The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast 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 increase was led by a 1.7-percent rise in the energy index. The all items less food and energy index and the food index also rose over the month, up 0.1 and 0.5 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 Northeast all items CPI-U increased 1.9 percent, due largely to a 1.5-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 8.9 and 0.8 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 0.5 percent since March. Prices for both food at home and food away from home increased over the month, up 0.8 and 0.2 percent, respectively.

From April 2016 to April 2017, the food index increased 0.8 percent, as a 2.4-percent increase in prices for food away home was moderated by a 0.3-percent decrease in those for food at home.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 1.7 percent since March, due to a 4.4-percent increase in gasoline prices over the month. Prices for utility (piped) gas service inched down 0.1 percent, while those for electricity were unchanged. 

The energy index increased 8.9 percent since April 2016. The increase was led by a 15.0-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for utility (piped) gas service (11.1 percent), while those for electricity were unchanged.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched up 0.1 percent over the month. Price increases for categories including shelter (0.2 percent) were nearly offset by price decreases for medical care (-0.4 percent) and apparel (-0.8 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.5 percent since April 2016, led by higher prices for shelter (2.6 percent). Prices were also higher over the year for several other categories including medical care (1.9 percent) and recreation (2.3 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	0.3	1.9
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 May 2017 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, June 14, 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	Feb. 2017	Mar. 2017	Apr. 2017	Apr. 2016	Feb. 2017	Mar. 2017
All items		258.768	258.510	259.165	1.9	0.2	0.3
All items (December 1977 = 100)		407.481	407.074	408.106
Food and beverages		253.153	253.835	255.049	0.8	0.7	0.5
Food		253.151	253.854	255.198	0.8	0.8	0.5
Food at home		244.237	244.742	246.690	-0.3	1.0	0.8
Food away from home		269.790	270.806	271.236	2.4	0.5	0.2
Alcoholic beverages		251.992	252.397	251.935	0.3	0.0	-0.2
Housing		273.927	273.929	274.457	2.5	0.2	0.2
Shelter		338.649	339.146	339.910	2.6	0.4	0.2
Rent of primary residence(1)		340.285	340.886	341.162	2.6	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)		351.047	351.089	351.128	2.4	0.0	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)		350.768	350.803	350.849	2.4	0.0	0.0
Fuels and utilities		218.355	216.094	216.010	4.5	-1.1	0.0
Household energy		193.400	191.099	190.922	4.9	-1.3	-0.1
Energy services(1)		193.729	191.240	191.221	2.9	-1.3	0.0
Electricity(1)		200.268	196.727	196.775	0.0	-1.7	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		166.184	166.105	165.945	11.1	-0.1	-0.1
Household furnishings and operations		120.939	120.941	121.172	-1.1	0.2	0.2
Apparel		132.413	134.409	133.327	0.3	0.7	-0.8
Transportation		199.686	198.829	201.036	2.6	0.7	1.1
Private transportation		191.316	190.246	192.002	2.9	0.4	0.9
New and used motor vehicles(3)		96.276	96.036	96.084	-1.9	-0.2	0.0
New vehicles		146.839	146.230	145.318	-0.1	-1.0	-0.6
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		101.715	101.290	100.658	-0.1	-1.0	-0.6
New cars(4)		137.196	136.163	135.687	-1.1	-1.1	-0.3
Used cars and trucks		143.816	145.372	146.630	-5.2	2.0	0.9
Motor fuel		204.293	200.558	209.221	15.0	2.4	4.3
Gasoline (all types)		203.432	199.687	208.380	15.0	2.4	4.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		200.777	196.836	205.855	15.2	2.5	4.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		217.529	214.960	221.714	14.2	1.9	3.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		213.492	211.044	217.462	13.7	1.9	3.0
Medical care		492.978	493.595	491.537	1.9	-0.3	-0.4
Medical care commodities		389.173	392.473	385.389	0.4	-1.0	-1.8
Medical care services		522.384	522.080	521.761	2.2	-0.1	-0.1
Professional services		377.102	376.738	376.792	1.9	-0.1	0.0
Recreation(3)		123.788	124.153	124.301	2.3	0.4	0.1
Education and communication(3)		142.628	140.072	140.052	-0.6	-1.8	0.0
Other goods and services		474.864	475.234	474.645	3.3	0.0	-0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		186.562	186.813	187.494	1.2	0.5	0.4
Commodities less food and beverages		150.190	150.254	150.684	1.5	0.3	0.3
Nondurables less food and beverages		191.648	191.696	192.621	4.6	0.5	0.5
Durables		103.531	103.602	103.606	-2.6	0.1	0.0
Services		328.452	327.737	328.385	2.3	0.0	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		231.347	230.808	231.428	1.5	0.0	0.3
All items less medical care		248.480	248.183	248.960	1.9	0.2	0.3
Commodities less food		153.876	153.951	154.357	1.5	0.3	0.3
Nondurables		222.385	222.733	223.802	2.5	0.6	0.5
Nondurables less food		195.168	195.237	196.079	4.2	0.5	0.4
Services less rent of shelter(2)		328.853	326.825	327.382	1.9	-0.4	0.2
Services less medical care services		315.072	314.332	315.042	2.3	0.0	0.2
Energy		197.959	195.085	198.421	8.9	0.2	1.7
All items less energy		267.611	267.614	268.006	1.4	0.1	0.1
All items less food and energy		271.867	271.752	271.986	1.5	0.0	0.1
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.