The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region inched up 0.1 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that one-month increases in the all items less food and energy index and the food index (0.2 percent each) were nearly offset by a decrease in the energy index (-0.9 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 1.9 percent, due mostly to an advance in the all items less food and energy index, up 1.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy and food indexes also rose since October 2011, up 3.5 and 1.5 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index rose 0.2 percent in October as its two components, food at home and food away from home, recorded identical 0.2-percent increases.

Over the year, the food index advanced 1.5 percent. Prices for the food away from home and food at home components were up 2.3 and 1.1 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 0.9 percent over the month. The recent one-month decline was mostly due to a 3.7-percent seasonal decrease in electricity prices—the largest since October 2009. Electricity prices normally rise in June as summer rate schedules are introduced, then decline in October. Following two months of increases totaling 10.6 percent, gasoline prices fell 0.7 percent over the month. Moderating the overall decline in the energy index were higher utility (piped) gas service prices, up 2.0 percent since September.

Energy prices increased 3.5 percent since October 2011, due to a 10.5-percent jump in gasoline prices. Partially offsetting the rise in gasoline prices were the 24th consecutive over-the-year decrease in utility (piped) gas service prices and the 12th in electricity prices, down 8.6 and 3.9 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent since September, due mostly to higher prices for shelter, particularly those for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (0.2 percent each). An increase in prices for medical care services (0.4 percent), among others, also contributed to the recent advance. Lower prices for used cars and trucks (-1.8 percent) and apparel (-0.4 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 (2.1 percent), particularly those for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (2.0 percent). 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 October 2011. In contrast, the index for new and used motor vehicles recorded its fourth straight over-the-year decline, down 1.3 percent since last October.

The November 2012 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on December 14, 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	0.1	1.9
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.

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	Aug. 2012	Sep. 2012	Oct. 2012	Oct. 2011	Aug. 2012	Sep. 2012
All items		246.252	247.409	247.564	1.9	0.5	0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		387.771	389.593	389.837
Food and beverages		240.463	240.621	241.130	1.6	0.3	0.2
Food		240.308	240.456	240.928	1.5	0.3	0.2
Food at home		239.199	239.214	239.749	1.1	0.2	0.2
Food away from home		244.964	245.310	245.695	2.3	0.3	0.2
Alcoholic beverages		241.123	241.443	242.479	1.8	0.6	0.4
Housing		252.171	252.626	252.608	1.4	0.2	0.0
Shelter		304.202	304.119	304.658	2.1	0.1	0.2
Rent of primary residence (1)		301.813	302.463	303.026	2.4	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		315.178	315.718	316.313	2.0	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		315.074	315.612	316.212	2.0	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities		214.408	217.829	215.552	-2.4	0.5	-1.0
Household energy		193.613	197.244	194.751	-3.5	0.6	-1.3
Energy services (1)		181.847	184.493	180.788	-5.5	-0.6	-2.0
Electricity (1)		186.002	189.012	182.090	-3.9	-2.1	-3.7
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		162.254	163.986	167.197	-8.6	3.0	2.0
Household furnishings and operations		128.209	128.248	128.047	0.9	-0.1	-0.2
Apparel		129.468	134.271	133.745	0.8	3.3	-0.4
Transportation		216.851	219.435	219.488	3.4	1.2	0.0
Private transportation		210.547	213.351	213.207	3.8	1.3	-0.1
New and used motor vehicles (3)		99.509	98.806	98.615	-1.3	-0.9	-0.2
New vehicles		142.275	141.999	142.700	0.6	0.3	0.5
New cars and trucks (3) (4)		98.609	98.416	98.885	0.6	0.3	0.5
New cars (4)		138.203	137.791	138.461	-0.2	0.2	0.5
Used cars and trucks		164.055	160.495	157.541	-2.0	-4.0	-1.8
Motor fuel		310.036	324.678	322.497	10.5	4.0	-0.7
Gasoline (all types)		308.989	323.652	321.423	10.5	4.0	-0.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		310.480	325.269	323.035	10.6	4.0	-0.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)		314.505	329.733	327.265	10.4	4.1	-0.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)		298.182	311.765	309.842	10.4	3.9	-0.6
Medical care		439.433	440.739	442.157	3.9	0.6	0.3
Medical care commodities		373.346	373.556	373.478	4.7	0.0	0.0
Medical care services		455.123	456.846	458.843	3.7	0.8	0.4
Professional services		341.370	342.610	343.244	1.4	0.5	0.2
Recreation (3)		119.586	119.649	119.593	0.8	0.0	0.0
Education and communication (3)		135.460	136.129	136.374	1.3	0.7	0.2
Other goods and services		428.773	428.374	430.038	2.4	0.3	0.4
Commodity and service group
Commodities		194.931	196.800	196.680	2.2	0.9	-0.1
Commodities less food and beverages		167.378	169.922	169.533	2.6	1.3	-0.2
Nondurables less food and beverages		217.193	222.860	222.296	4.1	2.3	-0.3
Durables		111.597	110.997	110.794	-0.3	-0.7	-0.2
Services		296.666	297.158	297.574	1.7	0.3	0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		226.930	228.556	228.571	1.8	0.7	0.0
All items less medical care		237.710	238.856	238.962	1.7	0.5	0.0
Commodities less food		170.310	172.806	172.453	2.6	1.3	-0.2
Nondurables		230.041	233.177	233.110	2.9	1.3	0.0
Nondurables less food		218.576	223.963	223.484	4.0	2.2	-0.2
Services less rent of shelter (2)		299.029	300.122	300.446	1.2	0.5	0.1
Services less medical care services		285.594	286.015	286.342	1.5	0.3	0.1
Energy		242.207	250.391	248.020	3.5	2.4	-0.9
All items less energy		249.043	249.466	249.890	1.7	0.3	0.2
All items less food and energy		252.195	252.673	253.091	1.7	0.4	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.