The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast advanced 0.4 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent one-month increase mainly reflected a 3.3-percent increase in the energy index. The all items less food and energy index also increased since April, up 0.2 percent, while the food 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 2.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index led the advance, rising 1.7 percent. The energy index and the food index also rose, up 12.3 and 1.8 percent, respectively, since May 2017. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index was unchanged since April as lower prices for food at home (-0.5 percent) were offset by an increase in prices for food away from home (0.6 percent).

From May 2017 to May 2018, the food index increased 1.8 percent. Prices for both food away from home and food at home increased over the year, up 3.1 and 0.9 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 3.3 percent in May, due mostly to higher prices for gasoline, up 6.4 percent. Prices for electricity also increased over the month, up 4.0 percent, while those for utility (piped) gas service decreased, down 4.0 percent.

The energy index advanced 12.3 percent since May 2017. The increase reflected higher prices for gasoline, up 20.3 percent. Prices also increased over the year for electricity (3.3 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (6.5 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 April. Prices were also higher for education and communication (0.3 percent), among others, while prices were lower for recreation (-0.7 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.7 percent since May 2017, led by higher prices for shelter, up 2.8 percent. Prices also rose over the year for medical care (2.6 percent), but were lower for household furnishings and operations (-1.1 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	0.4	2.1
May	0.4	2.0	0.4	-0.3	0.3	0.9	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.5
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 June 2018 is scheduled to be released Thursday, July 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 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	Mar. 2018	Apr. 2018	May 2018	May 2017	Mar. 2018	Apr. 2018
All items		263.556	264.669	265.840	2.5	0.9	0.4
All items (December 1977 = 100)		415.020	416.772	418.617
Food and beverages		258.100	259.235	259.256	1.8	0.4	0.0
Food		258.385	259.625	259.594	1.8	0.5	0.0
Food at home		248.406	249.436	248.220	0.9	-0.1	-0.5
Cereals and bakery products		294.079	293.366	291.749		-0.8	-0.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		252.387	255.219	250.683		-0.7	-1.8
Dairy and related products		225.582	225.197	224.775		-0.4	-0.2
Fruits and vegetables		310.177	311.887	312.553		0.8	0.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		173.398	172.571	172.688		-0.4	0.1
Other food at home		221.806	223.498	223.088		0.6	-0.2
Food away from home		276.763	278.327	280.017	3.1	1.2	0.6
Alcoholic beverages		253.216	253.071	253.731	1.0	0.2	0.3
Housing		280.985	281.574	282.848	2.8	0.7	0.5
Shelter		347.179	348.276	349.926	2.8	0.8	0.5
Rent of primary residence(1)		349.161	349.889	350.585	2.5	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)		358.681	359.918	360.764	2.6	0.6	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)		358.432	359.669	360.510	2.6	0.6	0.2
Fuels and utilities		231.105	229.335	230.903	5.6	-0.1	0.7
Household energy		205.988	203.994	205.573	6.2	-0.2	0.8
Energy services(1)		202.979	200.253	202.578	3.8	-0.2	1.2
Electricity(1)		205.089	201.559	209.697	3.3	2.2	4.0
Utility (piped) gas service(1)		183.764	182.562	175.207	6.5	-4.7	-4.0
Household furnishings and operations		119.485	120.108	120.029	-1.1	0.5	-0.1
Apparel		130.835	133.247	133.571	1.6	2.1	0.2
Transportation		205.091	207.639	210.975	4.6	2.9	1.6
Private transportation		197.503	199.980	202.964	5.5	2.8	1.5
New and used motor vehicles(3)		96.871	96.514	95.995	-0.4	-0.9	-0.5
New vehicles		145.485	145.056	144.405	-1.0	-0.7	-0.4
New cars and trucks(3)(4)		100.821	100.527	100.073	-0.9	-0.7	-0.5
New cars(4)		134.300	133.868	133.281	-2.2	-0.8	-0.4
Used cars and trucks		145.718	145.294	144.337	-1.6	-0.9	-0.7
Motor fuel		224.884	237.081	252.165	20.3	12.1	6.4
Gasoline (all types)		223.792	236.049	251.143	20.3	12.2	6.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		221.284	233.807	249.078	20.8	12.6	6.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		237.074	247.333	262.082	17.7	10.5	6.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		231.937	241.824	254.886	16.9	9.9	5.4
Motor vehicle insurance(6)		620.384	620.681	620.681		0.0	0.0
Medical care		504.112	504.859	504.921	2.6	0.2	0.0
Medical care commodities		390.484	388.475	391.666	1.2	0.3	0.8
Medical care services		536.686	538.277	537.377	3.0	0.1	-0.2
Professional services		380.157	380.487	379.266	0.6	-0.2	-0.3
Recreation(3)		123.949	124.184	123.315	-0.6	-0.5	-0.7
Education and communication(3)		139.664	139.679	140.123	0.4	0.3	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)		1,210.467	1,210.467	1,210.763		0.0	0.0
Other goods and services		486.713	488.167	489.364	3.1	0.5	0.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		189.633	191.390	192.327	2.8	1.4	0.5
Commodities less food and beverages		152.310	154.209	155.449	3.4	2.1	0.8
Nondurables less food and beverages		196.929	201.256	204.723	6.7	4.0	1.7
Durables		102.994	102.828	102.223	-1.4	-0.7	-0.6
Services		334.865	335.433	336.839	2.4	0.6	0.4
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		234.793	235.922	236.926	2.3	0.9	0.4
All items less medical care		252.988	254.120	255.345	2.5	0.9	0.5
Commodities less food		155.981	157.831	159.061	3.3	2.0	0.8
Nondurables		227.597	230.501	232.416	4.1	2.1	0.8
Nondurables less food		200.203	204.260	207.557	6.3	3.7	1.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)		333.212	333.226	334.401	1.9	0.4	0.4
Services less medical care services		320.954	321.452	323.016	2.3	0.6	0.5
Energy		213.671	217.608	224.829	12.3	5.2	3.3
All items less energy		271.327	272.153	272.698	1.7	0.5	0.2
All items less food and energy		275.350	276.113	276.756	1.7	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.