The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region inched down 0.1 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent decline reflected small one-month decreases in both the all items less food and energy index and the food index, down 0.1 and 0.4 percent, respectively. Also contributing to the overall decrease, the energy index inched down 0.1 percent since October. (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 3.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index advanced 2.3 percent over the year. Prices also rose for both energy and food, up 10.4 and 4.0 percent since November 2010. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index fell 0.4 percent in November, recording its first decrease since July 2010. Prices for both components of the food index were down over the month. Food at home prices decreased 0.5 percent; food away from home prices edged down 0.2 percent after posting 11 consecutive over-the-month increases.

Over the year, the food index rose 4.0 percent. Prices for the food at home and food away from home components were up 5.0 and 2.8 percent, respectively, since last November.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, inched down 0.1 percent since October, due largely to a decline in the gasoline index. Gasoline prices decreased for the sixth straight month, down 13.1 percent since May and 1.5 percent since October. Electricity prices were also lower in November, posting a 0.3-percent decrease. Partially offsetting these declines, utility (piped) gas service prices advanced 4.2 percent over the month.

Despite its recent 1-month decline, the energy index advanced 10.4 percent over the year, due in large part to an 18.3-percent jump in gasoline prices since November 2010. Moderating the increase in the energy index were lower prices for utility (piped) gas service and electricity, down 4.6 and 0.3 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched down 0.1 percent since October. Lower prices for apparel (-1.0 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-0.6 percent), among others, were nearly offset by various 12-month increases in categories such as other goods and services (0.5 percent) and medical care (0.3 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.3 percent over the year, following an identical 12-month increase in October. The recent gain was led by an increase in the shelter index (2.2 percent), particularly owners’ equivalent rent of residences (2.0 percent). Higher prices for medical care and new and used motor vehicles (3.4 percent each) also contributed to the advance in the all items less food and energy index since November 2010.

The December 2011 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on January 19, 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	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	0.5	2.8
May	0.5	4.6	0.5	2.3	0.9	4.3	0.1	-0.8	0.2	2.6	0.5	3.2
June	0.5	5.1	0.4	2.3	1.1	5.0	0.8	-1.2	-0.1	1.7	0.1	3.4
July	0.4	4.6	0.2	2.0	0.8	5.7	0.1	-1.9	0.0	1.6	0.2	3.6
August	0.3	4.5	-0.2	1.6	-0.3	5.5	0.3	-1.2	0.1	1.4	0.3	3.8
September	-0.8	2.6	-0.1	2.4	-0.4	5.2	0.1	-0.7	-0.1	1.2	0.1	4.0
October	-0.5	1.7	0.2	3.1	-0.9	4.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.5	-0.1	3.6
November	-0.2	2.3	0.6	4.0	-1.6	1.7	0.2	2.0	0.2	1.5	-0.1	3.2
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 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; 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	Sep. 2011	Oct. 2011	Nov. 2011	Nov. 2010	Sep. 2011	Oct. 2011
All items		243.323	243.014	242.652	3.2	-0.3	-0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		383.159	382.674	382.103
Food and beverages		236.731	237.413	236.468	3.8	-0.1	-0.4
Food		236.533	237.253	236.309	4.0	-0.1	-0.4
Food at home		236.477	237.219	235.977	5.0	-0.2	-0.5
Food away from home		239.573	240.273	239.726	2.8	0.1	-0.2
Alcoholic beverages		238.015	238.173	237.210	1.0	-0.3	-0.4
Housing		249.617	249.091	249.354	2.2	-0.1	0.1
Shelter		298.435	298.371	298.396	2.2	0.0	0.0
Rent of primary residence (1)		295.088	295.974	296.430	2.2	0.5	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		309.799	310.193	310.471	2.0	0.2	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		309.727	310.127	310.397	2.0	0.2	0.1
Fuels and utilities		224.137	220.827	223.398	3.4	-0.3	1.2
Household energy		205.425	201.869	204.539	3.1	-0.4	1.3
Energy services (1) (3)		195.563	191.369	193.123	-1.6	-1.2	0.9
Electricity (1)		195.468	189.461	188.798	-0.3	-3.4	-0.3
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		182.363	182.943	190.558	-4.6	4.5	4.2
Household furnishings and operations		127.068	126.944	126.363	0.8	-0.6	-0.5
Apparel		130.676	132.618	131.239	4.2	0.4	-1.0
Transportation		214.535	212.273	211.191	7.9	-1.6	-0.5
Private transportation		207.774	205.452	204.326	7.9	-1.7	-0.5
New and used motor vehicles (4)		100.285	99.927	99.367	3.4	-0.9	-0.6
New vehicles		141.726	141.854	142.078	3.3	0.2	0.2
New cars and trucks (4) (5)		98.220	98.309	98.464	3.3	0.2	0.2
New cars (5)		138.727	138.696	138.548	3.1	-0.1	-0.1
Used cars and trucks		162.454	160.764	158.980	6.7	-2.1	-1.1
Motor fuel		303.600	291.909	287.863	18.4	-5.2	-1.4
Gasoline (all types)		302.672	290.809	286.509	18.3	-5.3	-1.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular (5)		304.431	292.140	287.705	18.3	-5.5	-1.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (5) (6)		307.507	296.364	292.258	18.6	-5.0	-1.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium (5)		291.077	280.638	276.896	18.1	-4.9	-1.3
Medical care		424.205	425.368	426.530	3.4	0.5	0.3
Medical care commodities		355.601	356.728	358.631	4.3	0.9	0.5
Medical care services		441.325	442.474	443.308	3.1	0.4	0.2
Professional services		338.223	338.636	338.397	2.0	0.1	-0.1
Recreation (4)		118.198	118.628	118.059	0.2	-0.1	-0.5
Education and communication (4)		134.976	134.683	134.333	0.2	-0.5	-0.3
Other goods and services		418.182	420.094	422.332	2.4	1.0	0.5
Commodity and service group
Commodities		192.941	192.474	191.692	5.1	-0.6	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages		166.174	165.242	164.562	5.9	-1.0	-0.4
Nondurables less food and beverages		214.973	213.447	212.424	8.2	-1.2	-0.5
Durables		111.405	111.095	110.780	1.9	-0.6	-0.3
Services		292.818	292.659	292.694	2.1	0.0	0.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		225.034	224.631	224.119	3.7	-0.4	-0.2
All items less medical care		235.245	234.886	234.473	3.2	-0.3	-0.2
Commodities less food		169.044	168.137	167.446	5.7	-0.9	-0.4
Nondurables		227.169	226.641	225.643	6.1	-0.7	-0.4
Nondurables less food		216.302	214.866	213.846	7.8	-1.1	-0.5
Services less rent of shelter (2)		297.192	296.933	297.005	1.9	-0.1	0.0
Services less medical care services		282.301	282.077	282.071	2.0	-0.1	0.0
Energy		246.723	239.732	239.561	10.4	-2.9	-0.1
All items less energy		245.323	245.704	245.318	2.5	0.0	-0.2
All items less food and energy		248.459	248.780	248.494	2.3	0.0	-0.1
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.