The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast inched up 0.1 percent in March, 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 a 0.2-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. The energy index decreased 0.8 percent since February, while the food index was unchanged. (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 2.0 percent, reflecting advances in the all items less food and energy index (1.3 percent) and the energy index (9.5 percent). (See chart 1 and table A.) The food index also increased over the year, up 1.8 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index was unchanged since February as higher prices food at home (0.2 percent) were offset by lower prices for food away from home (-0.2 percent).

From March 2017 to March 2018 the food index increased 1.8 percent. Prices for food away from home and food at home increased over the year, up 2.2 and 1.5 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 0.8 percent in March, due to lower prices for gasoline, down 2.1 percent. Prices for electricity and utility (piped) gas service increased over the month, up 0.7 and 0.3 percent, respectively.

The energy index advanced 9.5 percent since March 2017. The increase reflected higher prices for gasoline, up 17.5 percent. Prices also increased over the year for utility (piped) gas service (10.6 percent) and electricity (4.3 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent over the month. The recent advance was due largely to a rise in shelter prices, up 0.5 percent since February. Prices were also higher for new and used motor vehicles (0.7 percent), among others, while prices were lower for education and communication (-0.4 percent) and recreation (-0.2 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.3 percent since March 2017, led by higher prices for shelter, up 2.4 percent. Meanwhile, prices were lower over the year for apparel (-2.7 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-1.2 percent).

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	0.1	2.0
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 April 2018 is scheduled to be released Thursday, May 10, 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	Jan. 2018	Feb. 2018	Mar. 2018	Mar. 2017	Jan. 2018	Feb. 2018
All items		262.188	263.260	263.556	2.0	0.5	0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		412.865	414.554	415.020
Food and beverages		257.764	258.050	258.100	1.7	0.1	0.0
Food		258.097	258.275	258.385	1.8	0.1	0.0
Food at home		247.944	247.881	248.406	1.5	0.2	0.2
Cereals and bakery products		290.452	291.898	294.079		1.2	0.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		249.705	249.077	252.387		1.1	1.3
Dairy and related products		226.407	225.716	225.582		-0.4	-0.1
Fruits and vegetables		315.809	314.203	310.177		-1.8	-1.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		172.791	172.653	173.398		0.4	0.4
Other food at home		220.752	221.699	221.806		0.5	0.0
Food away from home		276.724	277.257	276.763	2.2	0.0	-0.2
Alcoholic beverages		252.312	253.896	253.216	0.3	0.4	-0.3
Housing		278.690	279.729	280.985	2.6	0.8	0.4
Shelter		345.089	345.507	347.179	2.4	0.6	0.5
Rent of primary residence(1)		347.888	348.355	349.161	2.4	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)		357.498	357.898	358.681	2.2	0.3	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)		357.246	357.645	358.432	2.2	0.3	0.2
Fuels and utilities		227.092	230.611	231.105	6.9	1.8	0.2
Household energy		201.972	205.382	205.988	7.8	2.0	0.3
Energy services(1)		197.451	201.856	202.979	6.1	2.8	0.6
Electricity(1)		204.167	203.693	205.089	4.3	0.5	0.7
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		171.138	183.172	183.764	10.6	7.4	0.3
Household furnishings and operations		117.541	118.970	119.485	-1.2	1.7	0.4
Apparel		127.247	131.169	130.835	-2.7	2.8	-0.3
Transportation		204.271	205.849	205.091	3.1	0.4	-0.4
Private transportation		197.240	198.148	197.503	3.8	0.1	-0.3
New and used motor vehicles(3)		96.192	96.233	96.871	0.9	0.7	0.7
New vehicles		146.725	145.661	145.485	-0.5	-0.8	-0.1
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		101.678	100.945	100.821	-0.5	-0.8	-0.1
New cars(4)		136.039	134.827	134.300	-1.4	-1.3	-0.4
Used cars and trucks		141.690	143.053	145.718	0.2	2.8	1.9
Motor fuel		225.970	229.749	224.884	12.1	-0.5	-2.1
Gasoline (all types)		224.858	228.647	223.792	12.1	-0.5	-2.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		222.439	226.249	221.284	12.4	-0.5	-2.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		237.417	241.142	237.074	10.3	-0.1	-1.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		232.371	235.827	231.937	9.9	-0.2	-1.6
Motor vehicle insurance(6)		623.148	620.300	620.384		-0.4	0.0
Medical care		502.715	503.759	504.112	2.1	0.3	0.1
Medical care commodities		392.768	393.657	390.484	-0.5	-0.6	-0.8
Medical care services		534.166	535.252	536.686	2.8	0.5	0.3
Professional services		380.065	379.937	380.157	0.9	0.0	0.1
Recreation(3)		124.260	124.211	123.949	-0.2	-0.3	-0.2
Education and communication(3)		140.376	140.191	139.664	-0.3	-0.5	-0.4
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)		1,212.253	1,213.664	1,210.467		-0.1	-0.3
Other goods and services		482.013	485.267	486.713	2.4	1.0	0.3
Commodity and service group
Commodities		188.920	189.959	189.633	1.5	0.4	-0.2
Commodities less food and beverages		151.491	152.764	152.310	1.4	0.5	-0.3
Nondurables less food and beverages		196.286	198.832	196.929	2.7	0.3	-1.0
Durables		102.118	102.281	102.994	-0.6	0.9	0.7
Services		332.886	334.012	334.865	2.2	0.6	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		233.681	235.006	234.793	1.7	0.5	-0.1
All items less medical care		251.619	252.695	252.988	1.9	0.5	0.1
Commodities less food		155.156	156.444	155.981	1.3	0.5	-0.3
Nondurables		227.089	228.620	227.597	2.2	0.2	-0.4
Nondurables less food		199.545	202.032	200.203	2.5	0.3	-0.9
Services less rent of shelter(2)		331.282	333.222	333.212	2.0	0.6	0.0
Services less medical care services		319.013	320.141	320.954	2.1	0.6	0.3
Energy		211.791	215.352	213.671	9.5	0.9	-0.8
All items less energy		270.000	270.820	271.327	1.4	0.5	0.2
All items less food and energy		273.844	274.774	275.350	1.3	0.5	0.2
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. (6) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.