consumer price index, northeast region – FEBRUARY 2011 (pdf)

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region rose 0.5 percent in February, 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 0.4-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index. Prices were also higher for both energy (1.3 percent) and food (0.5 percent) over the month. Within the energy index, higher gasoline prices led the recent increase. (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 2.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.1 percent over the year. Prices were also higher for both energy (9.8 percent) and food (2.5 percent) since February 2010.

Chart 1. 12-month percent change in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), Northeast region, February 2008 to February 2011 (not seasonally adjusted)

Food

The food index rose 0.5 percent in February. The food at home index advanced 0.6 percent and the food away from home index edged up 0.3 percent over the month.

Over the year, the food index rose 2.5 percent—the largest 12-month increase since June 2009—as the food at home and food away from home components increased 3.0 and 1.9 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Energy

Due mostly to higher gasoline prices, the energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 1.3 percent in February. Gasoline prices advanced for the fifth straight month, up 20.7 percent since September and 1.4 percent since January. Utility (piped) gas service prices increased 0.7 percent over the month, while electricity prices declined 0.4 percent.

The energy index advanced 9.8 percent since February 2010, reflecting an 18.5-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 3.9 and 1.7 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent since January—the largest one-month increase since March 2009. Higher prices for apparel (2.5 percent) and recreation (1.0 percent) led the recent advance. Partially offsetting these one-month increases were lower prices for education and communication (-0.3 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.2 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.1 percent over the year. Higher prices for shelter (0.7 percent) and medical care (3.4 percent) led the overall increase. Moderating these advances were declines in prices for household furnishings and operations (-1.4 percent) and recreation (-0.9 percent).

The March 2011 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on April 15, 2011, 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 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	Dec. 2010	Jan. 2011	Feb. 2011	Feb. 2010	Dec. 2010	Jan. 2011
All items		235.141	235.969	237.110	2.0	0.8	0.5
All items (December 1977 = 100)		370.275	371.580	373.375
Food and beverages		227.783	229.463	230.484	2.4	1.2	0.4
Food		227.167	228.939	230.025	2.5	1.3	0.5
Food at home		224.616	227.203	228.583	3.0	1.8	0.6
Food away from home		233.507	234.185	234.883	1.9	0.6	0.3
Alcoholic beverages		234.842	235.249	235.369	1.6	0.2	0.1
Housing		244.365	244.953	245.371	0.8	0.4	0.2
Shelter		292.219	292.671	292.916	0.7	0.2	0.1
Rent of primary residence (1)		290.183	289.910	290.256	1.9	0.0	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		304.444	304.827	304.944	0.4	0.2	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		304.396	304.785	304.888	0.3	0.2	0.0
Fuels and utilities		217.895	220.371	222.591	3.0	2.2	1.0
Household energy		200.193	202.645	204.811	2.5	2.3	1.1
Energy services (1) (3)		196.408	196.171	196.073	-2.4	-0.2	0.0
Electricity (1)		189.719	188.517	187.846	-1.7	-1.0	-0.4
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		199.464	201.632	202.959	-3.9	1.8	0.7
Household furnishings and operations		125.288	125.024	124.760	-1.4	-0.4	-0.2
Apparel		121.019	119.195	122.118	2.2	0.9	2.5
Transportation		198.534	200.573	202.701	6.7	2.1	1.1
Private transportation		192.328	194.172	195.925	6.5	1.9	0.9
New and used motor vehicles (4)		96.305	96.192	96.705	0.0	0.4	0.5
New vehicles		137.715	137.765	138.824	0.4	0.8	0.8
New cars and trucks (4) (5)		95.405	95.440	96.189	0.4	0.8	0.8
New cars (5)		134.258	133.844	134.785	-0.6	0.4	0.7
Used cars and trucks		149.065	149.066	149.443	2.8	0.3	0.3
Motor fuel		254.633	262.671	266.622	18.6	4.7	1.5
Gasoline (all types)		253.807	261.786	265.477	18.5	4.6	1.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		255.227	263.444	267.264	18.9	4.7	1.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (5) (6)		257.833	265.530	268.958	17.6	4.3	1.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium (5)		244.678	251.622	254.914	16.8	4.2	1.3
Medical care		413.488	416.249	418.653	3.4	1.2	0.6
Medical care commodities		345.090	348.337	351.861	5.0	2.0	1.0
Medical care services		430.791	433.288	435.180	2.9	1.0	0.4
Professional services		331.904	334.649	335.176	2.4	1.0	0.2
Recreation (4)		115.960	115.853	116.995	-0.9	0.9	1.0
Education and communication (4)		133.509	133.571	133.216	0.0	-0.2	-0.3
Other goods and services		412.220	411.706	412.611	2.3	0.1	0.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		182.667	183.864	185.445	3.7	1.5	0.9
Commodities less food and beverages		155.781	156.724	158.472	4.4	1.7	1.1
Nondurables less food and beverages		197.273	199.401	202.616	7.6	2.7	1.6
Durables		108.622	108.360	108.595	-1.0	0.0	0.2
Services		286.580	287.061	287.790	1.1	0.4	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		216.036	217.013	218.500	2.7	1.1	0.7
All items less medical care		227.209	227.964	229.052	1.9	0.8	0.5
Commodities less food		158.800	159.732	161.444	4.3	1.7	1.1
Nondurables		213.307	215.251	217.491	5.0	2.0	1.0
Nondurables less food		199.375	201.411	204.462	7.3	2.6	1.5
Services less rent of shelter (2)		290.747	291.271	292.580	1.5	0.6	0.4
Services less medical care services		276.344	276.719	277.381	0.9	0.4	0.2
Energy		223.012	227.822	230.741	9.8	3.5	1.3
All items less energy		238.671	239.095	240.062	1.3	0.6	0.4
All items less food and energy		242.265	242.443	243.395	1.1	0.5	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.