Prices in the Northeast Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased by 0.1 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the November increase was predominantly due to higher prices for energy, up 2.2 percent, as gasoline prices rose for the first time in 4 months. Tempering the overall increase, the all items less food and energy index was down 0.1 percent— the first decrease in almost 2 years while the food index rose by 0.2 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 index rose 6.4 percent, lower than the recent peak of 7.6 percent in June 2022. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index, up 4.7 percent, was mostly credited for the over-the-year increase in November. The energy index increased 19.1 percent over the year with 12-month increases across all energy components while the food index advanced 9.7 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.2 percent for the month of November, the smallest increase since May 2021 and well below the peak of 1.3 percent in July 2022. (See table 1.) Of the two major components within the food index, prices for food away from home increased 0.3 percent and were responsible for the majority of the rise in food prices; it was the third consecutive month where that index outpaced the one for groceries. Food at home prices advanced 0.1 percent—the smallest increase since February 2021. Higher prices for cereals and bakery products (0.7 percent), and dairy and related products (0.9 percent) led the increase. Moderating these increases, prices for other food at home were down 0.3 percent—the largest decline since February 2021. Fruits and vegetables, down 0.2 percent, and nonalcoholic beverages, down 0.1 percent, also tempered the rise in the grocery index.

From November 2021 to November 2022, the food index increased 9.7 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 11.2 percent since a year ago, led by an increase of 12.6 percent for other food at home and a 17.3 percent rise in cereals and bakery products—the highest 12-month increase for the cereals index since reporting began in 2018. Prices for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 6.6 percent—the smallest increase since August 2021 and considerably lower than the 11.9 percent peak in February. The dairy and related products index saw its highest increase since reporting began in 2018 with a 15.4 percent rise in prices. Prices for food away from home rose 7.3 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased, up 2.2 percent over the month, due to rises in the motor fuel index; the November increase and a 0.3 percent over-the-month increase in October came after 3 months of lower prices. All components of the household energy index rose in November. Gasoline prices were up 4.8 percent following a 4-month decline. The index for utility (piped) gas service advanced 1.2 percent over the month, following a 3.0 percent decrease in October. Prices for fuel oil and electricity both rose, with the electricity index increasing 0.1 percent after 2 months of lower prices.

Energy prices increased over the year, up 19.1 percent, noticeably below the peak of 44.2 percent in June. Over the year, prices for electricity were up 18.6 percent, the fuel oil index rose, and the utility (piped) gas service index was up 23.5 percent. Gasoline prices advanced 10.1 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.1 percent in November, the first decrease since December 2020, as many indexes declined or were unchanged. The largest decline in its 24-year series had prices for new and used motor vehicles down 2.0 percent; with lower prices for used cars and trucks (down 2.8 percent) leading the decline. Apparel prices also decreased (down 2.9 percent); lower prices for medical care (down 0.3 percent) and the other goods and services index (down 0.2 percent) also contributed to all items less food and energy index decline. The shelter index (up 0.3 percent) moderated the overall decrease as the indexes for owners' equivalent rent of residences and for rent of primary residence both rose (up 0.5 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively). Increases in prices for education and communication (up 0.7 percent, the largest increase since July 2020) and public transportation contributed to offsetting the overall decline.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.7 percent. The 12-month increases in the shelter index (up 4.9 percent), the new and used motor vehicles index (up 5.0 percent – the smallest 12-month rise since March 2021 and notably below the 23.2 percent peak in February 2022), the medical care index (up 4.5 percent after the recent peak of 6.1 percent in September 2022), and household furnishings and operations (up 6.6 percent after a peak of 9.3 percent in April 2022) contributed to the increase in the all items less food and energy index. Within the shelter index, gains were led by the index for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (up 4.8 percent— the highest 12-month increase since February 2007) and rent of primary residence (up 5.3 percent – the highest since May 1990). The medical care services index increased 5.1 percent, contributing to the 4.5 percent rise in the medical care index. Prices for new vehicles were up 5.1 percent, leading the new and used motor vehicles index gains, but were the smallest since July 2021 and far less than last November’s 13.3 percent peak.

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U index for the New England division increased by 0.4 percent. For the Middle Atlantic division, the all items CPI-U index remained unchanged over the month.

Over the year, the all items index advanced 6.4 percent in both the New England and Middle Atlantic divisions. (See table B.)

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

Month	2018		2019		2020		2021		2022
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.5	1.6	0.3	1.5	0.7	2.3	0.4	1.1	0.8	6.3
February	0.4	1.7	0.2	1.3	0.3	2.4	0.4	1.2	0.7	6.6
March	0.1	2.0	0.5	1.7	-0.2	1.7	0.6	2.1	1.3	7.3
April	0.4	2.1	0.4	1.7	-0.4	0.8	0.7	3.3	0.6	7.2
May	0.4	2.5	0.3	1.5	0.0	0.6	0.6	3.9	0.9	7.5
June	0.0	2.6	0.1	1.6	0.3	0.8	1.0	4.6	1.2	7.6
July	0.0	2.7	0.1	1.7	0.4	1.1	0.2	4.3	-0.2	7.3
August	0.2	2.7	0.1	1.5	0.1	1.1	0.1	4.4	0.3	7.4
September	0.1	2.2	0.0	1.4	0.1	1.2	0.3	4.6	0.1	7.2
October	-0.1	2.3	-0.1	1.5	-0.2	1.1	0.6	5.4	0.3	6.9
November	-0.4	1.9	0.1	1.9	0.1	1.1	0.6	6.0	0.1	6.4
December	-0.1	1.7	-0.1	1.9	0.2	1.4	0.2	5.9

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	6.4
New England Division	0.4	6.4
Middle Atlantic Division	0.0	6.4

The December 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region is scheduled to be released on January 12, 2023.

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.

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