The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast was unchanged in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that a 2.0-percent increase in the energy index was offset by decreases in the all items less food and energy index and the food index, down 0.1 and 0.2 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 1.6 percent, due mostly to advances in the all items less food and energy index and the energy index, up 0.9 and 9.8 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 edged down 0.2 percent since October. Prices for food at home declined 0.5 percent, while prices for food away from home edged up 0.2 percent.

From November 2016 to November 2017, the food index increased 1.6 percent, as prices for food away from home increased 2.4 percent and prices for food at home rose 1.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 2.0 percent in November, due largely to an 8.2-percent increase in utility (piped) gas service prices. Prices were also higher for gasoline, up 1.2 percent, while prices for electricity inched down 0.1 percent.

The energy index advanced 9.8 percent since November 2016. The increase was mostly due to a 14.9-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for utility (piped) gas service (12.1 percent) and electricity (1.7 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched down 0.1 percent over the month. Price decreases for categories including apparel (-4.9 percent) and recreation (-0.1 percent) were moderated by higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (0.7 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.9 percent since November 2016, led by higher prices for shelter (1.5 percent) and medical care (2.1 percent), among others. Meanwhile, prices were lower for education and communication (-1.3 percent) and apparel (-1.9 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	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	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 December 2017 is scheduled to be released Friday, January 12, 2018, 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	Sep. 2017	Oct. 2017	Nov. 2017	Nov. 2016	Sep. 2017	Oct. 2017
All items		260.875	260.580	260.630	1.6	-0.1	0.0
All items (December 1977 = 100)		410.799	410.333	410.412
Food and beverages		255.434	256.563	256.073	1.6	0.3	-0.2
Food		255.539	256.711	256.209	1.6	0.3	-0.2
Food at home		245.539	247.077	245.920	1.1	0.2	-0.5
Food away from home		273.880	274.502	275.002	2.4	0.4	0.2
Alcoholic beverages		252.882	253.444	253.128	0.5	0.1	-0.1
Housing		276.269	276.180	276.736	1.8	0.2	0.2
Shelter		342.873	343.253	343.275	1.5	0.1	0.0
Rent of primary residence(1)		344.669	345.343	346.118	2.3	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)		354.088	354.918	355.348	1.4	0.4	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)		353.839	354.668	355.098	1.4	0.4	0.1
Fuels and utilities		218.548	215.579	220.163	5.5	0.7	2.1
Household energy		193.353	189.929	194.829	6.2	0.8	2.6
Energy services(1)		193.496	189.023	193.258	4.6	-0.1	2.2
Electricity(1)		202.494	196.026	195.921	1.7	-3.2	-0.1
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		160.742	160.823	173.984	12.1	8.2	8.2
Household furnishings and operations		118.693	119.146	118.572	-0.8	-0.1	-0.5
Apparel		136.152	135.953	129.241	-1.9	-5.1	-4.9
Transportation		203.650	201.313	202.467	3.1	-0.6	0.6
Private transportation		196.104	193.233	194.728	3.5	-0.7	0.8
New and used motor vehicles(3)		94.144	94.082	94.744	-0.7	0.6	0.7
New vehicles		142.569	143.005	144.217	-0.8	1.2	0.8
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		98.759	99.064	99.909	-0.8	1.2	0.9
New cars(4)		132.211	132.485	133.886	-1.9	1.3	1.1
Used cars and trucks		142.316	140.983	140.030	-2.8	-1.6	-0.7
Motor fuel		234.782	221.266	223.902	14.9	-4.6	1.2
Gasoline (all types)		233.951	220.348	222.946	14.9	-4.7	1.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		231.925	217.932	220.589	15.3	-4.9	1.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		244.451	232.640	235.207	12.9	-3.8	1.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		238.567	228.241	230.205	12.0	-3.5	0.9
Medical care		496.216	498.337	498.864	2.1	0.5	0.1
Medical care commodities		385.863	386.879	387.946	0.0	0.5	0.3
Medical care services		527.818	530.290	530.627	2.7	0.5	0.1
Professional services		377.722	378.068	377.680	1.2	0.0	-0.1
Recreation(3)		124.367	123.350	123.233	1.4	-0.9	-0.1
Education and communication(3)		139.831	140.030	140.409	-1.3	0.4	0.3
Other goods and services		478.584	480.564	480.950	2.6	0.5	0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		188.841	188.237	187.525	1.5	-0.7	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages		152.354	151.077	150.311	1.4	-1.3	-0.5
Nondurables less food and beverages		199.155	196.489	194.777	3.5	-2.2	-0.9
Durables		101.334	101.260	101.303	-1.5	0.0	0.0
Services		330.453	330.424	331.150	1.7	0.2	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		232.689	232.142	232.203	1.6	-0.2	0.0
All items less medical care		250.538	250.134	250.163	1.5	-0.1	0.0
Commodities less food		156.015	154.785	154.027	1.4	-1.3	-0.5
Nondurables		227.497	226.596	225.444	2.4	-0.9	-0.5
Nondurables less food		202.279	199.806	198.177	3.2	-2.0	-0.8
Services less rent of shelter(2)		328.554	328.034	329.515	1.8	0.3	0.5
Services less medical care services		316.845	316.652	317.401	1.5	0.2	0.2
Energy		210.049	202.610	206.616	9.8	-1.6	2.0
All items less energy		268.732	269.155	268.806	1.0	0.0	-0.1
All items less food and energy		272.782	273.082	272.756	0.9	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.