The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast rose 0.4 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent one-month increase mostly reflected increases in the all items less food and energy index (0.3 percent) and the energy index (1.7 percent). The food index inched up 0.1 percent since January. (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 an advance in the all items less food and energy index, up 1.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index and the food index also increased over the year, up 8.8 and 2.0 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index inched up 0.1 percent since January. Prices were higher for food away from home (0.2 percent), while those for food at home were unchanged.

From February 2017 to February 2018 the food index increased 2.0 percent, as prices for food away from home increased 2.8 percent and prices for food at home rose 1.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 1.7 percent in February, due to higher prices for utility (piped) gas service (7.0 percent) and gasoline (1.7 percent). Prices for electricity edged down 0.2 percent.

The energy index advanced 8.8 percent since February 2017. The increase was mostly due to a 12.4-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for utility (piped) gas service (10.2 percent) and electricity (1.7 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent over the month. The recent advance was due in part to a seasonal rise in apparel prices, up 3.1 percent since January. Prices were also higher for household furnishings and operations (1.2 percent) and shelter (0.1 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.1 percent since February 2017, led by higher prices for shelter, up 2.0 percent; prices also rose for medical care, up 2.2 percent. Meanwhile, prices were lower over the year for education and communication (-1.7 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-1.6 percent).

1.7

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

Month	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.6	1.5	-0.2	-0.4	0.0	0.7	0.6	2.5	0.5	1.6
February	0.1	1.0	0.2	-0.2	0.2	0.7	0.3	2.6	0.4	1.7
March	0.5	1.5	0.3	-0.4	0.2	0.6	-0.1	2.2
April	0.0	1.6	0.1	-0.3	0.6	1.0	0.3	1.9
May	0.4	2.0	0.4	-0.3	0.3	0.9	0.1	1.7
June	0.0	1.9	0.3	0.0	0.2	0.7	0.0	1.5
July	0.1	1.8	-0.1	-0.2	0.0	0.8	-0.2	1.3
August	-0.3	1.3	-0.2	-0.1	0.1	1.0	0.3	1.6
September	0.0	1.2	0.0	-0.1	0.2	1.3	0.5	1.9
October	-0.2	1.4	-0.2	-0.1	0.2	1.6	-0.1	1.5
November	-0.4	0.9	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.6	0.0	1.6
December	-0.5	0.4	-0.4	0.5	0.0	1.9	0.1	1.7

The Consumer Price Index for March 2018 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, April 11, 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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 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	Dec. 2017	Jan. 2018	Feb. 2018	Feb. 2017	Dec. 2017	Jan. 2018
All items		260.791	262.188	263.260	1.7	0.9	0.4
All items (December 1977 = 100)		410.666	412.865	414.554
Food and beverages		256.487	257.764	258.050	1.9	0.6	0.1
Food		256.764	258.097	258.275	2.0	0.6	0.1
Food at home		246.424	247.944	247.881	1.5	0.6	0.0
Cereals and bakery products		286.389	290.452	291.898		1.9	0.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		251.499	249.705	249.077		-1.0	-0.3
Dairy and related products		224.869	226.407	225.716		0.4	-0.3
Fruits and vegetables		309.997	315.809	314.203		1.4	-0.5
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		171.841	172.791	172.653		0.5	-0.1
Other food at home		219.860	220.752	221.699		0.8	0.4
Food away from home		275.644	276.724	277.257	2.8	0.6	0.2
Alcoholic beverages		251.711	252.312	253.896	0.8	0.9	0.6
Housing		277.693	278.690	279.729	2.1	0.7	0.4
Shelter		344.282	345.089	345.507	2.0	0.4	0.1
Rent of primary residence(1)		346.920	347.888	348.355	2.4	0.4	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)		356.255	357.498	357.898	2.0	0.5	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)		356.008	357.246	357.645	2.0	0.5	0.1
Fuels and utilities		223.688	227.092	230.611	5.6	3.1	1.5
Household energy		198.709	201.972	205.382	6.2	3.4	1.7
Energy services(1)		196.735	197.451	201.856	4.2	2.6	2.2
Electricity(1)		199.636	204.167	203.693	1.7	2.0	-0.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		176.712	171.138	183.172	10.2	3.7	7.0
Household furnishings and operations		117.530	117.541	118.970	-1.6	1.2	1.2
Apparel		124.143	127.247	131.169	-0.9	5.7	3.1
Transportation		202.378	204.271	205.849	3.1	1.7	0.8
Private transportation		195.138	197.240	198.148	3.6	1.5	0.5
New and used motor vehicles(3)		95.752	96.192	96.233	0.0	0.5	0.0
New vehicles		145.987	146.725	145.661	-0.8	-0.2	-0.7
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		101.144	101.678	100.945	-0.8	-0.2	-0.7
New cars(4)		135.740	136.039	134.827	-1.7	-0.7	-0.9
Used cars and trucks		141.272	141.690	143.053	-0.5	1.3	1.0
Motor fuel		220.329	225.970	229.749	12.5	4.3	1.7
Gasoline (all types)		219.332	224.858	228.647	12.4	4.2	1.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		216.786	222.439	226.249	12.7	4.4	1.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		233.187	237.417	241.142	10.9	3.4	1.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		227.876	232.371	235.827	10.5	3.5	1.5
Motor vehicle insurance(6)		615.509	623.148	620.300		0.8	-0.5
Medical care		499.765	502.715	503.759	2.2	0.8	0.2
Medical care commodities		388.522	392.768	393.657	1.2	1.3	0.2
Medical care services		531.627	534.166	535.252	2.5	0.7	0.2
Professional services		378.179	380.065	379.937	0.8	0.5	0.0
Recreation(3)		123.466	124.260	124.211	0.3	0.6	0.0
Education and communication(3)		140.206	140.376	140.191	-1.7	0.0	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)		1,212.279	1,212.253	1,213.664		0.1	0.1
Other goods and services		480.873	482.013	485.267	2.2	0.9	0.7
Commodity and service group
Commodities		186.904	188.920	189.959	1.8	1.6	0.5
Commodities less food and beverages		149.301	151.491	152.764	1.7	2.3	0.8
Nondurables less food and beverages		192.319	196.286	198.832	3.7	3.4	1.3
Durables		101.516	102.118	102.281	-1.2	0.8	0.2
Services		332.006	332.886	334.012	1.7	0.6	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		232.054	233.681	235.006	1.6	1.3	0.6
All items less medical care		250.291	251.619	252.695	1.7	1.0	0.4
Commodities less food		153.001	155.156	156.444	1.7	2.3	0.8
Nondurables		224.318	227.089	228.620	2.8	1.9	0.7
Nondurables less food		195.781	199.545	202.032	3.5	3.2	1.2
Services less rent of shelter(2)		330.302	331.282	333.222	1.3	0.9	0.6
Services less medical care services		318.247	319.013	320.141	1.6	0.6	0.4
Energy		207.538	211.791	215.352	8.8	3.8	1.7
All items less energy		268.892	270.000	270.820	1.2	0.7	0.3
All items less food and energy		272.764	273.844	274.774	1.1	0.7	0.3
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. (6) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.