The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast edged up 0.3 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the increase was largely due to higher food prices, up 0.9 percent. The energy index and the all items less food and energy index also increased in September, up 1.1 and 0.1 percent, respectively. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy index, prices were higher for apparel and household furnishings and operations. (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 4.6 percent, about where it has been since June as it has ranged from 4.3 to 4.6 percent, compared with 0.8 to 1.2 percent between June and September 2020. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index increased 3.2 percent and the energy index jumped 24.3 percent—the index’s largest over-the-year advance since August 2008. The food index also advanced over the year, up 4.1 percent – that index’s largest 12-month increase since January 2009. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.9 percent in September following a 0.6 percent increase in August. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) rose 0.9 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 1.0 percent over the month. Within the food at home group, categories experiencing increases included nonfrozen noncarbonated juices and drinks as well as the fresh biscuits, rolls, muffins group. Prices were lower for candy and chewing gum as well as pork chops.

From September 2020 to September 2021, the food index increased 4.1 percent, the highest 12-month change since January 2012. Grocery food prices rose 3.1 percent over the year and prices for food away from home increased sharply to 5.4 percent, its largest such increase since 1989. Over the last 2 years, the 12-month increase ranged from 3.0 to 4.6 percent while it ranged from just 2.2 to 3.1 percent between September 2017 and September 2019.

Energy

The energy index rose 1.1 percent in September led by an increase in the index for gasoline (1.1 percent). Prices also rose for utility (piped) gas service, up 2.5 percent, while those for electricity were unchanged over the month.

On an annual basis, the Northeast energy index recorded a 24.3-percent increase, its highest over-the-year rise in 13 years. Over the year, the index for gasoline jumped 40.9 percent. Prices for utility (piped) gas service and electricity also increased, up 17.2 and 6.7 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched up 0.1 percent in September. Among the index’s components, prices were 2.0 percent higher for apparel and 0.9 percent higher for household furnishings and operations. In contrast, the index for new and used motor vehicles decreased 0.7 percent over the month; although the new vehicle index was up 1.7 percent in its seventh consecutive 1-month increase, used cars and trucks prices fell 3.3 percent.  Earlier this year the 1-month increases for used cars and trucks ranged from 6.5 to 11 percent in April through June.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.2 percent. Annual increases in the indexes for new and used motor vehicles (16.1 percent)—more specifically, used cars and trucks (25.9 percent) —and shelter (2.0 percent) were the major contributing factors.

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

Month	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.6	2.5	0.5	1.6	0.3	1.5	0.7	2.3	0.4	1.1
February	0.3	2.6	0.4	1.7	0.2	1.3	0.3	2.4	0.4	1.2
March	-0.1	2.2	0.1	2.0	0.5	1.7	-02	1.7	0.6	2.1
April	0.3	1.9	0.4	2.1	0.4	1.7	-0.4	0.8	0.7	3.3
May	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.5	0.3	1.5	0.0	0.6	0.6	3.9
June	0.0	1.5	0.0	2.6	0.1	1.6	0.3	0.8	1.0	4.6
July	-0.2	1.3	0.0	2.7	0.1	1.7	0.4	1.1	0.2	4.3
August	0.3	1.6	0.2	2.7	0.1	1.5	0.1	1.1	0.1	4.4
September	0.5	1.9	0.1	2.2	0.0	1.4	0.1	1.2	0.3	4.6
October	-0.1	1.5	-0.1	2.3	-0.1	1.5	-0.2	1.1
November	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.9	0.1	1.9	0.1	1.1
December	0.1	1.7	-0.1	1.7	-0.1	1.9	0.2	1.4

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U was unchanged in the New England division, while prices in the Middle Atlantic division rose 0.4 percent.

Over the year, prices rose in the Middle Atlantic division, up 4.7 percent. The all items index also rose in the New England division (4.1 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	0.3	4.6
New England Division	0.0	4.1
Middle Atlantic Division	0.4	4.7

The Consumer Price Index for October 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, 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 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 individuals with sensory impairments 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	Jul. 2021	Aug. 2021	Sep. 2021	Sep. 2020	Jul. 2021	Aug. 2021
All items		285.220	285.630	286.423	4.6	0.4	0.3
All items (December 1977 = 100)		449.135	449.780	451.029
Food and beverages		281.387	282.961	285.289	3.9	1.4	0.8
Food		282.295	283.919	286.517	4.1	1.5	0.9
Food at home		265.218	266.563	268.880	3.1	1.4	0.9
Cereals and bakery products		311.674	315.297	318.334	3.0	2.1	1.0
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		282.667	284.185	284.630	7.0	0.7	0.2
Dairy and related products		238.850	237.133	242.373	0.8	1.5	2.2
Fruits and vegetables		323.565	323.268	326.956	0.2	1.0	1.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		180.452	182.802	184.249	2.2	2.1	0.8
Other food at home		234.659	236.327	238.198	2.9	1.5	0.8
Food away from home		311.464	313.536	316.597	5.4	1.6	1.0
Alcoholic beverages		268.452	269.351	267.982	1.9	-0.2	-0.5
Housing		303.139	302.869	303.670	3.4	0.2	0.3
Shelter		376.327	375.128	375.444	2.0	-0.2	0.1
Rent of primary residence		374.519	375.419	376.101	1.1	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		386.814	387.353	387.819	1.7	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		386.478	387.018	387.483	1.7	0.3	0.1
Fuels and utilities		239.796	242.377	244.785	11.5	2.1	1.0
Household energy		210.453	213.103	215.583	13.0	2.4	1.2
Energy services		209.217	212.975	214.547	9.7	2.5	0.7
Electricity		215.374	218.971	218.897	6.7	1.6	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service		181.757	185.538	190.139	17.2	4.6	2.5
Household furnishings and operations		128.856	129.555	130.754	7.0	1.5	0.9
Apparel		122.306	126.770	129.301	3.1	5.7	2.0
Transportation		230.214	229.115	227.953	14.9	-1.0	-0.5
Private transportation		226.236	226.958	226.600	17.1	0.2	-0.2
New and used motor vehicles(2)		115.034	114.688	113.903	16.1	-1.0	-0.7
New vehicles		152.527	154.521	157.135	9.7	3.0	1.7
New cars and trucks(2)(3)		105.721	107.112	108.984	9.8	3.1	1.7
New cars(3)		142.862	144.901	146.816	10.0	2.8	1.3
Used cars and trucks		210.163	207.501	200.592	25.9	-4.6	-3.3
Motor fuel		265.259	267.920	270.912	40.7	2.1	1.1
Gasoline (all types)		264.305	266.967	269.979	40.9	2.1	1.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		261.690	264.312	267.337	42.2	2.2	1.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		280.232	283.329	286.199	35.5	2.1	1.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		271.233	274.025	276.861	32.6	2.1	1.0
Motor vehicle insurance(5)		612.211	615.703	616.376	1.1	0.7	0.1
Medical care		548.685	549.119	549.485	0.1	0.1	0.1
Medical care commodities		381.269	379.075	382.207	-1.4	0.2	0.8
Medical care services		597.750	599.010	598.502	0.5	0.1	-0.1
Professional services		421.041	421.814	420.742	3.3	-0.1	-0.3
Recreation(2)		131.624	131.560	131.655	2.4	0.0	0.1
Education and communication(2)		150.709	151.672	152.328	2.3	1.1	0.4
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,322.994	1,336.247	1,341.166	2.3	1.4	0.4
Other goods and services		526.208	529.842	533.200	3.7	1.3	0.6
Commodity and service group
Commodities		205.055	206.479	207.957	8.8	1.4	0.7
Commodities less food and beverages		163.903	165.194	166.255	12.5	1.4	0.6
Nondurables less food and beverages		204.001	206.549	209.180	12.1	2.5	1.3
Durables		116.158	116.435	116.298	12.9	0.1	-0.1
Services		362.161	361.603	361.742	2.4	-0.1	0.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		253.808	254.791	255.757	6.0	0.8	0.4
All items less medical care		273.621	274.030	274.843	5.0	0.4	0.3
Commodities less food		167.760	169.049	170.051	12.0	1.4	0.6
Nondurables		242.274	244.363	246.859	7.4	1.9	1.0
Nondurables less food		207.763	210.212	212.603	11.3	2.3	1.1
Services less rent of shelter(1)		359.172	359.289	359.250	2.8	0.0	0.0
Services less medical care services		345.929	345.246	345.430	2.6	-0.1	0.1
Energy		232.729	235.385	238.073	24.3	2.3	1.1
All items less energy		293.635	293.846	294.476	3.4	0.3	0.2
All items less food and energy		297.517	297.478	297.763	3.2	0.1	0.1
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.