The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast was unchanged in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A 2.4-percent decline in the energy index since August was offset by increases in the all items less food and energy index and the food index, up 0.2 and 0.4 percent, respectively. (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 1.2 percent, due mainly to an advance in the all items less food and energy index, up 1.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.)  The food index also rose since September 2013, up 2.4 percent, while the energy index declined 3.1 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Over the month, food prices rose 0.4 percent, following a 0.2-percent decrease in August. Prices for the food at home component increased 0.5 percent and those for food away from home edged up 0.3 percent.

Over the year, the food index advanced 2.4 percent. Prices were higher for both the food at home and food away from home components, up 2.2 and 2.7 percent, respectively, since September 2013.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, declined for the fourth consecutive month, down 2.4 percent since August and 5.5 percent since May.  The one-month decrease was due mainly to a 2.6-percent decline in gasoline prices. Prices were also lower for electricity (-2.4 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (-1.8 percent) in September.

Energy prices declined over the year, down 3.1 percent, reflecting price decreases for all three major components.  Gasoline prices were down 4.7 percent since September 2013; prices were also lower for utility (piped) gas service and electricity, down 4.0 and 0.7 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent over the month. A seasonal increase in prices for apparel (3.7 percent) led the advance. Higher prices for medical care (0.3 percent), among others, were moderated by lower prices for recreation and household furnishings and operations (-0.1 percent each) since August.

The all items less food and energy index rose 1.5 percent over the year. The advance primarily reflected a 2.5-percent increase in prices for shelter. Lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-1.0 percent) and recreation (-0.1 percent) moderated the increase in the all items less food and energy index since last September. 

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

Month	2009		2010		2011		2012		2013		2014
	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	0.2	0.5	0.4	3.0	0.4	1.6	0.4	2.9	0.3	1.8	0.6	1.5
February	0.6	0.7	0.0	2.5	0.5	2.0	0.4	2.8	0.6	2.0	0.1	1.0
March	0.2	0.2	0.3	2.6	0.8	2.5	0.5	2.5	0.0	1.5	0.5	1.5
April	0.2	-0.1	0.2	2.5	0.5	2.8	0.3	2.3	-0.1	1.1	0.0	1.6
May	0.1	-0.8	0.2	2.6	0.5	3.2	-0.1	1.7	0.0	1.2	0.4	2.0
June	0.8	-1.2	-0.1	1.7	0.1	3.4	-0.2	1.5	0.1	1.5	0.0	1.9
July	0.1	-1.9	0.0	1.6	0.2	3.6	-0.1	1.1	0.2	1.8	0.1	1.8
August	0.3	-1.2	0.1	1.4	0.3	3.8	0.5	1.3	0.2	1.5	-0.3	1.3
September	0.1	-0.7	-0.1	1.2	0.1	4.0	0.5	1.7	0.1	1.1	0.0	1.2
October	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.5	-0.1	3.6	0.1	1.9	-0.4	0.7
November	0.2	2.0	0.2	1.5	-0.1	3.2	0.2	1.8	0.1	1.0
December	-0.1	2.8	0.0	1.6	-0.3	2.9	-0.3	1.8	0.0	1.3

The October 2014 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on November 20, 2014, 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 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/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.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods

Northeast (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Jul. 2014	Aug. 2014	Sep. 2014	Sep. 2013	Jul. 2014	Aug. 2014
All items		253.833	253.185	253.154	1.2	-0.3	0.0
All items (December 1977 = 100)		399.710	398.688	398.640
Food and beverages		248.378	248.184	249.219	2.3	0.3	0.4
Food		248.470	248.085	249.189	2.4	0.3	0.4
Food at home		246.682	245.799	247.131	2.2	0.2	0.5
Food away from home		254.217	254.568	255.348	2.7	0.4	0.3
Alcoholic beverages		246.023	248.276	248.417	1.4	1.0	0.1
Housing		262.728	262.659	262.092	1.8	-0.2	-0.2
Shelter		318.203	318.800	318.842	2.5	0.2	0.0
Rent of primary residence (1)		316.988	318.041	318.594	2.7	0.5	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1)(2)		328.932	329.624	330.115	2.5	0.4	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1)(2)		328.803	329.482	329.971	2.5	0.4	0.1
Fuels and utilities		228.027	225.661	221.569	-0.7	-2.8	-1.8
Household energy		206.337	203.648	199.225	-1.5	-3.4	-2.2
Energy services (1)		195.973	193.235	188.904	-1.5	-3.6	-2.2
Electricity (1)		201.255	199.230	194.473	-0.7	-3.4	-2.4
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		172.430	168.181	165.094	-4.0	-4.3	-1.8
Household furnishings and operations		125.075	124.391	124.274	-1.0	-0.6	-0.1
Apparel		127.594	129.552	134.297	0.4	5.3	3.7
Transportation		221.760	217.996	215.981	-0.9	-2.6	-0.9
Private transportation		214.021	210.969	208.854	-0.8	-2.4	-1.0
New and used motor vehicles (3)		98.989	98.967	98.456	-0.4	-0.5	-0.5
New vehicles		144.529	144.379	144.073	0.1	-0.3	-0.2
New cars and trucks (3)(4)		100.125	100.016	99.805	0.0	-0.3	-0.2
New cars (4)		137.791	137.473	136.765	-1.4	-0.7	-0.5
Used cars and trucks		160.237	160.768	158.793	0.3	-0.9	-1.2
Motor fuel		310.631	297.424	289.733	-4.6	-6.7	-2.6
Gasoline (all types)		309.385	296.181	288.488	-4.7	-6.8	-2.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		310.426	296.513	288.556	-4.9	-7.0	-2.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4)(5)		315.628	304.395	297.328	-3.8	-5.8	-2.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)		300.277	289.786	283.400	-3.8	-5.6	-2.2
Medical care		455.736	455.688	457.252	1.7	0.3	0.3
Medical care commodities		371.719	371.018	373.091	1.9	0.4	0.6
Medical care services		478.780	478.958	480.327	1.8	0.3	0.3
Professional services		352.808	353.313	354.163	0.8	0.4	0.2
Recreation (3)		120.428	119.552	119.424	-0.1	-0.8	-0.1
Education and communication (3)		137.911	138.465	138.767	0.6	0.6	0.2
Other goods and services		441.551	440.729	442.129	1.9	0.1	0.3
Commodity and service group
Commodities		196.256	195.065	195.291	0.1	-0.5	0.1
Commodities less food and beverages		165.775	164.205	164.073	-1.2	-1.0	-0.1
Nondurables less food and beverages		216.978	214.094	214.409	-1.1	-1.2	0.1
Durables		108.939	108.628	108.116	-1.4	-0.8	-0.5
Services		310.242	310.073	309.809	1.8	-0.1	-0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		232.201	231.075	231.017	0.5	-0.5	0.0
All items less medical care		244.920	244.248	244.152	1.1	-0.3	0.0
Commodities less food		168.867	167.405	167.281	-1.1	-0.9	-0.1
Nondurables		233.625	231.993	232.652	0.6	-0.4	0.3
Nondurables less food		218.585	216.014	216.318	-0.9	-1.0	0.1
Services less rent of shelter (2)		312.606	311.577	310.975	1.0	-0.5	-0.2
Services less medical care services		298.512	298.323	297.963	1.8	-0.2	-0.1
Energy		250.014	242.939	237.149	-3.1	-5.1	-2.4
All items less energy		256.691	256.702	257.267	1.6	0.2	0.2
All items less food and energy		259.814	259.895	260.369	1.5	0.2	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.