Mid-Atlantic Information Office

Consumer Price Index, northeast region – March 2011 (PDF)

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region rose 0.8 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent increase was mostly due to a 5.6-percent jump in the energy index, particularly the gasoline index. The indexes for both all items less food and energy (0.4 percent) and food (0.3 percent) also advanced over the month. (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 2.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index rose 14.4 percent over the year. Prices were also higher for both all items less food and energy (1.2 percent) and food (2.9 percent) since March 2010. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.3 percent in March. The food at home index advanced 0.5 percent and the food away from home index inched up 0.1 percent over the month.

Over the year, the food index rose 2.9 percent—the largest 12-month increase since May 2009—as the food at home and food away from home components increased 3.6 and 1.9 percent, respectively.

Energy

Due largely to higher gasoline prices, the energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, rose 5.6 percent in March—the largest one-month increase since June 2009. Gasoline prices advanced for the sixth straight month, up 32.6 percent since September 2010 and 9.8 percent since February. Electricity prices increased 1.0 percent over the month, while utility (piped) gas service prices declined 0.7 percent.

The energy index advanced 14.4 percent since March 2010, largely reflecting a 27.1-percent jump in gasoline prices. Moderating the rise in the energy index were over-the-year declines in prices for utility (piped) gas service and electricity, down 4.0 and 1.6 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent since February. A 3.1-percent seasonal increase in apparel prices led the advance. Higher shelter prices (0.2 percent) also contributed to the rise in the all items less food and energy index. Partially offsetting these one-month increases were lower prices for recreation, down 0.1 percent.

Over the last 12 months, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent. Higher prices for shelter (0.8 percent) and medical care (3.2 percent) led the overall increase. Moderating these advances were declines in prices for recreation and household furnishings and operations (-0.9 percent each).

The April 2011 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on May 13, 2011, 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	2006		2007		2008		2009		2010		2011
	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	1.0	4.1	0.3	2.3	0.4	3.9	0.2	0.5	0.4	3.0	0.4	1.6
February	0.3	3.9	0.4	2.4	0.4	4.0	0.6	0.7	0.0	2.5	0.5	2.0
March	0.6	3.3	0.8	2.6	0.8	3.9	0.2	0.2	0.3	2.6	0.8	2.5
April	0.9	3.8	0.5	2.2	0.5	3.9	0.2	-0.1	0.2	2.5
May	0.5	4.6	0.5	2.3	0.9	4.3	0.1	-0.8	0.2	2.6
June	0.5	5.1	0.4	2.3	1.1	5.0	0.8	-1.2	-0.1	1.7
July	0.4	4.6	0.2	2.0	0.8	5.7	0.1	-1.9	0.0	1.6
August	0.3	4.5	-0.2	1.6	-0.3	5.5	0.3	-1.2	0.1	1.4
September	-0.8	2.6	-0.1	2.4	-0.4	5.2	0.1	-0.7	-0.1	1.2
October	-0.5	1.7	0.2	3.1	-0.9	4.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.5
November	-0.2	2.3	0.6	4.0	-1.6	1.7	0.2	2.0	0.2	1.5
December	0.2	3.0	0.0	3.8	-0.9	0.7	-0.1	2.8	0.0	1.6

 

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 87 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 32 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 25,000 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; TDD message referral phone number:  1-800-877-8339.

For personal assistance or further information on Consumer Price Indexes, as well as other Bureau products, contact the Mid-Atlantic Information Office at (215) 597-3282 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET.

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	Jan. 2011	Feb. 2011	Mar. 2011	Mar. 2010	Jan. 2011	Feb. 2011
All items		235.969	237.110	239.074	2.5	1.3	0.8
All items (December 1977 = 100)		371.580	373.375	376.469
Food and beverages		229.463	230.484	231.199	2.8	0.8	0.3
Food		228.939	230.025	230.765	2.9	0.8	0.3
Food at home		227.203	228.583	229.710	3.6	1.1	0.5
Food away from home		234.185	234.883	235.103	1.9	0.4	0.1
Alcoholic beverages		235.249	235.369	235.737	1.9	0.2	0.2
Housing		244.953	245.371	246.351	1.0	0.6	0.4
Shelter		292.671	292.916	293.555	0.8	0.3	0.2
Rent of primary residence (1)		289.910	290.256	291.306	2.1	0.5	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		304.827	304.944	305.263	0.5	0.1	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		304.785	304.888	305.219	0.5	0.1	0.1
Fuels and utilities		220.371	222.591	225.415	4.0	2.3	1.3
Household energy		202.645	204.811	207.895	3.6	2.6	1.5
Energy services (1) (3)		196.171	196.073	196.991	-2.3	0.4	0.5
Electricity (1)		188.517	187.846	189.694	-1.6	0.6	1.0
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		201.632	202.959	201.513	-4.0	-0.1	-0.7
Household furnishings and operations		125.024	124.760	125.652	-0.9	0.5	0.7
Apparel		119.195	122.118	125.943	1.0	5.7	3.1
Transportation		200.573	202.701	208.702	9.2	4.1	3.0
Private transportation		194.172	195.925	202.007	9.1	4.0	3.1
New and used motor vehicles (4)		96.192	96.705	97.084	0.4	0.9	0.4
New vehicles		137.765	138.824	139.188	0.9	1.0	0.3
New cars and trucks (4) (5)		95.440	96.189	96.443	0.9	1.1	0.3
New cars (5)		133.844	134.785	135.297	0.1	1.1	0.4
Used cars and trucks		149.066	149.443	150.644	3.2	1.1	0.8
Motor fuel		262.671	266.622	292.825	27.3	11.5	9.8
Gasoline (all types)		261.786	265.477	291.604	27.1	11.4	9.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		263.444	267.264	293.969	27.6	11.6	10.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (5) (6)		265.530	268.958	294.700	26.3	11.0	9.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium (5)		251.622	254.914	278.384	25.2	10.6	9.2
Medical care		416.249	418.653	419.884	3.2	0.9	0.3
Medical care commodities		348.337	351.861	354.037	4.8	1.6	0.6
Medical care services		433.288	435.180	436.001	2.6	0.6	0.2
Professional services		334.649	335.176	334.852	1.8	0.1	-0.1
Recreation (4)		115.853	116.995	116.829	-0.9	0.8	-0.1
Education and communication (4)		133.571	133.216	133.255	0.0	-0.2	0.0
Other goods and services		411.706	412.611	413.452	2.3	0.4	0.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		183.864	185.445	188.829	4.9	2.7	1.8
Commodities less food and beverages		156.724	158.472	162.838	6.1	3.9	2.8
Nondurables less food and beverages		199.401	202.616	210.651	9.9	5.6	4.0
Durables		108.360	108.595	109.175	-0.4	0.8	0.5
Services		287.061	287.790	288.413	1.1	0.5	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		217.013	218.500	220.981	3.4	1.8	1.1
All items less medical care		227.964	229.052	231.028	2.5	1.3	0.9
Commodities less food		159.732	161.444	165.720	6.0	3.7	2.6
Nondurables		215.251	217.491	222.247	6.4	3.3	2.2
Nondurables less food		201.411	204.462	212.088	9.4	5.3	3.7
Services less rent of shelter (2)		291.271	292.580	293.204	1.5	0.7	0.2
Services less medical care services		276.719	277.381	277.988	1.0	0.5	0.2
Energy		227.822	230.741	243.593	14.4	6.9	5.6
All items less energy		239.095	240.062	240.918	1.4	0.8	0.4
All items less food and energy		242.443	243.395	244.277	1.2	0.8	0.4
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) This index series was formerly titled Gas (piped) and electricity. (4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (6) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 

Last Modified Date: April 15, 2011