The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast rose 0.6 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the increase reflected increases across the three major areas: the all items less food and energy index, 0.4 percent; the energy index, 2.3 percent; and the  food index, up 0.7 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 6.0 percent, the largest such increase in just over 30 years. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index was mostly responsible for the over-the-year increase, up 4.1 percent, a rate last seen in October 1992. The energy index jumped 32.5 percent, the highest over-the-year rate since mid-1980. The food index also advanced over the year, up 5.8 percent, the largest 12-month increase since December 2008. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.7 percent in November following an 0.8 percent increase in October. Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.6 percent, representing a smaller gain compared to the October 1.2-percent increase, which was the largest 1-month increase for the food away from home index in the last 34 years.  Prices for food at home (groceries) increased 0.7 percent over the month. Within the food at home group, prices were higher for the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs group as well as the fruits and vegetables group although there were areas that posted declines such as nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials.

From November 2020 to November 2021, the food index increased 5.8 percent. Food at home prices rose 5.0 percent over the year, the highest since June 2020, and prices for food away from home increased 6.9 percent, which was higher than any such increase since December 1981.

Energy

The energy index rose 2.3 percent in November led by an increase in the index for gasoline (3.9 percent). Prices also rose for utility (piped) gas service, up 3.5 percent, and fuel oil, up 3.1 percent, while those for electricity decreased 0.7 percent over the month.

On an annual basis, the Northeast energy index had a 32.5-percent increase, the highest since October 2005. Over the year, the index for gasoline rose more than at any point since September 2005, jumping 57.1 percent, while the fuel oil index was up 60.1 percent. Prices for utility (piped) gas service and electricity also increased, up 19.6 and 7.8 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.4 percent in November. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for new and used motor vehicles (2.0 percent) reflecting increased prices for used cars and trucks, up 2.6 percent, while those for new vehicles rose 2.0 percent. Prices were also higher for recreation (0.8 percent) and medical care (0.5 percent) over the month. There were some categories with declines: the apparel index decreased 2.6 percent over the month, as it typically does in November, and the other goods and services index edged down 0.4 percent.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.1 percent. Annual increases in the indexes for new and used motor vehicles (19.0 percent)—more specifically, used cars and trucks (32.8 percent)—and shelter (2.3 percent) were the major contributing factors. While the apparel index was up 5.8 percent over the last 12 months, that index had generally posted over-the-year declines since October 2016 until the trend reversed in April; the index level in November was still more than 9 percent below 5 years ago.

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	-0.2	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	0.6	5.4
November	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.9	0.1	1.9	0.1	1.1	0.6	6.0
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 0.9 percent higher in the New England division, while prices in the Middle Atlantic division rose 0.5 percent.

Over the year, prices rose in the New England division (5.6 percent). The all items index also rose in the Middle Atlantic division, up 5.4 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	0.6	6.0
New England Division	0.9	6.1
Middle Atlantic Division	0.4	5.9

The Consumer Price Index for December 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 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	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021	Nov. 2021	Nov. 2020	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021
All items		286.423	288.236	289.835	6.0	1.2	0.6
All items (December 1977 = 100)		451.029	453.884	456.401
Food and beverages		285.289	287.264	289.111	5.5	1.3	0.6
Food		286.517	288.670	290.628	5.8	1.4	0.7
Food at home		268.880	270.004	271.905	5.0	1.1	0.7
Cereals and bakery products		318.334	318.587	320.295	5.2	0.6	0.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		284.630	288.273	292.763	10.5	2.9	1.6
Dairy and related products		242.373	242.796	243.174	2.4	0.3	0.2
Fruits and vegetables		326.956	326.494	328.379	0.5	0.4	0.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		184.249	186.416	185.026	5.1	0.4	-0.7
Other food at home		238.198	238.065	240.325	4.2	0.9	0.9
Food away from home		316.597	320.371	322.436	6.9	1.8	0.6
Alcoholic beverages		267.982	267.533	267.862	0.9	0.0	0.1
Housing		303.670	304.637	305.642	4.1	0.6	0.3
Shelter		375.444	374.986	375.838	2.3	0.1	0.2
Rent of primary residence		376.101	376.831	377.717	1.3	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		387.819	388.619	389.840	2.0	0.5	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		387.483	388.285	389.499	2.0	0.5	0.3
Fuels and utilities		244.785	252.666	254.892	14.3	4.1	0.9
Household energy		215.583	223.704	226.036	16.5	4.8	1.0
Energy services		214.547	219.600	221.169	11.5	3.1	0.7
Electricity		218.897	219.185	217.753	7.8	-0.5	-0.7
Utility (piped) gas service		190.139	203.917	211.101	19.6	11.0	3.5
Household furnishings and operations		130.754	131.833	132.557	8.3	1.4	0.5
Apparel		129.301	128.269	124.885	5.8	-3.4	-2.6
Transportation		227.953	233.253	238.185	19.2	4.5	2.1
Private transportation		226.600	232.151	236.811	22.4	4.5	2.0
New and used motor vehicles(2)		113.903	116.325	118.611	19.0	4.1	2.0
New vehicles		157.135	159.984	163.240	13.3	3.9	2.0
New cars and trucks(2)(3)		108.984	110.971	113.168	13.4	3.8	2.0
New cars(3)		146.816	149.375	154.044	14.5	4.9	3.1
Used cars and trucks		200.592	205.923	211.265	32.8	5.3	2.6
Motor fuel		270.912	283.299	294.222	56.8	8.6	3.9
Gasoline (all types)		269.979	282.237	293.146	57.1	8.6	3.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		267.337	279.880	290.834	59.0	8.8	3.9
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		286.199	297.383	308.390	48.8	7.8	3.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		276.861	286.894	297.120	44.9	7.3	3.6
Motor vehicle insurance(5)		616.376	619.073	617.093	4.1	0.1	-0.3
Medical care		549.485	550.296	552.929	1.2	0.6	0.5
Medical care commodities		382.207	385.545	384.047	0.4	0.5	-0.4
Medical care services		598.502	598.512	602.428	1.4	0.7	0.7
Professional services		420.742	420.936	423.630	3.8	0.7	0.6
Recreation(2)		131.655	132.516	133.629	3.3	1.5	0.8
Education and communication(2)		152.328	152.601	152.713	2.7	0.3	0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,341.166	1,343.986	1,343.702	2.6	0.2	0.0
Other goods and services		533.200	536.030	533.916	4.6	0.1	-0.4
Commodity and service group
Commodities		207.957	210.785	212.633	12.0	2.2	0.9
Commodities less food and beverages		166.255	169.286	171.042	17.0	2.9	1.0
Nondurables less food and beverages		209.180	212.853	213.972	17.1	2.3	0.5
Durables		116.298	118.513	120.481	16.9	3.6	1.7
Services		361.742	362.587	363.950	2.8	0.6	0.4
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		255.757	258.384	260.254	7.9	1.8	0.7
All items less medical care		274.843	276.703	278.257	6.4	1.2	0.6
Commodities less food		170.051	173.006	174.735	16.3	2.8	1.0
Nondurables		246.859	249.728	251.204	10.3	1.8	0.6
Nondurables less food		212.603	216.030	217.102	15.7	2.1	0.5
Services less rent of shelter(1)		359.250	361.520	363.435	3.4	1.2	0.5
Services less medical care services		345.430	346.333	347.519	3.0	0.6	0.3
Energy		238.073	247.925	253.737	32.5	6.6	2.3
All items less energy		294.476	295.580	296.816	4.3	0.8	0.4
All items less food and energy		297.763	298.688	299.803	4.1	0.7	0.4
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.