	0.1	0.3
All items (December 1977 = 100)		389.102	388.094	389.386
Food and beverages		241.471	241.478	243.031	1.7	0.6	0.6
Food		241.348	241.343	242.947	1.7	0.7	0.7
Food at home		240.353	240.583	243.016	1.7	1.1	1.0
Food away from home		245.850	245.498	245.899	1.7	0.0	0.2
Alcoholic beverages		241.671	241.849	242.663	1.2	0.4	0.3
Housing		253.107	253.294	254.299	1.8	0.5	0.4
Shelter		304.677	304.891	305.150	2.1	0.2	0.1
Rent of primary residence (1)		303.148	303.907	304.407	2.3	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		316.662	317.162	317.244	1.9	0.2	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		316.559	317.061	317.150	1.9	0.2	0.0
Fuels and utilities		218.862	219.324	224.304	1.5	2.5	2.3
Household energy		198.327	198.798	204.026	1.2	2.9	2.6
Energy services (1)		185.133	185.523	191.488	1.2	3.4	3.2
Electricity (1)		182.728	182.119	190.050	2.0	4.0	4.4
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		178.991	181.438	182.953	-0.4	2.2	0.8
Household furnishings and operations		128.044	127.926	128.521	0.5	0.4	0.5
Apparel		132.110	127.979	126.919	1.9	-3.9	-0.8
Transportation		216.923	214.789	214.909	2.0	-0.9	0.1
Private transportation		210.087	207.722	207.800	1.6	-1.1	0.0
New and used motor vehicles (3)		98.381	98.645	99.084	0.2	0.7	0.4
New vehicles		143.698	143.947	144.976	1.6	0.9	0.7
New cars and trucks (3) (4)		99.580	99.763	100.480	1.6	0.9	0.7
New cars (4)		139.699	139.806	140.590	1.5	0.6	0.6
Used cars and trucks		155.078	154.570	154.679	-1.2	-0.3	0.1
Motor fuel		308.659	295.805	294.479	2.2	-4.6	-0.4
Gasoline (all types)		307.372	294.352	293.045	2.2	-4.7	-0.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		308.476	294.974	293.474	1.8	-4.9	-0.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)		313.995	301.680	300.805	3.2	-4.2	-0.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)		298.012	286.760	286.168	3.8	-4.0	-0.2
Medical care		440.321	439.991	441.430	2.1	0.3	0.3
Medical care commodities		365.054	362.335	362.800	-0.6	-0.6	0.1
Medical care services		459.764	460.424	462.228	3.0	0.5	0.4
Professional services		342.947	344.245	345.730	1.4	0.8	0.4
Recreation (3)		119.708	119.549	120.172	1.0	0.4	0.5
Education and communication (3)		135.974	135.752	136.358	1.3	0.3	0.4
Other goods and services		428.698	429.778	430.507	1.9	0.4	0.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		195.129	193.360	193.971	1.1	-0.6	0.3
Commodities less food and beverages		167.214	164.739	164.915	0.8	-1.4	0.1
Nondurables less food and beverages		217.899	213.169	212.934	1.2	-2.3	-0.1
Durables		110.596	110.419	110.985	-0.1	0.4	0.5
Services		298.130	298.553	299.578	2.2	0.5	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		227.920	226.958	227.993	1.7	0.0	0.5
All items less medical care		238.549	237.900	238.694	1.8	0.1	0.3
Commodities less food		170.164	167.749	167.943	0.8	-1.3	0.1
Nondurables		230.895	228.343	228.943	1.5	-0.8	0.3
Nondurables less food		219.274	214.802	214.622	1.2	-2.1	-0.1
Services less rent of shelter (2)		301.654	302.409	304.328	2.4	0.9	0.6
Services less medical care services		286.874	287.280	288.254	2.1	0.5	0.3
Energy		244.421	239.396	241.935	1.7	-1.0	1.1
All items less energy		249.751	249.569	250.215	1.8	0.2	0.3
All items less food and energy		252.844	252.629	253.098	1.8	0.1	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.