The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast inched up 0.1 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that this was due mostly to an increase in the all items less food and energy index (0.3 percent). The food index also increased over the month, up 0.3 percent, while the energy index decreased 1.6 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 1.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) This was due almost entirely to an advance in the all items less food and energy index, up 2.1 percent. The food index also rose, up 1.9 percent since June 2018, while the energy index declined 3.8 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 0.3 percent since May. Prices for food away from home were up 0.5 percent, and those for food at home inched up 0.1 percent.

From June 2018 to June 2019, the food index increased 1.9 percent. Prices for both food away from home and food at home increased over the year, up 2.8 and 1.1 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, declined 1.6 percent in June, due mostly to lower gasoline prices, down 4.5 percent. Prices were also lower for utility (piped) gas service (-0.2 percent) while those for electricity were higher (2.7 percent).

The energy index decreased 3.8 percent since June 2018. The decline reflected lower prices for gasoline, down 6.3 percent, and electricity, down 1.2 percent. Utility (piped) gas service prices also decreased (-0.9 percent) over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.3 percent over the month. Prices were higher for shelter (0.3 percent), medical care (0.3 percent), and recreation (0.4 percent) among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.1 percent since June 2018, led by higher prices for shelter, up 2.5 percent. Prices also rose over the year for medical care (3.6 percent) and recreation (2.1 percent), among others.

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

Month	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	-0.2	-0.4	0.0	0.7	0.6	2.5	0.5	1.6	0.3	1.5
February	0.2	-0.2	0.2	0.7	0.3	2.6	0.4	1.7	0.2	1.3
March	0.3	-0.4	0.2	0.6	-0.1	2.2	0.1	2.0	0.5	1.7
April	0.1	-0.3	0.6	1.0	0.3	1.9	0.4	2.1	0.4	1.7
May	0.4	-0.3	0.3	0.9	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.5	0.3	1.5
June	0.3	0.0	0.2	0.7	0.0	1.5	0.0	2.6	0.1	1.6
July	-0.1	-0.2	0.0	0.8	-0.2	1.3	0.0	2.7
August	-0.2	-0.1	0.1	1.0	0.3	1.6	0.2	2.7
September	0.0	-0.1	0.2	1.3	0.5	1.9	0.1	2.2
October	-0.2	-0.1	0.2	1.6	-0.1	1.5	-0.1	2.3
November	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.6	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.9
December	-0.4	0.5	0.0	1.9	0.1	1.7	-0.1	1.7

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U edged up 0.2 percent in the Middle Atlantic division, but inched down 0.1 percent in the New England division.

Over the year, the all items index advanced 1.9 percent in the New England division. (See table B.) Prices also rose in the Middle Atlantic division, up 1.4 percent.

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

Area	1-month change	12-month change
Northeast	0.1	1.6
New England Division	-0.1	1.9
Middle Atlantic Division	0.2	1.4

The Consumer Price Index for July 2019 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, August 13, 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.

The New England division is comprised of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Middle Atlantic division is comprised of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

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	Apr. 2019	May 2019	Jun. 2019	Jun. 2018	Apr. 2019	May 2019
All items		269.070	269.744	270.133	1.6	0.4	0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		423.703	424.765	425.377
Food and beverages		262.297	263.180	263.945	1.7	0.6	0.3
Food		262.882	263.725	264.562	1.9	0.6	0.3
Food at home		249.654	250.646	251.013	1.1	0.5	0.1
Cereals and bakery products		296.249	299.438	298.218	1.2	0.7	-0.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		250.050	250.483	251.473	0.2	0.6	0.4
Dairy and related products		229.310	228.482	227.682	0.5	-0.7	-0.4
Fruits and vegetables		313.414	316.098	313.129	1.2	-0.1	-0.9
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		173.143	175.936	178.917	3.2	3.3	1.7
Other food at home		224.266	223.253	224.488	0.9	0.1	0.6
Food away from home		286.052	286.691	288.223	2.8	0.8	0.5
Alcoholic beverages		253.741	255.102	254.995	0.2	0.5	0.0
Housing		287.759	287.727	288.767	2.0	0.4	0.4
Shelter		357.567	358.234	359.255	2.5	0.5	0.3
Rent of primary residence		359.580	360.075	361.358	3.0	0.5	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		368.628	368.886	369.402	2.2	0.2	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		368.336	368.586	369.099	2.1	0.2	0.1
Fuels and utilities		230.184	226.355	228.663	-0.9	-0.7	1.0
Household energy		203.571	199.632	201.520	-1.6	-1.0	0.9
Energy services		200.281	196.145	199.478	-1.1	-0.4	1.7
Electricity		203.784	201.464	206.863	-1.2	1.5	2.7
Utility (piped) gas service		178.997	172.217	171.916	-0.9	-4.0	-0.2
Household furnishings and operations		120.260	120.594	120.883	1.5	0.5	0.2
Apparel		129.262	127.941	128.893	0.7	-0.3	0.7
Transportation		209.063	211.629	209.993	-0.9	0.4	-0.8
Private transportation		201.571	203.615	201.448	-1.2	-0.1	-1.1
New and used motor vehicles(2)		97.173	96.771	97.145	0.2	0.0	0.4
New vehicles		145.414	146.834	146.411	1.1	0.7	-0.3
New cars and trucks(2)(3)		100.784	101.763	101.479	1.2	0.7	-0.3
New cars(3)		133.681	135.121	134.819	0.5	0.9	-0.2
Used cars and trucks		146.485	144.998	147.068	1.5	0.4	1.4
Motor fuel		238.096	248.681	237.616	-6.2	-0.2	-4.4
Gasoline (all types)		236.988	247.663	236.565	-6.3	-0.2	-4.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		234.501	245.346	233.954	-6.5	-0.2	-4.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		249.767	260.167	250.774	-5.4	0.4	-3.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		244.478	253.334	244.834	-4.8	0.1	-3.4
Motor vehicle insurance(5)		622.923	622.511	621.462	0.7	-0.2	-0.2
Medical care		519.076	521.223	522.800	3.6	0.7	0.3
Medical care commodities		403.494	403.054	402.677	2.8	-0.2	-0.1
Medical care services		552.182	555.114	557.284	3.7	0.9	0.4
Professional services		386.001	387.893	392.274	3.2	1.6	1.1
Recreation(2)		125.643	126.008	126.575	2.1	0.7	0.4
Education and communication(2)		142.917	143.002	142.817	1.3	-0.1	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,252.969	1,253.615	1,253.804	2.9	0.1	0.0
Other goods and services		495.254	495.913	495.992	1.4	0.1	0.0
Commodity and service group
Commodities		191.946	193.019	192.352	0.3	0.2	-0.3
Commodities less food and beverages		153.760	154.846	153.661	-0.6	-0.1	-0.8
Nondurables less food and beverages		200.751	202.844	199.965	-1.3	-0.4	-1.4
Durables		102.466	102.667	102.909	0.5	0.4	0.2
Services		343.333	343.671	345.002	2.2	0.5	0.4
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		238.547	239.230	239.388	1.1	0.4	0.1
All items less medical care		258.078	258.686	259.021	1.4	0.4	0.1
Commodities less food		157.412	158.511	157.352	-0.5	0.0	-0.7
Nondurables		231.639	233.198	231.969	0.3	0.1	-0.5
Nondurables less food		203.826	205.873	203.162	-1.2	-0.3	-1.3
Services less rent of shelter(1)		339.773	339.764	341.482	1.8	0.5	0.5
Services less medical care services		328.938	329.098	330.371	2.0	0.4	0.4
Energy		217.787	219.921	216.394	-3.8	-0.6	-1.6
All items less energy		277.041	277.569	278.374	2.0	0.5	0.3
All items less food and energy		281.302	281.782	282.588	2.1	0.5	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.