The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region edged up 0.3 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent advance reflected one-month increases in the indexes for all items less food and energy (0.2 percent) and energy (1.2 percent). The food index was unchanged over the month. (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 2.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy component advanced 2.4 percent and the food component rose 3.4 percent over the year. Energy prices inched down 0.1 percent since April 2011. (See table 1.)

Food

In April, the food index remained unchanged for the third straight month. A decrease in food at home prices, which inched down 0.1 percent over the month, was offset by higher prices for food away from home, which inched up 0.1 percent.

Over the year, the food index advanced 3.4 percent. Prices for both the food at home and food away from home components increased since last April, up 3.9 and 2.8 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 1.2 percent in April due entirely to a 3.5-percent rise in the gasoline index. Gasoline prices have advanced for four straight months, up 17.4 percent since December 2011. Moderating the recent increase in the energy index, prices fell for both utility (piped) gas service (-2.3 percent) and electricity (-0.8 percent) over the month.

The energy index inched down 0.1 percent over the year. Lower prices for both utility (piped) gas service and electricity, down 11.1 and 3.0 percent, respectively, were nearly offset by a 4.2-percent advance in gasoline prices since April 2011.

All items less food and energy

Over the month, the all items less food and energy index edged up 0.2 percent. The recent rise reflected widespread price increases among the components of this group, including the shelter index, up 0.1 percent, as well as the new and used motor vehicles index and the medical care services index, up 0.6 percent each.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.4 percent over the year. The 12-month advance was led by higher shelter prices, particularly those for owners’ equivalent rent of residences, up 2.3 percent each. Widespread price increases for other components, including medical care (3.5 percent) and apparel (5.5 percent), also contributed to the rise in the all items less food and energy index since April 2011.

The May 2012 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on June 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
June	0.4	2.3	1.1	5.0	0.8	-1.2	-0.1	1.7	0.1	3.4
July	0.2	2.0	0.8	5.7	0.1	-1.9	0.0	1.6	0.2	3.6
August	-0.2	1.6	-0.3	5.5	0.3	-1.2	0.1	1.4	0.3	3.8
September	-0.1	2.4	-0.4	5.2	0.1	-0.7	-0.1	1.2	0.1	4.0
October	0.2	3.1	-0.9	4.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.5	-0.1	3.6
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.

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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	Feb. 2012	Mar. 2012	Apr. 2012	Apr. 2011	Feb. 2012	Mar. 2012
All items		243.850	245.125	245.850	2.3	0.8	0.3
All items (December 1977 = 100)		383.989	385.997	387.138
Food and beverages		238.921	238.911	238.835	3.3	0.0	0.0
Food		238.752	238.732	238.657	3.4	0.0	0.0
Food at home		238.798	238.560	238.223	3.9	-0.2	-0.1
Food away from home		241.687	241.987	242.298	2.8	0.3	0.1
Alcoholic beverages		239.810	239.942	239.846	1.3	0.0	0.0
Housing		249.965	250.557	250.511	1.5	0.2	0.0
Shelter		299.704	300.544	300.873	2.3	0.4	0.1
Rent of primary residence (1)		297.495	298.057	298.710	2.4	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		311.561	312.312	312.761	2.3	0.4	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		311.469	312.225	312.667	2.3	0.4	0.1
Fuels and utilities		219.282	219.967	217.641	-3.1	-0.7	-1.1
Household energy		199.724	200.456	197.928	-4.4	-0.9	-1.3
Energy services (1)		185.303	185.011	182.657	-6.1	-1.4	-1.3
Electricity (1)		184.795	183.221	181.762	-3.0	-1.6	-0.8
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		175.205	177.596	173.523	-11.1	-1.0	-2.3
Household furnishings and operations		128.278	127.945	128.419	1.6	0.1	0.4
Apparel		126.113	131.208	132.085	5.5	4.7	0.7
Transportation		213.500	217.010	220.249	3.1	3.2	1.5
Private transportation		207.320	210.717	213.735	3.2	3.1	1.4
New and used motor vehicles (3)		98.793	98.964	99.601	2.0	0.8	0.6
New vehicles		142.675	142.784	143.557	2.6	0.6	0.5
New cars and trucks (3) (4)		98.877	98.953	99.497	2.6	0.6	0.5
New cars (4)		138.331	138.263	139.026	2.3	0.5	0.6
Used cars and trucks		156.228	157.903	160.396	5.0	2.7	1.6
Motor fuel		302.025	316.289	327.196	4.2	8.3	3.4
Gasoline (all types)		300.700	315.029	326.070	4.2	8.4	3.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		302.883	317.467	328.640	4.2	8.5	3.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)		304.351	318.818	329.856	4.4	8.4	3.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)		287.812	300.644	311.109	4.2	8.1	3.5
Medical care		433.449	433.803	435.762	3.5	0.5	0.5
Medical care commodities		365.375	365.805	365.345	2.8	0.0	-0.1
Medical care services		450.113	450.427	453.330	3.7	0.7	0.6
Professional services		341.037	340.473	341.129	1.7	0.0	0.2
Recreation (3)		119.782	119.597	119.606	2.0	-0.1	0.0
Education and communication (3)		134.554	134.562	134.626	1.2	0.1	0.0
Other goods and services		424.249	426.251	426.733	2.6	0.6	0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		193.405	195.456	196.580	3.0	1.6	0.6
Commodities less food and beverages		165.919	168.791	170.395	2.8	2.7	1.0
Nondurables less food and beverages		214.668	220.153	222.751	3.3	3.8	1.2
Durables		111.236	111.445	112.014	1.9	0.7	0.5
Services		293.418	293.967	294.320	1.9	0.3	0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		225.283	226.730	227.607	2.3	1.0	0.4
All items less medical care		235.456	236.759	237.434	2.3	0.8	0.3
Commodities less food		168.846	171.658	173.225	2.8	2.6	0.9
Nondurables		227.954	230.913	232.280	3.2	1.9	0.6
Nondurables less food		216.114	221.319	223.776	3.2	3.5	1.1
Services less rent of shelter (2)		297.089	297.327	297.721	1.5	0.2	0.1
Services less medical care services		282.468	283.026	283.238	1.8	0.3	0.1
Energy		242.509	248.826	251.834	-0.1	3.8	1.2
All items less energy		246.331	247.083	247.573	2.6	0.5	0.2
All items less food and energy		249.249	250.152	250.751	2.4	0.6	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.