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News Release Information

18-1651-BOS
Thursday, October 11, 2018

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

Consumer Price Index, Boston-Cambridge-Newton — September 2018

Area prices up 1.2 percent over two months; up 3.3 percent from a year ago

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area increased 1.2 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.  Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that this was mainly attributable to higher prices within all items less food and energy, up 1.3 percent and to a much lesser extent higher food prices, up 0.9 percent.(Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bimonthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the Boston CPI-U rose 3.3 percent. The increase was largely attributable to higher prices within all items less food and energy up 3.1 percent and to a lesser extent higher energy prices paid by area consumers, up 6.2 percent. Higher food prices also contributed to the overall increase.(See chart 1.).

Food

Food prices edged up 0.9 percent since July, mainly due to higher food at home prices up 1.5 percent. Higher food at home prices were mainly driven by higher prices for fruits and vegetables; and other food at home prices, up 4.7 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively.

Food prices increased 2.7 percent over the year, mainly due to higher food at home prices, up 2.9 percent, and to a lesser extent, food away from home prices, up 2.3 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 0.2 percent over the two months, mainly driven by higher electricity prices, up 1.4 percent which was partially offset by gasoline prices down 0.5 percent.

Energy prices were up 6.2 percent from a year ago, largely attributable to gasoline prices, up 7.2 percent and electricity prices, up 6.0 percent.

 All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased from July (+1.3 percent) mainly due to higher shelter costs, up 1.4 percent and higher apparel costs, up 18.6 percent. Within shelter, higher prices in owners’ equivalent rent of residences and rent of primary residences, up 1.4 percent each, drove the increase.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 3.1 percent, with higher shelter costs being the main driver of the increase, up 4.6 percent. Within shelter, higher costs for owners’ equivalent rent of residences, up 4.9 percent and rent of primary residence, up 5.3 percent led the increase. To a lesser extent, higher prices for transportation; and education and communication, up 3.9 percent and 2.9 percent respectively, also contributed to the increase.

 CPI-W

In September, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 277.667. The CPI-W increased 1.3 percent over two months and increased 3.7 percent over the year.

The November 2018 Consumer Price Index for Boston-Cambridge-Newton is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 12, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).


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 94 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 28 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 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/pdf/homch17.pdf.

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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H. Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts; Rockingham, Strafford Counties in New Hampshire.

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

TGS Table Preview

Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Ma.-N.H. (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)
Expenditure categoryIndexesPercent change from
Historical
data
Jul.
2018
Aug.
2018
Sep.
2018
Sep.
2017
Jul.
2018
Aug.
2018

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0
275.402 278.6633.31.2 

All items (1967 = 100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11AAA0
800.463 809.941   

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF
264.699 267.8842.61.2 

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF1
266.755 269.2842.70.9 

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF11
251.117253.455254.8312.91.50.5

Cereal and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF111
292.678 293.670 0.3 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF112
255.168 250.017 -2.0 

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEFJ
277.616 284.950 2.6 

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF113
339.768 355.764 4.7 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF114
166.914 162.579 -2.6 

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF115
191.362 199.178 4.1 

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEFV
294.080 294.4992.30.1 

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF116
245.495 256.2702.34.4 

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAH
283.437 287.0564.41.3 

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAH1
336.539338.169341.3994.61.41.0

Rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHA
348.095351.853353.0835.31.40.3

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)(3)(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHC
356.094358.734360.9654.91.40.6

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)(3)(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHC01
356.094358.734360.9654.91.40.6

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAH2
276.685 278.6654.60.7 

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAH21
232.308234.038234.2695.30.80.1

Energy services(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHF
236.999239.274239.3202.51.00.0

Electricity(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHF01
287.766291.766291.8486.01.40.0

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHF02
153.190153.190153.1900.10.00.0

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAH3
127.778 128.0820.40.2 

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAA
127.662 151.3530.718.6 

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAT
199.697 197.2753.9-1.2 

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAT1
201.471 198.8724.8-1.3 

New and used motor vehicles(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETA
106.101 103.074 -2.9 

New Vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETA01
205.905 203.769 -1.0 

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETA02
321.191 309.233 -3.7 

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETB
251.903250.744250.5837.3-0.5-0.1

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETB01
249.028247.885247.7287.2-0.5-0.1

Gasoline, unleaded regular(6)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASS47014
242.426241.175241.0387.1-0.6-0.1

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(6)(7)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASS47015
259.457260.432260.1758.00.3-0.1

Gasoline, unleaded premium(6)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASS47016
254.763254.354254.0817.2-0.3-0.1

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETE
      

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAM
654.220 651.6781.2-0.4 

Recreation(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAR
122.787 123.2670.30.4 

Education and communication(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAE
165.467 166.8982.90.9 

Tuition, other fees, and child care(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEEB
1,328.680 1,348.743 1.5 

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAG
485.200 492.0882.21.4 

Commodity and service group

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAC
192.396 195.7712.11.8 

Commodities less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASACL11
154.574 157.9441.72.2 

Nondurables less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASANL11
203.372 211.6793.04.1 

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAD
108.134 107.270-0.4-0.8 

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAS
350.516 353.7454.00.9 

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0L2
253.854 256.4362.51.0 

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0L5
260.817 264.2133.51.3 

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASACL1
158.275 161.9161.72.3 

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAN
233.156 238.9212.72.5 

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASANL1
205.474 213.9202.94.1 

Services less rent of shelter(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASASL2RS
383.731 384.5912.90.2 

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASASL5
329.169 332.5014.11.0 

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0E
239.136239.599239.6586.20.20.0

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0LE
282.736 286.2903.11.3 

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0L1E
286.340 290.0803.11.3 

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a January 1978=100 base.
(2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(3) Indexes on a November 1982=100 base.
(4) This index series underwent a change in composition in January 2010. The expenditure class now includes weight from secondary residences, and has been re-titled "Owners' equivalent rent of residences." The item stratum "Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence" excludes secondary residences.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(6) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(7) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.

Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, October 11, 2018