The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast inched up 0.1 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Maureen McDevitt Greene noted that the recent increase reflected a rise in the energy index, up 1.0 percent since October. The food index declined over the month, down 0.1 percent, while the all items less food and energy 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 1.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) This reflected an advance in the all items less food and energy index, up 1.5 percent. The food index also rose, up 3.2 percent, while the energy index fell 8.8 percent since November 2019. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index inched down 0.1 percent since October. Prices were lower for food at home, down 0.2 percent, while those for food away from home were unchanged over the month.

From November 2019 to November 2020, the food index increased 3.2 percent. Prices for food at home increased over the year, up 2.8 percent; those for food away from home also rose, up 3.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, rose 1.0 percent in November, led by a 8.7-percent advance in utility (piped) gas service prices. Prices were also higher for electricity (0.1 percent), while prices for gasoline declined over the month, down 1.4 percent.

The energy index fell 8.8 percent since November 2019. The decrease reflected a drop in prices for gasoline (-16.3 percent). Prices for utility (piped) gas service also decreased over the year, down 1.4 percent, while those for electricity increased 1.2 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged over the month. Price increases for shelter (0.2 percent), household furnishings and operations (0.4 percent), and recreation (0.3) were offset by lower prices for apparel (-3.3 percent), medical care (-0.3 percent), and other goods and services (-0.6 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.5 percent since November 2019, led by higher prices for shelter and new and used motor vehicles, up 1.8 and 4.6 percent, respectively. Prices also increased for recreation (2.8 percent) and medical care (1.8 percent) over the year.

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

Month	2016		2017		2018		2019		2020
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.0	0.7	0.6	2.5	0.5	1.6	0.3	1.5	0.7	2.3
February	0.2	0.7	0.3	2.6	0.4	1.7	0.2	1.3	0.3	2.4
March	0.2	0.6	-0.1	2.2	0.1	2.0	0.5	1.7	-0.2	1.7
April	0.6	1.0	0.3	1.9	0.4	2.1	0.4	1.7	-0.4	0.8
May	0.3	0.9	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.5	0.3	1.5	0.0	0.6
June	0.2	0.7	0.0	1.5	0.0	2.6	0.1	1.6	0.3	0.8
July	0.0	0.8	-0.2	1.3	0.0	2.7	0.1	1.7	0.4	1.1
August	0.1	1.0	0.3	1.6	0.2	2.7	0.1	1.5	0.1	1.1
September	0.2	1.3	0.5	1.9	0.1	2.2	0.0	1.4	0.1	1.2
October	0.2	1.6	-0.1	1.5	-0.1	2.3	-0.1	1.5	-0.2	1.1
November	0.0	1.6	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.9	0.1	1.9	0.1	1.1
December	0.0	1.9	0.1	1.7	-0.1	1.7	-0.1	1.9

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U increased in the New England division, up 0.5 percent, and decreased in the Middle Atlantic division, down 0.1 percent.

Over the year, prices rose in the Middle Atlantic division, up 1.3 percent. The all items index also rose in the New England division (0.4 percent). (See table B.)

 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	1.1
New England Division	0.5	0.4
Middle Atlantic Division	-0.1	1.3

The Consumer Price Index for December 2020 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, January 13, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 6,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods available on the internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.

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	Sep. 2020	Oct. 2020	Nov. 2020	Nov. 2019	Sep. 2020	Oct. 2020
All items		273.925	273.374	273.543	1.1	-0.1	0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		431.348	430.481	430.747
Food and beverages		274.500	274.419	274.106	3.2	-0.1	-0.1
Food		275.304	275.072	274.706	3.2	-0.2	-0.1
Food at home		260.903	259.598	258.979	2.8	-0.7	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		308.929	306.610	304.567	1.7	-1.4	-0.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		265.933	267.170	264.874	4.9	-0.4	-0.9
Dairy and related products		240.369	236.485	237.381	2.5	-1.2	0.4
Fruits and vegetables		326.289	324.559	326.677	3.1	0.1	0.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		180.309	179.406	176.107	0.4	-2.3	-1.8
Other food at home		231.546	229.788	230.672	2.6	-0.4	0.4
Food away from home		300.242	301.677	301.705	3.8	0.5	0.0
Alcoholic beverages		263.005	264.979	265.376	3.4	0.9	0.1
Housing		293.749	292.539	293.678	1.5	0.0	0.4
Shelter		368.205	366.774	367.346	1.8	-0.2	0.2
Rent of primary residence		371.903	371.893	372.793	2.0	0.2	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		381.502	381.675	382.354	2.3	0.2	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		381.171	381.338	382.014	2.3	0.2	0.2
Fuels and utilities		219.623	218.026	223.098	-2.0	1.6	2.3
Household energy		190.773	188.983	194.052	-3.2	1.7	2.7
Energy services		195.499	193.263	198.393	0.4	1.5	2.7
Electricity		205.218	201.876	202.066	1.2	-1.5	0.1
Utility (piped) gas service		162.261	162.305	176.489	-1.4	8.8	8.7
Household furnishings and operations		122.193	121.822	122.361	2.6	0.1	0.4
Apparel		125.434	121.984	118.008	-5.7	-5.9	-3.3
Transportation		198.368	199.317	199.860	-2.7	0.8	0.3
Private transportation		193.484	193.363	193.422	-1.8	0.0	0.0
New and used motor vehicles(2)		98.091	99.427	99.684	4.6	1.6	0.3
New vehicles		143.211	143.979	144.085	1.0	0.6	0.1
New cars and trucks(2)(3)		99.268	99.803	99.839	1.0	0.6	0.0
New cars(3)		133.480	134.103	134.498	1.9	0.8	0.3
Used cars and trucks		159.375	161.126	159.067	10.6	-0.2	-1.3
Motor fuel		192.586	190.260	187.602	-16.2	-2.6	-1.4
Gasoline (all types)		191.608	189.295	186.622	-16.3	-2.6	-1.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		188.066	185.717	182.960	-16.8	-2.7	-1.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		211.145	209.248	207.237	-13.4	-1.9	-1.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		208.863	206.906	204.989	-12.6	-1.9	-0.9
Motor vehicle insurance(5)		609.713	584.681	592.578	-5.1	-2.8	1.4
Medical care		548.668	547.497	546.128	1.8	-0.5	-0.3
Medical care commodities		387.697	386.889	382.544	-3.6	-1.3	-1.1
Medical care services		595.705	594.428	594.004	2.9	-0.3	-0.1
Professional services		407.281	407.269	407.942	2.1	0.2	0.2
Recreation(2)		128.545	128.903	129.333	2.8	0.6	0.3
Education and communication(2)		148.939	149.003	148.692	1.6	-0.2	-0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,310.985	1,312.285	1,310.250	1.6	-0.1	-0.2
Other goods and services		513.994	513.566	510.586	1.5	-0.7	-0.6
Commodity and service group
Commodities		191.124	190.542	189.784	-0.3	-0.7	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages		147.821	147.066	146.166	-2.7	-1.1	-0.6
Nondurables less food and beverages		186.528	184.416	182.728	-6.6	-2.0	-0.9
Durables		103.037	103.297	103.044	2.4	0.0	-0.2
Services		353.370	352.848	353.904	1.7	0.2	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		241.343	241.104	241.130	0.7	-0.1	0.0
All items less medical care		261.807	261.283	261.522	1.0	-0.1	0.1
Commodities less food		151.865	151.179	150.309	-2.5	-1.0	-0.6
Nondurables		229.835	228.694	227.662	-1.1	-0.9	-0.5
Nondurables less food		191.010	189.142	187.579	-5.8	-1.8	-0.8
Services less rent of shelter(1)		349.445	349.889	351.503	1.7	0.6	0.5
Services less medical care services		336.674	336.204	337.361	1.6	0.2	0.3
Energy		191.582	189.574	191.517	-8.8	0.0	1.0
All items less energy		284.914	284.489	284.498	1.7	-0.1	0.0
All items less food and energy		288.433	287.971	288.047	1.5	-0.1	0.0
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.