The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast inched up 0.1 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that this was mostly due to a 0.2-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index. The food index also increased over the month, inching up 0.1 percent. These one-month increases were partially offset by a 0.7-percent decline in the energy index. (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 all items CPI-U edged down 0.3 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 1.5 percent higher. Food prices also increased from April 2014, up 2.2 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index inched up 0.1 percent in April as both of its components—food at home and food away from home—also recorded 0.1 percent increases.

From April 2014 to April 2015, the food index increased 2.2 percent. Food at home prices rose 2.1 percent over the year and prices for food away from home increased 2.3 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 0.7 percent since March. This was due to a 3.5-percent decline in the utility (piped) gas service index. The decline was moderated by increases in both electricity and gasoline prices, up 0.8 and 0.4 percent, respectively.

The energy index fell 19.1 percent since April 2014. The decrease was mostly due to a 32.0-percent drop in gasoline prices. Prices for utility (piped) gas service also dropped over the year, down 20.3 percent—the largest 12-month decrease for this index since November 2009. The electricity index increased, up 7.6 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent in April. Shelter prices rose 0.2 percent, led by a 0.3-percent rise in the owners’ equivalent rent of residences component. Prices were also higher for medical care (0.5 percent) and recreation (0.3 percent), among others. Moderating the overall increase in the all items less food and energy index were lower prices for apparel, down 1.3 percent.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.5 percent, led by higher prices for shelter (2.3 percent), particularly owners’ equivalent rent of residences (2.1 percent). Prices were also higher for medical care (3.4 percent), other goods and services (1.4 percent), and apparel (1.1 percent).

 

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

Month	2011		2012		2013		2014		2015
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.4	1.6	0.4	2.9	0.3	1.8	0.6	1.5	-0.2	-0.4
February	0.5	2.0	0.4	2.8	0.6	2.0	0.1	1.0	0.2	-0.2
March	0.8	2.5	0.5	2.5	0.0	1.5	0.5	1.5	0.3	-0.4
April	0.5	2.8	0.3	2.3	-0.1	1.1	0.0	1.6	0.1	-0.3
May	0.5	3.2	-0.1	1.7	0.0	1.2	0.4	2.0
June	0.1	3.4	-0.2	1.5	0.1	1.5	0.0	1.9
July	0.2	3.6	-0.1	1.1	0.2	1.8	0.1	1.8
August	0.3	3.8	0.5	1.3	0.2	1.5	-0.3	1.3
September	0.1	4.0	0.5	1.7	0.1	1.1	0.0	1.2
October	-0.1	3.6	0.1	1.9	-0.4	0.7	-0.2	1.4
November	-0.1	3.2	-0.2	1.8	0.1	1.0	-0.4	0.9
December	-0.3	2.9	-0.3	1.8	0.0	1.3	-0.5	0.4

The Consumer Price Index for May 2015 is scheduled to be released Thursday, June 18, 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 approximately 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: (800) 877-8339.

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. 2015	Mar. 2015	Apr. 2015	Apr. 2014	Feb. 2015	Mar. 2015
All items		250.619	251.451	251.760	-0.3	0.5	0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		394.648	395.958	396.445
Food and beverages		250.897	250.658	250.844	2.1	0.0	0.1
Food		250.917	250.711	251.004	2.2	0.0	0.1
Food at home		248.881	248.385	248.741	2.1	-0.1	0.1
Food away from home		257.064	257.287	257.490	2.3	0.2	0.1
Alcoholic beverages		249.447	248.785	247.604	0.8	-0.7	-0.5
Housing		264.049	264.040	264.249	1.2	0.1	0.1
Shelter		321.074	321.995	322.783	2.3	0.5	0.2
Rent of primary residence (1)		321.961	322.538	322.634	2.4	0.2	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		332.996	333.117	334.155	2.1	0.3	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		332.815	332.929	333.963	2.1	0.3	0.3
Fuels and utilities		226.898	220.864	218.143	-4.4	-3.9	-1.2
Household energy		204.961	198.476	195.470	-5.5	-4.6	-1.5
Energy services (1)		203.334	193.794	193.183	-0.8	-5.0	-0.3
Electricity (1)		214.691	203.688	205.243	7.6	-4.4	0.8
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		165.164	159.589	153.948	-20.3	-6.8	-3.5
Household furnishings and operations		122.954	124.224	124.634	-0.8	1.4	0.3
Apparel		131.201	133.810	132.034	1.1	0.6	-1.3
Transportation		195.156	198.706	199.572	-9.3	2.3	0.4
Private transportation		186.628	190.545	191.261	-10.0	2.5	0.4
New and used motor vehicles (3)		97.384	98.195	98.601	-0.2	1.2	0.4
New vehicles		145.396	145.298	145.555	0.4	0.1	0.2
New cars and trucks (3) (4)		100.757	100.671	100.850	0.5	0.1	0.2
New cars (4)		138.743	138.321	138.111	-0.3	-0.5	-0.2
Used cars and trucks		150.518	154.140	156.913	-0.6	4.2	1.8
Motor fuel		192.644	206.834	207.583	-32.0	7.8	0.4
Gasoline (all types)		191.458	205.554	206.474	-32.0	7.8	0.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		189.577	204.223	205.052	-32.8	8.2	0.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)		203.032	215.109	216.578	-30.0	6.7	0.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)		197.472	208.923	210.162	-28.6	6.4	0.6
Medical care		465.554	466.218	468.386	3.4	0.6	0.5
Medical care commodities		379.834	378.847	378.248	3.1	-0.4	-0.2
Medical care services		489.058	490.284	493.380	3.4	0.9	0.6
Professional services		360.957	361.833	361.375	2.8	0.1	-0.1
Recreation (3)		120.103	120.624	121.013	0.5	0.8	0.3
Education and communication (3)		137.904	137.729	137.871	0.2	0.0	0.1
Other goods and services		444.710	445.092	445.107	1.4	0.1	0.0
Commodity and service group
Commodities		186.174	188.161	188.007	-3.9	1.0	-0.1
Commodities less food and beverages		150.688	153.552	153.257	-7.8	1.7	-0.2
Nondurables less food and beverages		188.497	193.647	192.195	-11.4	2.0	-0.7
Durables		106.641	107.300	108.036	-1.5	1.3	0.7
Services		313.190	312.989	313.724	1.8	0.2	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		226.657	227.463	227.595	-1.6	0.4	0.1
All items less medical care		241.177	242.013	242.245	-0.6	0.4	0.1
Commodities less food		154.280	157.049	156.726	-7.4	1.6	-0.2
Nondurables		219.602	222.240	221.553	-4.7	0.9	-0.3
Nondurables less food		192.046	196.843	195.409	-10.6	1.8	-0.7
Services less rent of shelter (2)		315.746	314.278	314.968	1.3	-0.2	0.2
Services less medical care services		301.003	300.717	301.306	1.6	0.1	0.2
Energy		200.035	202.160	200.716	-19.1	0.3	-0.7
All items less energy		258.290	258.996	259.490	1.6	0.5	0.2
All items less food and energy		261.272	262.145	262.678	1.5	0.5	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.