The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast increased 0.2 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that this was mostly due to a 0.3-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. The food index also increased over the month, up 0.2 percent, while the energy index decreased 0.4 percent. (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 2.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index led the advance, rising 1.9 percent. The energy index and the food index also rose, up 11.8 and 2.2 percent, respectively, since August 2017. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 0.2 percent since July as prices for food away from home increased 0.3 percent. Food at home prices also rose, inching up 0.1 percent.

From August 2017 to August 2018, the food index increased 2.2 percent. Prices for both food away from home and food at home increased over the year, up 2.9 and 1.6 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 0.4 percent in August. Prices for electricity and utility (piped) gas service both decreased over the month, down 0.8 and 1.4 percent, respectively. Gasoline prices were unchanged since July.

The energy index advanced 11.8 percent since August 2017. The increase reflected higher prices for gasoline, up 19.7 percent. Prices also increased over the year for utility (piped) gas service (5.7 percent) and electricity (2.1 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.3 percent over the month. Higher prices for shelter (0.6 percent) and apparel (2.7 percent) were moderated by lower prices for new and used motor vehicles (-0.7 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.9 percent since August 2017, led by higher prices for shelter, up 2.9 percent. Prices also rose over the year for medical care (2.1 percent) and education and communication (1.9 percent), but were lower for apparel (-2.0 percent), among others.

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	0.0	2.6
July	0.1	1.8	-0.1	-0.2	0.0	0.8	-0.2	1.3	0.0	2.7
August	-0.3	1.3	-0.2	-0.1	0.1	1.0	0.3	1.6	0.2	2.7
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 September 2018 is scheduled to be released Thursday, October 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	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018	Aug. 2018	Aug. 2017	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018
All items		265.950	265.830	266.425	2.7	0.2	0.2
All items (December 1977 = 100)		418.790	418.601	419.537
Food and beverages		259.463	260.347	260.775	2.0	0.5	0.2
Food		259.751	260.792	261.235	2.2	0.6	0.2
Food at home		248.297	249.803	250.062	1.6	0.7	0.1
Cereals and bakery products		294.591	293.679	295.222		0.2	0.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		250.865	253.426	252.192		0.5	-0.5
Dairy and related products		226.589	227.522	227.518		0.4	0.0
Fruits and vegetables		309.281	311.877	314.739		1.8	0.9
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		173.388	173.237	173.848		0.3	0.4
Other food at home		222.496	224.812	224.101		0.7	-0.3
Food away from home		280.296	280.675	281.392	2.9	0.4	0.3
Alcoholic beverages		254.531	253.506	253.746	0.6	-0.3	0.1
Housing		282.981	283.331	284.496	3.0	0.5	0.4
Shelter		350.467	351.001	353.180	2.9	0.8	0.6
Rent of primary residence		350.756	351.404	352.801	2.4	0.6	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		361.602	362.176	363.229	2.7	0.4	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		361.343	361.919	362.959	2.7	0.4	0.3
Fuels and utilities		230.698	230.350	228.798	5.3	-0.8	-0.7
Household energy		204.835	204.419	202.826	5.7	-1.0	-0.8
Energy services		201.668	201.014	198.979	2.7	-1.3	-1.0
Electricity		209.370	208.488	206.791	2.1	-1.2	-0.8
Utility (piped) gas service		173.417	173.183	170.756	5.7	-1.5	-1.4
Household furnishings and operations		119.058	119.322	119.132	0.0	0.1	-0.2
Apparel		127.969	124.772	128.098	-2.0	0.1	2.7
Transportation		211.842	210.687	209.626	5.2	-1.0	-0.5
Private transportation		203.986	203.643	202.941	6.0	-0.5	-0.3
New and used motor vehicles(2)		96.919	97.374	96.666	1.6	-0.3	-0.7
New vehicles		144.753	143.208	142.147	-1.0	-1.8	-0.7
New cars and trucks(2)(3)		100.311	99.247	98.528	-0.9	-1.8	-0.7
New cars(3)		134.122	132.623	131.954	-1.2	-1.6	-0.5
Used cars and trucks		144.905	146.608	147.009	1.5	1.5	0.3
Motor fuel		253.434	250.214	250.129	19.8	-1.3	0.0
Gasoline (all types)		252.382	249.152	249.080	19.7	-1.3	0.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		250.155	246.882	246.777	20.1	-1.4	0.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		264.991	261.981	262.230	18.7	-1.0	0.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		257.071	254.288	254.421	17.2	-1.0	0.1
Motor vehicle insurance(5)		617.184	615.988	615.044		-0.3	-0.2
Medical care		504.804	504.541	505.303	2.1	0.1	0.2
Medical care commodities		391.864	390.243	393.895	1.7	0.5	0.9
Medical care services		537.165	537.320	537.191	2.2	0.0	0.0
Professional services		380.169	380.806	380.306	0.9	0.0	-0.1
Recreation(2)		124.030	123.961	123.684	-0.3	-0.3	-0.2
Education and communication(2)		140.936	141.292	141.673	1.9	0.5	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,218.826	1,220.420	1,231.560		1.0	0.9
Other goods and services		489.340	488.926	488.910	2.6	-0.1	0.0
Commodity and service group
Commodities		191.708	191.270	191.740	2.9	0.0	0.2
Commodities less food and beverages		154.544	153.618	154.078	3.5	-0.3	0.3
Nondurables less food and beverages		202.521	200.744	202.015	5.9	-0.2	0.6
Durables		102.410	102.233	102.019	0.0	-0.4	-0.2
Services		337.595	337.754	338.472	2.5	0.3	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		236.876	236.513	236.525	2.5	-0.1	0.0
All items less medical care		255.465	255.352	255.940	2.7	0.2	0.2
Commodities less food		158.200	157.267	157.722	3.4	-0.3	0.3
Nondurables		231.301	230.734	231.630	3.8	0.1	0.4
Nondurables less food		205.535	203.805	205.013	5.5	-0.3	0.6
Services less rent of shelter(1)		335.405	335.164	334.326	2.1	-0.3	-0.3
Services less medical care services		323.838	323.997	324.773	2.6	0.3	0.2
Energy		224.930	223.343	222.382	11.8	-1.1	-0.4
All items less energy		272.809	272.843	273.607	2.0	0.3	0.3
All items less food and energy		276.860	276.730	277.552	1.9	0.2	0.3
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.