The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast inched up 0.1 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent increase was largely due to a 0.9-percent increase in the energy index. The food index inched down 0.1 percent over the month, while the all items less food and energy index was 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 1.7 percent, due largely to a 1.3-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 7.3 and 1.2 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index inched down 0.1 percent since April. Prices for food at home edged down 0.3 percent, while prices for food away from home inched up 0.1 percent over the month.

From May 2016 to May 2017, the food index rose 1.2 percent, as prices for food away from home increased 2.4 percent and prices for food at home edged up 0.3 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 0.9 percent since April, mostly due to a 3.2-percent advance in electricity prices over the month. Prices for gasoline edged up 0.2 percent, while those for utility (piped) gas service decreased 0.9 percent. 

The energy index increased 7.3 percent since May 2016. The advance was led by a 7.5-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for electricity (4.7 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (12.0 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged over the month. Price increases for categories including shelter (0.2 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (0.3 percent) were offset by price decreases for apparel (-1.4 percent) and education and communication (-0.3 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.3 percent since May 2016, led by higher prices for shelter (2.4 percent). Prices were also higher over the year for several other categories including medical care (1.6 percent) and recreation (2.4 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	0.1	1.7
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 June 2017 is scheduled to be released Friday, July 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	Mar. 2017	Apr. 2017	May 2017	May 2016	Mar. 2017	Apr. 2017
All items		258.510	259.165	259.386	1.7	0.3	0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		407.074	408.106	408.453
Food and beverages		253.835	255.049	254.764	1.1	0.4	-0.1
Food		253.854	255.198	254.942	1.2	0.4	-0.1
Food at home		244.742	246.690	246.032	0.3	0.5	-0.3
Food away from home		270.806	271.236	271.597	2.4	0.3	0.1
Alcoholic beverages		252.397	251.935	251.273	0.5	-0.4	-0.3
Housing		273.929	274.457	275.226	2.5	0.5	0.3
Shelter		339.146	339.910	340.473	2.4	0.4	0.2
Rent of primary residence(1)		340.886	341.162	341.964	2.5	0.3	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)		351.089	351.128	351.775	2.3	0.2	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)		350.803	350.849	351.501	2.3	0.2	0.2
Fuels and utilities		216.094	216.010	218.578	6.3	1.1	1.2
Household energy		191.099	190.922	193.549	7.1	1.3	1.4
Energy services(1)		191.240	191.221	195.078	6.6	2.0	2.0
Electricity(1)		196.727	196.775	203.013	4.7	3.2	3.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		166.105	165.945	164.472	12.0	-1.0	-0.9
Household furnishings and operations		120.941	121.172	121.371	-1.1	0.4	0.2
Apparel		134.409	133.327	131.475	-1.1	-2.2	-1.4
Transportation		198.829	201.036	201.706	1.3	1.4	0.3
Private transportation		190.246	192.002	192.370	1.5	1.1	0.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)		96.036	96.084	96.416	-1.6	0.4	0.3
New vehicles		146.230	145.318	145.820	0.3	-0.3	0.3
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		101.290	100.658	101.004	0.3	-0.3	0.3
New cars(4)		136.163	135.687	136.286	-0.5	0.1	0.4
Used cars and trucks		145.372	146.630	146.746	-5.0	0.9	0.1
Motor fuel		200.558	209.221	209.584	7.5	4.5	0.2
Gasoline (all types)		199.687	208.380	208.757	7.5	4.5	0.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		196.836	205.855	206.171	7.5	4.7	0.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		214.960	221.714	222.606	7.3	3.6	0.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		211.044	217.462	218.104	7.3	3.3	0.3
Medical care		493.595	491.537	491.976	1.6	-0.3	0.1
Medical care commodities		392.473	385.389	387.188	0.2	-1.3	0.5
Medical care services		522.080	521.761	521.731	2.0	-0.1	0.0
Professional services		376.738	376.792	376.923	1.7	0.0	0.0
Recreation(3)		124.153	124.301	124.085	2.4	-0.1	-0.2
Education and communication(3)		140.072	140.052	139.595	-0.8	-0.3	-0.3
Other goods and services		475.234	474.645	474.721	3.6	-0.1	0.0
Commodity and service group
Commodities		186.813	187.494	187.166	0.6	0.2	-0.2
Commodities less food and beverages		150.254	150.684	150.356	0.3	0.1	-0.2
Nondurables less food and beverages		191.696	192.621	191.816	2.2	0.1	-0.4
Durables		103.602	103.606	103.680	-2.3	0.1	0.1
Services		327.737	328.385	329.095	2.3	0.4	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		230.808	231.428	231.524	1.3	0.3	0.0
All items less medical care		248.183	248.960	249.171	1.7	0.4	0.1
Commodities less food		153.951	154.357	154.018	0.3	0.0	-0.2
Nondurables		222.733	223.802	223.235	1.6	0.2	-0.3
Nondurables less food		195.237	196.079	195.283	2.1	0.0	-0.4
Services less rent of shelter(2)		326.825	327.382	328.266	2.1	0.4	0.3
Services less medical care services		314.332	315.042	315.798	2.3	0.5	0.2
Energy		195.085	198.421	200.152	7.3	2.6	0.9
All items less energy		267.614	268.006	268.076	1.3	0.2	0.0
All items less food and energy		271.752	271.986	272.112	1.3	0.1	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.