The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast declined 0.1 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent decrease was due to a 3.5-percent decline in the energy index. The all items less food and energy index and food index both increased over the month, up 0.1 percent 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 1.5 percent, due mostly to advances in the all items less food and energy index and energy index, up 0.9 and 9.1 percent, respectively. (See chart 1 and table A.) The food index also increased, up 1.6 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index advanced 0.5 percent since September. Prices for food at home increased 0.6 percent, while prices for food away from home edged up 0.2 percent.

From October 2016 to October 2017, the food index increased 1.6 percent, as prices for food away from home increased 2.3 percent and prices for food at home rose 1.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 3.5 percent since September, reflecting a 5.8-percent decline in gasoline prices. Prices were also lower for electricity, down 3.2 percent, while prices for utility (piped) gas service inched up 0.1 percent.

The energy index advanced 9.1 percent since October 2016. The increase was mostly due to a 16.3-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for utility (piped) gas service (7.9 percent) and electricity (1.4 percent).

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 (0.1 percent) and medical care (0.4 percent) were moderated by lower prices for recreation (-0.8 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.9 percent since October 2016, led by higher prices for shelter (1.7 percent). Prices were also higher over the year for several other categories including medical care (1.9 percent) and recreation (1.8 percent). Meanwhile, prices were lower for new and used motor vehicles (-2.3 percent) and education and communication (-1.5 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	0.0	1.5
July	0.2	1.8	0.1	1.8	-0.1	-0.2	0.0	0.8	-0.2	1.3
August	0.2	1.5	-0.3	1.3	-0.2	-0.1	0.1	1.0	0.3	1.6
September	0.1	1.1	0.0	1.2	0.0	-0.1	0.2	1.3	0.5	1.9
October	-0.4	0.7	-0.2	1.4	-0.2	-0.1	0.2	1.6	-0.1	1.5
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 November 2017 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, December 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 category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Aug. 2017	Sep. 2017	Oct. 2017	Oct. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sep. 2017
All items		259.508	260.875	260.580	1.5	0.4	-0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		408.647	410.799	410.333
Food and beverages		255.542	255.434	256.563	1.5	0.4	0.4
Food		255.701	255.539	256.711	1.6	0.4	0.5
Food at home		246.165	245.539	247.077	1.1	0.4	0.6
Food away from home		273.329	273.880	274.502	2.3	0.4	0.2
Alcoholic beverages		252.291	252.882	253.444	0.4	0.5	0.2
Housing		276.330	276.269	276.180	1.7	-0.1	0.0
Shelter		343.129	342.873	343.253	1.7	0.0	0.1
Rent of primary residence(1)		344.403	344.669	345.343	2.2	0.3	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)		353.634	354.088	354.918	1.6	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)		353.382	353.839	354.668	1.6	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities		217.229	218.548	215.579	3.9	-0.8	-1.4
Household energy		191.943	193.353	189.929	4.1	-1.0	-1.8
Energy services(1)		193.794	193.496	189.023	3.1	-2.5	-2.3
Electricity(1)		202.525	202.494	196.026	1.4	-3.2	-3.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		161.586	160.742	160.823	7.9	-0.5	0.1
Household furnishings and operations		119.127	118.693	119.146	-1.1	0.0	0.4
Apparel		130.769	136.152	135.953	-1.1	4.0	-0.1
Transportation		199.211	203.650	201.313	2.8	1.1	-1.1
Private transportation		191.503	196.104	193.233	3.1	0.9	-1.5
New and used motor vehicles(3)		95.120	94.144	94.082	-2.3	-1.1	-0.1
New vehicles		143.595	142.569	143.005	-2.1	-0.4	0.3
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		99.458	98.759	99.064	-2.1	-0.4	0.3
New cars(4)		133.556	132.211	132.485	-3.4	-0.8	0.2
Used cars and trucks		144.782	142.316	140.983	-3.7	-2.6	-0.9
Motor fuel		208.871	234.782	221.266	16.3	5.9	-5.8
Gasoline (all types)		208.022	233.951	220.348	16.3	5.9	-5.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		205.490	231.925	217.932	16.8	6.1	-6.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		220.988	244.451	232.640	14.1	5.3	-4.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		217.035	238.567	228.241	13.7	5.2	-4.3
Medical care		495.072	496.216	498.337	1.9	0.7	0.4
Medical care commodities		387.268	385.863	386.879	-1.1	-0.1	0.3
Medical care services		525.819	527.818	530.290	2.7	0.9	0.5
Professional services		376.998	377.722	378.068	1.4	0.3	0.1
Recreation(3)		124.053	124.367	123.350	1.8	-0.6	-0.8
Education and communication(3)		139.020	139.831	140.030	-1.5	0.7	0.1
Other goods and services		476.618	478.584	480.564	2.7	0.8	0.4
Commodity and service group
Commodities		186.303	188.841	188.237	1.3	1.0	-0.3
Commodities less food and beverages		148.870	152.354	151.077	1.1	1.5	-0.8
Nondurables less food and beverages		190.785	199.155	196.489	3.6	3.0	-1.3
Durables		101.984	101.334	101.260	-2.5	-0.7	-0.1
Services		330.092	330.453	330.424	1.7	0.1	0.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		230.714	232.689	232.142	1.4	0.6	-0.2
All items less medical care		249.161	250.538	250.134	1.5	0.4	-0.2
Commodities less food		152.596	156.015	154.785	1.1	1.4	-0.8
Nondurables		223.047	227.497	226.596	2.5	1.6	-0.4
Nondurables less food		194.374	202.279	199.806	3.3	2.8	-1.2
Services less rent of shelter(2)		327.524	328.554	328.034	1.6	0.2	-0.2
Services less medical care services		316.592	316.845	316.652	1.6	0.0	-0.1
Energy		198.899	210.049	202.610	9.1	1.9	-3.5
All items less energy		268.339	268.732	269.155	1.0	0.3	0.2
All items less food and energy		272.293	272.782	273.082	0.9	0.3	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.