The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast inched down 0.1 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent decrease was due mostly to a 1.5-percent decline in the energy index. The food index rose 0.3 percent over the month, while the all items less food and energy index remained unchanged. (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 increased 2.2 percent, due largely to a 1.7-percent advance in the all items less food and energy index. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index and food index also increased, up 12.0 and 0.6 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 0.3 percent since February. Prices for both food away from home and food at home increased over the month, up 0.4 and 0.2 percent, respectively.

From March 2016 to March 2017, the food index increased 0.6 percent, as a 2.5-percent increase in prices for food away home was moderated by a 0.6-percent decrease in those for food at home.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, declined 1.5 percent since February. Prices for gasoline and electricity decreased over the month, down 1.8 percent each, while those for utility (piped) gas service were unchanged. 

The energy index increased 12.0 percent since March 2016. The increase was led by a 24.2-percent jump in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for utility (piped) gas service (11.0 percent), while those for electricity declined (-0.3 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged over the month. Price decreases for categories including education and communication (-1.8 percent) and new and used motor vehicles were offset by price increases for shelter (0.1 percent) and apparel (1.5 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.7 percent since March 2016, led by higher prices for shelter (2.7 percent). Prices were also higher over the year for several other categories including medical care (2.9 percent).

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

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.3	1.8	0.6	1.5	-0.2	-0.4	0.0	0.7	0.6	2.5
February	0.6	2.0	0.1	1.0	0.2	-0.2	0.2	0.7	0.3	2.6
March	0.0	1.5	0.5	1.5	0.3	-0.4	0.2	0.6	-0.1	2.2
April	-0.1	1.1	0.0	1.6	0.1	-0.3	0.6	1.0
May	0.0	1.2	0.4	2.0	0.4	-0.3	0.3	0.9
June	0.1	1.5	0.0	1.9	0.3	0.0	0.2	0.7
July	0.2	1.8	0.1	1.8	-0.1	-0.2	0.0	0.8
August	0.2	1.5	-0.3	1.3	-0.2	-0.1	0.1	1.0
September	0.1	1.1	0.0	1.2	0.0	-0.1	0.2	1.3
October	-0.4	0.7	-0.2	1.4	-0.2	-0.1	0.2	1.6
November	0.1	1.0	-0.4	0.9	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.6
December	0.0	1.3	-0.5	0.4	-0.4	0.5	0.0	1.9

The Consumer Price Index for April 2017 is scheduled to be released Friday, May 12, 2017, 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/pdf/homch17.pdf.

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	Jan. 2017	Feb. 2017	Mar. 2017	Mar. 2016	Jan. 2017	Feb. 2017
All items		258.073	258.768	258.510	2.2	0.2	-0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		406.386	407.481	407.074
Food and beverages		253.083	253.153	253.835	0.6	0.3	0.3
Food		253.132	253.151	253.854	0.6	0.3	0.3
Food at home		244.450	244.237	244.742	-0.6	0.1	0.2
Food away from home		269.414	269.790	270.806	2.5	0.5	0.4
Alcoholic beverages		251.263	251.992	252.397	0.1	0.5	0.2
Housing		273.398	273.927	273.929	2.5	0.2	0.0
Shelter		338.518	338.649	339.146	2.7	0.2	0.1
Rent of primary residence(1)		339.655	340.285	340.886	2.7	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)		350.741	351.047	351.089	2.6	0.1	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)		350.458	350.768	350.803	2.6	0.1	0.0
Fuels and utilities		215.555	218.355	216.094	4.5	0.3	-1.0
Household energy		190.529	193.400	191.099	4.9	0.3	-1.2
Energy services(1)		190.411	193.729	191.240	2.7	0.4	-1.3
Electricity(1)		196.590	200.268	196.727	-0.3	0.1	-1.8
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		163.863	166.184	166.105	11.0	1.4	0.0
Household furnishings and operations		120.698	120.939	120.941	-1.5	0.2	0.0
Apparel		130.053	132.413	134.409	1.2	3.3	1.5
Transportation		199.351	199.686	198.829	4.2	-0.3	-0.4
Private transportation		191.740	191.316	190.246	4.7	-0.8	-0.6
New and used motor vehicles(3)		95.794	96.276	96.036	-1.7	0.3	-0.2
New vehicles		146.615	146.839	146.230	0.4	-0.3	-0.4
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		101.561	101.715	101.290	0.4	-0.3	-0.4
New cars(4)		137.263	137.196	136.163	-1.0	-0.8	-0.8
Used cars and trucks		143.346	143.816	145.372	-5.1	1.4	1.1
Motor fuel		209.828	204.293	200.558	24.2	-4.4	-1.8
Gasoline (all types)		208.971	203.432	199.687	24.2	-4.4	-1.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		206.543	200.777	196.836	24.8	-4.7	-2.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		222.388	217.529	214.960	22.3	-3.3	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		217.274	213.492	211.044	20.3	-2.9	-1.1
Medical care		490.069	492.978	493.595	2.9	0.7	0.1
Medical care commodities		385.054	389.173	392.473	2.9	1.9	0.8
Medical care services		519.924	522.384	522.080	2.9	0.4	-0.1
Professional services		375.941	377.102	376.738	2.3	0.2	-0.1
Recreation(3)		122.442	123.788	124.153	2.3	1.4	0.3
Education and communication(3)		142.889	142.628	140.072	-0.8	-2.0	-1.8
Other goods and services		473.450	474.864	475.234	3.4	0.4	0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		186.458	186.562	186.813	1.9	0.2	0.1
Commodities less food and beverages		150.078	150.190	150.254	2.8	0.1	0.0
Nondurables less food and beverages		191.747	191.648	191.696	6.7	0.0	0.0
Durables		103.266	103.531	103.602	-2.3	0.3	0.1
Services		327.218	328.452	327.737	2.4	0.2	-0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		230.438	231.347	230.808	2.0	0.2	-0.2
All items less medical care		247.884	248.480	248.183	2.2	0.1	-0.1
Commodities less food		153.746	153.876	153.951	2.6	0.1	0.0
Nondurables		222.405	222.385	222.733	3.3	0.1	0.2
Nondurables less food		195.218	195.168	195.237	6.1	0.0	0.0
Services less rent of shelter(2)		326.410	328.853	326.825	2.1	0.1	-0.6
Services less medical care services		313.921	315.072	314.332	2.4	0.1	-0.2
Energy		198.426	197.959	195.085	12.0	-1.7	-1.5
All items less energy		266.791	267.611	267.614	1.6	0.3	0.0
All items less food and energy		270.907	271.867	271.752	1.7	0.3	0.0
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.