The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast inched up 0.1 percent in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the energy index and food index both rose, up 0.4 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively. The all items less food and energy index was unchanged over the month. (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 mostly to an advance in the all items less food and energy index, up 1.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index (8.3 percent) and the food index (2.0 percent) also increased over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index edged up 0.2 percent since November. Prices for food at home and for food away from home also edged up 0.2 percent each.

From December 2016 to December 2017 the food index increased 2.0 percent, as prices for food away from home increased 2.6 percent and prices for food at home rose 1.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 0.4 percent in December, due largely to a 1.9-percent increase in electricity prices. Prices were also higher for utility (piped) gas service, up 1.6 percent, while prices for gasoline decreased 1.6 percent.

The energy index advanced 8.3 percent since December 2016. The increase was mostly due to a 10.6-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for utility (piped) gas service (11.4 percent) and electricity (3.1 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 (0.3 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (1.1 percent) were offset by lower prices for apparel (-3.9 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.9 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.1 percent since December 2016, led by higher prices for shelter (1.8 percent) and medical care (2.6 percent), among others. Meanwhile, prices were lower for education and communication (-1.8 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-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	0.1	1.7

The Consumer Price Index for January 2018 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, February 14, 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	Oct. 2017	Nov. 2017	Dec. 2017	Dec. 2016	Oct. 2017	Nov. 2017
All items		260.580	260.630	260.791	1.7	0.1	0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		410.333	410.412	410.666
Food and beverages		256.563	256.073	256.487	1.9	0.0	0.2
Food		256.711	256.209	256.764	2.0	0.0	0.2
Food at home		247.077	245.920	246.424	1.6	-0.3	0.2
Food away from home		274.502	275.002	275.644	2.6	0.4	0.2
Alcoholic beverages		253.444	253.128	251.711	0.3	-0.7	-0.6
Housing		276.180	276.736	277.693	1.9	0.5	0.3
Shelter		343.253	343.275	344.282	1.8	0.3	0.3
Rent of primary residence(1)		345.343	346.118	346.920	2.2	0.5	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)		354.918	355.348	356.255	1.6	0.4	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)		354.668	355.098	356.008	1.6	0.4	0.3
Fuels and utilities		215.579	220.163	223.688	5.8	3.8	1.6
Household energy		189.929	194.829	198.709	6.6	4.6	2.0
Energy services(1)		189.023	193.258	196.735	5.4	4.1	1.8
Electricity(1)		196.026	195.921	199.636	3.1	1.8	1.9
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		160.823	173.984	176.712	11.4	9.9	1.6
Household furnishings and operations		119.146	118.572	117.530	-1.9	-1.4	-0.9
Apparel		135.953	129.241	124.143	-1.9	-8.7	-3.9
Transportation		201.313	202.467	202.378	2.9	0.5	0.0
Private transportation		193.233	194.728	195.138	3.3	1.0	0.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)		94.082	94.744	95.752	0.6	1.8	1.1
New vehicles		143.005	144.217	145.987	0.7	2.1	1.2
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		99.064	99.909	101.144	0.7	2.1	1.2
New cars(4)		132.485	133.886	135.740	0.2	2.5	1.4
Used cars and trucks		140.983	140.030	141.272	-1.6	0.2	0.9
Motor fuel		221.266	223.902	220.329	10.7	-0.4	-1.6
Gasoline (all types)		220.348	222.946	219.332	10.6	-0.5	-1.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		217.932	220.589	216.786	10.8	-0.5	-1.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		232.640	235.207	233.187	10.0	0.2	-0.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		228.241	230.205	227.876	9.5	-0.2	-1.0
Medical care		498.337	498.864	499.765	2.6	0.3	0.2
Medical care commodities		386.879	387.946	388.522	1.2	0.4	0.1
Medical care services		530.290	530.627	531.627	3.0	0.3	0.2
Professional services		378.068	377.680	378.179	1.3	0.0	0.1
Recreation(3)		123.350	123.233	123.466	1.5	0.1	0.2
Education and communication(3)		140.030	140.409	140.206	-1.8	0.1	-0.1
Other goods and services		480.564	480.950	480.873	2.6	0.1	0.0
Commodity and service group
Commodities		188.237	187.525	186.904	1.5	-0.7	-0.3
Commodities less food and beverages		151.077	150.311	149.301	1.2	-1.2	-0.7
Nondurables less food and beverages		196.489	194.777	192.319	2.6	-2.1	-1.3
Durables		101.260	101.303	101.516	-0.9	0.3	0.2
Services		330.424	331.150	332.006	1.8	0.5	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		232.142	232.203	232.054	1.6	0.0	-0.1
All items less medical care		250.134	250.163	250.291	1.6	0.1	0.1
Commodities less food		154.785	154.027	153.001	1.1	-1.2	-0.7
Nondurables		226.596	225.444	224.318	2.2	-1.0	-0.5
Nondurables less food		199.806	198.177	195.781	2.4	-2.0	-1.2
Services less rent of shelter(2)		328.034	329.515	330.302	1.8	0.7	0.2
Services less medical care services		316.652	317.401	318.247	1.7	0.5	0.3
Energy		202.610	206.616	207.538	8.3	2.4	0.4
All items less energy		269.155	268.806	268.892	1.2	-0.1	0.0
All items less food and energy		273.082	272.756	272.764	1.1	-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.