The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast decreased 0.4 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that this was due to declines in the energy index (-2.3 percent) and the all items less food and energy index (-0.2 percent). The food index also declined, inching down 0.1 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 1.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index led the advance, rising 1.6 percent. The energy index and the food index also rose, up 4.5 and 1.7 percent, respectively, since November 2017. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index inched down 0.1 percent since October as prices for food at home declined 0.2 percent. Food away from home prices rose, inching up 0.1 percent.

From November 2017 to November 2018, the food index increased 1.7 percent. Prices for both food away from home and food at home increased over the year, up 2.6 and 0.9 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, declined 2.3 percent in November. Gasoline prices decreased 5.5 percent since October. Prices also decreased for electricity (-2.0 percent), while those for utility (piped) gas service rose 6.6 percent over the month.

The energy index advanced 4.5 percent since November 2017. The increase reflected higher prices for gasoline, up 4.7 percent. Prices also increased over the year for electricity (2.3 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (2.5 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged down 0.2 percent over the month. Lower prices for apparel (-4.3 percent) and lodging away from home, among others, were moderated by higher prices for recreation (0.5 percent) and used cars and trucks (1.2 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.6 percent since November 2017, led by higher prices for shelter, up 2.5 percent. Prices also rose over the year for medical care (1.9 percent) and education and communication (1.2 percent), but were lower for new vehicles (-1.7 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	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	0.1	2.2
October	-0.2	1.4	-0.2	-0.1	0.2	1.6	-0.1	1.5	-0.1	2.3
November	-0.4	0.9	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.6	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.9
December	-0.5	0.4	-0.4	0.5	0.0	1.9	0.1	1.7

The Consumer Price Index for December 2018 is scheduled to be released Friday, January 11, 2019, 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	Sep. 2018	Oct. 2018	Nov. 2018	Nov. 2017	Sep. 2018	Oct. 2018
All items		266.709	266.464	265.487	1.9	-0.5	-0.4
All items (December 1977 = 100)		419.984	419.600	418.060
Food and beverages		261.441	260.464	260.165	1.6	-0.5	-0.1
Food		261.747	260.683	260.486	1.7	-0.5	-0.1
Food at home		250.733	248.743	248.204	0.9	-1.0	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		297.692	288.786	290.822		-2.3	0.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		252.235	250.458	250.984		-0.5	0.2
Dairy and related products		228.371	228.682	227.607		-0.3	-0.5
Fruits and vegetables		314.943	313.208	311.019		-1.2	-0.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		174.920	174.389	172.694		-1.3	-1.0
Other food at home		224.313	223.396	222.785		-0.7	-0.3
Food away from home		281.681	281.948	282.244	2.6	0.2	0.1
Alcoholic beverages		256.285	256.375	254.841	0.7	-0.6	-0.6
Housing		284.068	283.911	283.660	2.5	-0.1	-0.1
Shelter		352.325	352.035	351.890	2.5	-0.1	0.0
Rent of primary residence		352.964	353.833	354.649	2.5	0.5	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		363.828	364.549	365.388	2.8	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		363.548	364.265	365.097	2.8	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities		228.782	227.864	228.761	3.9	0.0	0.4
Household energy		202.909	201.897	202.792	4.1	-0.1	0.4
Energy services		198.649	196.096	197.834	2.4	-0.4	0.9
Electricity		206.649	204.470	200.395	2.3	-3.0	-2.0
Utility (piped) gas service		170.144	167.178	178.279	2.5	4.8	6.6
Household furnishings and operations		119.799	120.606	119.170	0.5	-0.5	-1.2
Apparel		133.579	134.089	128.267	-0.8	-4.0	-4.3
Transportation		208.790	208.570	205.639	1.6	-1.5	-1.4
Private transportation		201.641	201.181	198.184	1.8	-1.7	-1.5
New and used motor vehicles(2)		94.963	94.761	94.811	0.1	-0.2	0.1
New vehicles		142.888	142.613	141.826	-1.7	-0.7	-0.6
New cars and trucks(2)(3)		99.039	98.849	98.302	-1.6	-0.7	-0.6
New cars(3)		133.164	132.918	131.632	-1.7	-1.2	-1.0
Used cars and trucks		140.686	141.893	143.578	2.5	2.1	1.2
Motor fuel		250.269	248.302	234.717	4.8	-6.2	-5.5
Gasoline (all types)		249.207	247.148	233.474	4.7	-6.3	-5.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		246.887	244.737	230.811	4.6	-6.5	-5.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		262.527	260.701	248.923	5.8	-5.2	-4.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		254.650	253.383	242.038	5.1	-5.0	-4.5
Motor vehicle insurance(5)		618.684	623.094	622.117		0.6	-0.2
Medical care		506.476	508.049	508.360	1.9	0.4	0.1
Medical care commodities		390.537	390.418	393.018	1.3	0.6	0.7
Medical care services		539.751	541.836	541.442	2.0	0.3	-0.1
Professional services		384.604	385.673	383.705	1.6	-0.2	-0.5
Recreation(2)		124.007	123.586	124.174	0.8	0.1	0.5
Education and communication(2)		142.428	142.199	142.042	1.2	-0.3	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,240.184	1,242.209	1,244.334		0.3	0.2
Other goods and services		488.993	487.718	488.435	1.6	-0.1	0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		192.297	192.109	189.817	1.2	-1.3	-1.2
Commodities less food and beverages		154.560	154.689	151.753	1.0	-1.8	-1.9
Nondurables less food and beverages		204.009	204.047	198.378	1.8	-2.8	-2.8
Durables		101.285	101.471	100.936	-0.4	-0.3	-0.5
Services		338.521	338.222	338.384	2.2	0.0	0.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		237.234	237.004	235.710	1.5	-0.6	-0.5
All items less medical care		256.183	255.855	254.816	1.9	-0.5	-0.4
Commodities less food		158.267	158.395	155.484	0.9	-1.8	-1.8
Nondurables		233.034	232.603	229.349	1.7	-1.6	-1.4
Nondurables less food		207.039	207.080	201.662	1.8	-2.6	-2.6
Services less rent of shelter(1)		335.352	335.007	335.509	1.8	0.0	0.1
Services less medical care services		324.650	324.187	324.387	2.2	-0.1	0.1
Energy		222.488	221.078	215.922	4.5	-3.0	-2.3
All items less energy		273.913	273.789	273.243	1.7	-0.2	-0.2
All items less food and energy		277.826	277.855	277.248	1.6	-0.2	-0.2
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.