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News Release Information

17-1288-PHI
Thursday, September 14, 2017

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Consumer Price Index, Northeast Region – August 2017

Regional prices up 0.3 percent over the month and 1.6 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast edged up 0.3 percent in August, 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 0.2-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. The energy index also increased, up 1.1 percent over the month, while the food index inched down 0.1 percent. (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 1.6 percent, due largely to a 1.0-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 8.8 and 1.3 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index inched down 0.1 percent since July. Prices for food at home decreased 0.3 percent while prices for food away from home edged up 0.2 percent.

From August 2016 to August 2017, the food index increased 1.3 percent, as prices for food away from home increased 2.3 percent and prices for food at home rose 0.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 1.1 percent since July, reflecting a 3.4-percent advance in gasoline prices. Lower prices for electricity and utility (piped) gas service moderated the increase over the month, decreasing 1.0 percent each.

The energy index advanced 8.8 percent since August 2016. The increase was led by a 14.0-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for utility (piped) gas service (9.1 percent) and electricity (3.0 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent over the month. Price increases for categories including shelter (0.5 percent) and apparel (3.5 percent), among others, contributed to the rise.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.0 percent since August 2016, led by higher prices for shelter (2.0 percent). Prices were also higher over the year for several other categories including recreation (2.5 percent) and medical care (1.4 percent). Meanwhile, prices were lower for education and communication (-1.8 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-2.1 percent).

Table A. Northeast region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20132014201520162017
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.31.80.61.5-0.2-0.40.00.70.62.5

February

0.62.00.11.00.2-0.20.20.70.32.6

March

0.01.50.51.50.3-0.40.20.6-0.12.2

April

-0.11.10.01.60.1-0.30.61.00.31.9

May

0.01.20.42.00.4-0.30.30.90.11.7

June

0.11.50.01.90.30.00.20.70.01.5

July

0.21.80.11.8-0.1-0.20.00.8-0.21.3

August

0.21.5-0.31.3-0.2-0.10.11.00.31.6

September

0.11.10.01.20.0-0.10.21.3  

October

-0.40.7-0.21.4-0.2-0.10.21.6  

November

0.11.0-0.40.90.00.30.01.6  

December

0.01.3-0.50.4-0.40.50.01.9  

The Consumer Price Index for September 2017 is scheduled to be released Friday, October 13, 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 categoryIndexesPercent change from
 
Historical
data
Jun.
2017
Jul.
2017
Aug.
2017
Aug.
2016
Jun.
2017
Jul.
2017

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SA0
259.335258.833259.5081.60.10.3

All items (December 1977 = 100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100AA0
408.373407.582408.647   
 

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAF
254.878255.795255.5421.30.3-0.1

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAF1
254.968255.978255.7011.30.3-0.1

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAF11
245.729246.937246.1650.60.2-0.3

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SEFV
272.129272.847273.3292.30.40.2

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAF116
252.521252.242252.2910.6-0.10.0
 

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAH
275.597275.436276.3302.10.30.3

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAH1
340.804341.308343.1292.00.70.5

Rent of primary residence(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SEHA
342.498342.804344.4032.70.60.5

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SEHC
352.080352.508353.6342.00.40.3

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

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SEHC01
351.811352.248353.3822.00.40.3

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAH2
219.462218.125217.2294.8-1.0-0.4

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAH21
194.376192.907191.9435.3-1.3-0.5

Energy services(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SEHF
196.977195.706193.7944.6-1.6-1.0

Electricity(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SEHF01
204.883204.470202.5253.0-1.2-1.0

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SEHF02
166.297163.292161.5869.1-2.8-1.0

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAH3
121.533119.970119.127-0.9-2.0-0.7
 

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAA
129.609126.370130.769-0.60.93.5
 

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAT
200.687198.724199.2112.2-0.70.2

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAT1
191.246190.125191.5032.60.10.7

New and used motor vehicles(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SETA
96.12195.41395.120-2.1-1.0-0.3

New vehicles

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SETA01
145.076143.794143.595-1.4-1.0-0.1

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SS4501A
100.48599.60199.458-1.4-1.0-0.1

New cars(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SS45011
135.161133.605133.556-2.1-1.20.0

Used cars and trucks

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SETA02
145.717145.077144.782-4.6-0.6-0.2

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SETB
205.060201.924208.87114.01.93.4

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SETB01
204.234201.099208.02214.01.93.4

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SS47014
201.519198.383205.49014.52.03.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SS47015
218.029215.216220.98811.71.42.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SS47016
214.862211.711217.03511.21.02.5
 

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAM
493.415494.618495.0721.40.30.1

Medical care commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAM1
387.343387.515387.268-0.40.0-0.1

Medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAM2
523.590525.130525.8191.90.40.1

Professional services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SEMC
377.001377.289376.9980.70.0-0.1
 

Recreation(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAR
124.041124.085124.0532.50.00.0
 

Education and communication(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAE
139.480139.069139.020-1.8-0.30.0
 

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAG
477.410477.991476.6182.2-0.2-0.3
 

Commodity and service group

 

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAC
186.401185.464186.3031.0-0.10.5

Commodities less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SACL11
149.273147.631148.8700.8-0.30.8

Nondurables less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SANL11
189.782187.588190.7853.20.51.7

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAD
103.440102.386101.984-2.7-1.4-0.4

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAS
329.674329.545330.0921.80.10.2
 

Special aggregate indexes

 

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SA0L2
231.332230.455230.7141.3-0.30.1

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SA0L5
249.053248.474249.1611.60.00.3

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SACL1
152.996151.384152.5960.7-0.30.8

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SAN
222.195221.448223.0472.20.40.7

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SANL1
193.445191.365194.3743.00.51.6

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SASL2RS
329.130328.325327.5241.6-0.5-0.2

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SASL5
316.293316.055316.5921.80.10.2

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SA0E
198.853196.720198.8998.80.01.1

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SA0LE
268.150267.808268.3391.00.10.2

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUUR0100SA0L1E
272.195271.623272.2931.00.00.2

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: Thursday, September 14, 2017