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News Release Information

15-320-PHI
Thursday, February 26, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Consumer Price Index, Northeast Region – January 2015

Area prices down 0.2 percent over the month and 0.4 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast area edged down 0.2 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent one-month decrease was due to a 5.6-percent decline in energy prices. The all items less food and energy index and the food index rose over the month, up 0.3 and 0.1 percent, respectively. Within the all items less food and energy group, prices were higher for shelter and apparel, among others. (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 Northeast area all items CPI-U decreased 0.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index fell 19.1 percent over the year, while the all items less food and energy index was 1.3 percent higher. Food prices also increased from January 2014, up 2.8 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices inched up 0.1 percent in January following a 0.5-percent increase in December. Prices for food away from home edged up 0.2 percent and those for food at home inched up 0.1 percent over the month.

From January 2014 to January 2015, the food index increased 2.8 percent. Food at home prices rose 3.0 percent over the year and prices for food away from home increased 2.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 5.6 percent in January due almost entirely to lower gasoline prices, down 16.0 percent—the largest one-month decrease for each of these indexes since December 2008. Utility (piped) gas service prices also fell over the month, down 0.5 percent. Prices for electricity rose 7.3 percent.

The energy index dropped 19.1 percent since January 2014 due to a 32.9-percent drop in gasoline prices—the largest 12-month decrease for each of these indexes in over five years. Prices for utility (piped) gas service also fell over the year, down 7.7 percent, while those for electricity increased 1.4 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.3 percent in January. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter, particularly owners’ equivalent rent of residences, up 0.3 percent each. Prices also rose over the month for apparel (1.3 percent), other goods and services (0.8 percent), medical care (0.3 percent), and recreation (0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.3 percent, led by higher prices for shelter (2.1 percent). Medical care prices also advanced since January 2014, up 3.2 percent. Moderating the 12-month advance in the all items less food and energy index were lower prices for recreation and household furnishings and operations, down 1.5 and 2.1 percent, respectively.

 

Table A. Northeast region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index (not seasonally adjusted)
Month201020112012201320142015
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.43.00.41.60.42.90.31.80.61.5-0.2-0.4

February

0.02.50.52.00.42.80.62.00.11.0  

March

0.32.60.82.50.52.50.01.50.51.5  

April

0.22.50.52.80.32.3-0.11.10.01.6  

May

0.22.60.53.2-0.11.70.01.20.42.0  

June

-0.11.70.13.4-0.21.50.11.50.01.9  

July

0.01.60.23.6-0.11.10.21.80.11.8  

August

0.11.40.33.80.51.30.21.5-0.31.3  

September

-0.11.20.14.00.51.70.11.10.01.2  

October

0.31.5-0.13.60.11.9-0.40.7-0.21.4  

November

0.21.5-0.13.20.21.80.11.0-0.40.9  

December

0.01.6-0.32.9-0.31.80.01.3-0.50.4  

The Consumer Price Index for February 2015 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 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 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/cpi/.

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.

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 categoryIndexesPercent change from
 
Historical
data
Nov.
2014
Dec.
2014
Jan.
2015
Jan.
2014
Nov.
2014
Dec.
2014

All items

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251.781250.519250.016-0.4-0.7-0.2

All items (December 1977 = 100)

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396.478394.492393.699   
 

Food and beverages

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249.408250.444250.7742.70.50.1

Food

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249.386250.516250.8472.80.60.1

Food at home

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246.920248.691248.9423.00.80.1

Food away from home

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256.153256.346256.7992.50.30.2

Alcoholic beverages

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248.508248.323248.6521.50.10.1
 

Housing

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262.149261.939263.3630.90.50.5

Shelter

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319.239319.376320.2952.10.30.3

Rent of primary residence (1)

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320.069320.606321.1242.40.30.2

Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)

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330.925331.392332.3391.90.40.3

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)

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330.756331.222332.1661.90.40.3

Fuels and utilities

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221.300219.675225.280-4.61.82.6

Household energy

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198.919197.158203.231-5.82.23.1

Energy services (1)

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191.303191.825201.727-1.15.45.2

Electricity (1)

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197.266196.345210.5841.46.87.3

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

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166.432170.300169.493-7.71.8-0.5

Household furnishings and operations

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123.395123.004123.219-2.1-0.10.2
 

Apparel

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132.251126.185127.7781.5-3.41.3
 

Transportation

Jump to page with historical data
208.769203.360195.235-9.6-6.5-4.0

Private transportation

Jump to page with historical data
200.291195.468187.107-10.4-6.6-4.3

New and used motor vehicles (3)

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97.52396.96197.019-1.1-0.50.1

New vehicles

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144.366144.186144.9230.30.40.5

New cars and trucks (3) (4)

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100.00899.890100.4090.40.40.5

New cars (4)

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137.408137.366138.324-0.30.70.7

Used cars and trucks

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151.540149.169148.559-3.6-2.0-0.4

Motor fuel

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253.633233.855196.553-32.8-22.5-16.0

Gasoline (all types)

Jump to page with historical data
252.361232.565195.288-32.9-22.6-16.0

Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)

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251.127230.940193.172-33.8-23.1-16.4

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)

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263.994245.039208.492-30.1-21.0-14.9

Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)

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253.480236.160202.677-28.8-20.0-14.2
 

Medical care

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459.461460.596462.1323.20.60.3

Medical care commodities

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374.465373.682374.8143.70.10.3

Medical care services

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482.795484.578486.2333.00.70.3

Professional services

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356.199358.519358.8442.40.70.1
 

Recreation (3)

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119.260119.093119.495-1.50.20.3
 

Education and communication (3)

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137.975137.850138.1180.30.10.2
 

Other goods and services

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444.355445.391448.8032.71.00.8
 

Commodity and service group

 

Commodities

Jump to page with historical data
191.319188.554185.655-4.0-3.0-1.5

Commodities less food and beverages

Jump to page with historical data
158.474154.189150.020-8.3-5.3-2.7

Nondurables less food and beverages

Jump to page with historical data
204.421196.400187.409-11.7-8.3-4.6

Durables

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106.758106.045106.389-2.7-0.30.3

Services

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310.767310.844312.5011.60.60.5
 

Special aggregate indexes

 

All items less shelter

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228.962227.159226.115-1.7-1.2-0.5

All items less medical care

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242.635241.277240.691-0.7-0.8-0.2

Commodities less food

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161.833157.655153.606-7.9-5.1-2.6

Nondurables

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227.404223.610218.962-4.4-3.7-2.1

Nondurables less food

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206.943199.400190.977-10.8-7.7-4.2

Services less rent of shelter (2)

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312.590312.601315.1451.10.80.8

Services less medical care services

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298.824298.798300.4471.50.50.6

Energy

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221.924212.652200.653-19.1-9.6-5.6

All items less energy

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257.316256.872257.5551.50.10.3

All items less food and energy

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260.392259.664260.4141.30.00.3

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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, February 26, 2015