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News Release Information

14-2288-PHI
Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Consumer Price Index, Northeast Region - November 2014

Regional Prices Down 0.4 Percent Over the Month; Up 0.9 Percent Over the Year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast declined 0.4 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A 2.9-percent decline in the energy index since October was joined by decreases in the all items less food and energy index and the food index, down 0.2 and 0.1 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 0.9 percent, due mainly to an advance in the all items less food and energy index, up 1.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The food index also rose since November 2013, up 2.9 percent, while the energy index declined 4.9 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Over the month, food prices inched down 0.1 percent. Prices for the food at home component edged down 0.2 percent, while those for food away from home inched up 0.1 percent since October.

Over the year, the food index advanced 2.9 percent. Prices were higher for both the food at home and food away from home components, up 3.0 and 2.6 percent, respectively, since November 2013.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, declined for the sixth consecutive month, down 11.6 percent since May and 2.9 percent since October.  The one-month decrease was due to a 7.8-percent drop in gasoline prices—the largest decline since December 2008. Prices rose for electricity (3.1 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (3.6 percent) in November.

Energy prices declined over the year, down 4.9 percent, due almost entirely to a 10.3-percent decrease in gasoline prices. Utility (piped) gas service prices were also lower since November 2013, down 3.5 percent, while electricity prices rose 5.2 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy declined by 0.2 percent over the month, led by a 2.2-percent seasonal decrease in apparel prices. Lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-0.9 percent) and education and communication (-0.2 percent) also contributed to the decline.  A price increase for medical care (0.3 percent), among others, moderated the decline in the all items less food and energy index since October.

The all items less food and energy index rose 1.2 percent over the year. The advance primarily reflected a 2.3-percent increase in prices for shelter. Additional increases in the medical care index (2.3 percent) and several others were moderated by decreases in the indexes for household furnishings and operations (-1.6 percent) and recreation (-0.7 percent).

 

Table A. Northeast region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index (not seasonally adjusted)
Month200920102011201220132014
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.20.50.43.00.41.60.42.90.31.80.61.5

February

0.60.70.02.50.52.00.42.80.62.00.11.0

March

0.20.20.32.60.82.50.52.50.01.50.51.5

April

0.2-0.10.22.50.52.80.32.3-0.11.10.01.6

May

0.1-0.80.22.60.53.2-0.11.70.01.20.42.0

June

0.8-1.2-0.11.70.13.4-0.21.50.11.50.01.9

July

0.1-1.90.01.60.23.6-0.11.10.21.80.11.8

August

0.3-1.20.11.40.33.80.51.30.21.5-0.31.3

September

0.1-0.7-0.11.20.14.00.51.70.11.10.01.2

October

0.00.20.31.5-0.13.60.11.9-0.40.7-0.21.4

November

0.22.00.21.5-0.13.20.21.80.11.0-0.40.9

December

-0.12.80.01.6-0.32.9-0.31.80.01.3  

The December 2014 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on January 16, 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
Sep.
2014
Oct.
2014
Nov.
2014
Nov.
2013
Sep.
2014
Oct.
2014

All items

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253.154252.730251.7810.9-0.5-0.4

All items (December 1977 = 100)

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398.640397.972396.478   
 

Food and beverages

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249.219249.505249.4082.70.10.0

Food

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249.189249.557249.3862.90.1-0.1

Food at home

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247.131247.358246.9203.0-0.1-0.2

Food away from home

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255.348255.929256.1532.60.30.1

Alcoholic beverages

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248.417247.664248.5081.00.00.3
 

Housing

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262.092261.938262.1491.80.00.1

Shelter

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318.842319.396319.2392.30.10.0

Rent of primary residence (1)

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318.594319.098320.0692.70.50.3

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

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330.115330.397330.9252.00.20.2

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

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329.971330.250330.7562.00.20.2

Fuels and utilities

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221.569217.529221.3001.0-0.11.7

Household energy

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199.225194.932198.9190.6-0.22.0

Energy services (1)

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188.904185.338191.3032.71.33.2

Electricity (1)

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194.473191.398197.2665.21.43.1

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

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165.094160.580166.432-3.50.83.6

Household furnishings and operations

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124.274124.555123.395-1.6-0.7-0.9
 

Apparel

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134.297135.262132.2510.0-1.5-2.2
 

Transportation

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215.981213.407208.769-2.9-3.3-2.2

Private transportation

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208.854205.838200.291-2.8-4.1-2.7

New and used motor vehicles (3)

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98.45698.14397.523-0.9-0.9-0.6

New vehicles

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144.073144.345144.3660.10.20.0

New cars and trucks (3) (4)

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99.80599.997100.0080.10.20.0

New cars (4)

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136.765137.102137.408-0.80.50.2

Used cars and trucks

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158.793155.450151.540-2.4-4.6-2.5

Motor fuel

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289.733275.024253.633-10.3-12.5-7.8

Gasoline (all types)

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288.488273.775252.361-10.3-12.5-7.8

Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)

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288.556273.259251.127-10.7-13.0-8.1

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)

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297.328283.490263.994-8.8-11.2-6.9

Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)

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283.400270.987253.480-8.3-10.6-6.5
 

Medical care

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457.252457.876459.4612.30.50.3

Medical care commodities

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373.091373.277374.4652.30.40.3

Medical care services

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480.327481.094482.7952.40.50.4

Professional services

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354.163355.024356.1991.50.60.3
 

Recreation (3)

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119.424119.389119.260-0.7-0.1-0.1
 

Education and communication (3)

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138.767138.258137.975-0.1-0.6-0.2
 

Other goods and services

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442.129444.767444.3552.40.5-0.1
 

Commodity and service group

 

Commodities

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195.291194.139191.319-0.7-2.0-1.5

Commodities less food and beverages

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164.073162.349158.474-2.9-3.4-2.4

Nondurables less food and beverages

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214.409211.218204.421-3.4-4.7-3.2

Durables

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108.116107.800106.758-2.2-1.3-1.0

Services

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309.809310.037310.7671.90.30.2
 

Special aggregate indexes

 

All items less shelter

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231.017230.220228.9620.2-0.9-0.5

All items less medical care

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244.152243.685242.6350.8-0.6-0.4

Commodities less food

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167.281165.581161.833-2.8-3.3-2.3

Nondurables

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232.652231.082227.404-0.3-2.3-1.6

Nondurables less food

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216.318213.275206.943-3.1-4.3-3.0

Services less rent of shelter (2)

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310.975310.845312.5901.40.50.6

Services less medical care services

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297.963298.157298.8241.80.30.2

Energy

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237.149228.510221.924-4.9-6.4-2.9

All items less energy

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257.267257.690257.3161.50.0-0.1

All items less food and energy

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260.369260.804260.3921.20.0-0.2

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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2014