Prices in the Northeast Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that was due to counteracting price changes in the energy index (down 2.2 percent) and increases in the food index (up 0.5 percent) and the all items less food and energy index (up 0.1 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 increased 2.7 percent. The October advance was primarily due to a 3.4-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index, which was led by increases within the shelter index. The food index rose 3.1 percent—the smallest rise in 2023 so far—as increases continued to diminish since the year began. The energy index decreased 5.8 percent and has trended down every month since March. (See table 1.)This is the eighth consecutive month that the 12-month change in the all items index has been lower than the all items less food and energy index. (See chart 1.) The October all items less food and energy index increase was the lowest since September 2021.

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Northeast region, October 2020–October 2023

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Oct 2020	1.1	1.5
Nov 2020	1.1	1.5
Dec 2020	1.4	1.6
Jan 2021	1.1	1.1
Feb 2021	1.2	0.8
Mar 2021	2.1	1.3
Apr 2021	3.3	2.5
May 2021	3.9	3.0
Jun 2021	4.6	3.9
Jul 2021	4.3	3.5
Aug 2021	4.4	3.2
Sep 2021	4.6	3.2
Oct 2021	5.4	3.7
Nov 2021	6.0	4.1
Dec 2021	5.9	4.3
Jan 2022	6.3	4.6
Feb 2022	6.6	5.0
Mar 2022	7.3	5.0
Apr 2022	7.2	4.9
May 2022	7.5	4.6
Jun 2022	7.6	4.4
Jul 2022	7.3	4.3
Aug 2022	7.4	5.0
Sep 2022	7.2	5.4
Oct 2022	6.9	5.2
Nov 2022	6.4	4.7
Dec 2022	6.1	4.8
Jan 2023	6.0	4.9
Feb 2023	5.9	5.1
Mar 2023	4.3	4.5
Apr 2023	3.8	4.2
May 2023	3.1	4.3
Jun 2023	2.2	3.8
Jul 2023	2.6	4.0
Aug 2023	2.8	3.7
Sep 2023	3.0	3.5
Oct 2023	2.7	3.4

In October, the food index increased 0.5 percent as both the food at home and food away from home indexes were up by 0.5 percent. (See table 1.)  Most grocery category prices increased; fruit and vegetables prices led the advance, up 1.8 percent over the month (the largest increase since February 2022). All other grocery categories were up, ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 percent, except for dairy and related products, which declined 0.6 percent.

From October 2022 to October 2023, food prices moderated for the 10^th consecutive month, up 3.1 percent following a 3.6-percent increase in September. Food away from home prices rose 5.1 percent, also down from last month’s increase (6.0 percent). The food at home index was up just 2.1 percent, well below the 11.9-percent advance in the index last October. Within the grocery categories, the other food at home index was up 3.4 percent over the year. The only grocery item to decline from last October was meats, poultry, fish, and eggs—decreasing for the sixth consecutive month—down 0.9 percent.

The energy index decreased 2.2 percent in October, the sixth decline so far in 2023. The gasoline index influenced the energy index the most as it was down 2.8 percent, the first decline in the index since March 2023. Declines in the electricity index (down 2.6 percent), the utility (piped) gas service index (down 1.1 percent), and the fuel oil index also contributed.

Over the year, energy prices were down 5.8 percent; this was the eighth month of year over year declines, ranging from -3.4 to -17.0 percent. A 21.6-percent decrease in the utility (piped) gas index was the main contributor, down for the seventh month in a row. The fuel oil index also declined alongside a 0.6-percent decrease in the electricity index. Gasoline prices were the only energy component to rise over the year, up 1.5 percent. From February through August of this year gasoline prices were lower than the year before.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in October. This was primarily due to a 0.3-percent increase in prices for shelter, and within shelter a 0.4-percent rise in the owners’ equivalent rent of residences index. Rent of primary residence was up 0.5 percent while lodging away from home prices declined. Higher prices for recreation (up 0.8 percent) and other goods and services (up 0.9 percent) were offset by declines in other components of the all items less food and energy index. The medical care index was down 1.4 percent, driven by a 1.7-percent decrease in the medical care services index. Prices for new and used motor vehicles also decreased (down 0.9 percent) as the used cars and trucks index was down 1.4 percent. The apparel index declined 1.2 percent, as it has in October for the last 4 years.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy was up 3.4 percent, as the shelter index component increased 6.3-percent . Within shelter, owners’ equivalent rent of residences was up 6.6 percent, rent of primary residence similarly rose 6.7 percent, and lodging away from home declined, repeating the pattern seen in the 1-month changes. Moderating the index for all items less food and energy, the medical care index was down 5.4 percent, due to a 7.0-percent decline in the medical care services index—the largest decrease in both indexes since they began in 1978.

Additional price indexes are available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U index for the Middle Atlantic division decreased 0.1 percent. The CPI-U for the New England division increased 0.1 percent.

Over the year, the all items index rose 2.9 percent in the Middle Atlantic division and 2.0 percent in the New England division. (See table B.)

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

The Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region is published monthly. 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, 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Aug. 2023	Sep. 2023	Oct. 2023	Oct. 2022	Aug. 2023	Sep. 2023
All items		305.742		306.276	3.5	0.2
All items (1967 = 100)		883.273		884.814
Food and beverages		293.358		295.513	2.6	0.7
Food		295.847		298.064	2.6	0.7
Food at home		301.578	301.027	303.087	1.4	0.5	0.7
Cereals and bakery products		410.679	406.961	418.128	2.9	1.8	2.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		326.982	336.453	332.292	-2.4	1.6	-1.2
Dairy and related products		234.758	242.903	238.582	2.4	1.6	-1.8
Fruits and vegetables		301.499	296.283	301.286	0.0	-0.1	1.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		203.553	201.181	204.871	4.1	0.6	1.8
Other food at home		295.207	290.386	292.343	2.3	-1.0	0.7
Food away from home		279.624		282.847	4.6	1.2
Alcoholic beverages		255.338		256.560	2.4	0.5
Housing		323.937		325.692	5.5	0.5
Shelter		398.086	400.475	401.411	6.9	0.8	0.2
Rent of primary residence		371.788	373.724	376.732	7.6	1.3	0.8
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)		407.564	410.137	412.357	7.4	1.2	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)		407.564	410.137	412.357	7.4	1.2	0.5
Fuels and utilities		273.223		268.105	-5.1	-1.9
Household energy		225.845	223.222	220.542	-6.6	-2.3	-1.2
Energy services		235.561	230.949	227.590	-1.4	-3.4	-1.5
Electricity		236.945	230.580	227.542	5.4	-4.0	-1.3
Utility (piped) gas service		214.934	214.714	210.862	-14.4	-1.9	-1.8
Household furnishings and operations		144.647		145.579	6.0	0.6
Apparel		112.350		112.500	1.7	0.1
Transportation		271.899		269.873	2.2	-0.7
Private transportation		283.340		280.222	3.4	-1.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)		136.510		134.377	1.3	-1.6
New vehicles(1)		239.279		239.277	2.5	0.0
Used cars and trucks(1)		369.749		346.752	-6.7	-6.2
Motor fuel		352.600	350.299	332.882	-3.6	-5.6	-5.0
Gasoline (all types)		348.054	345.751	328.534	-3.6	-5.6	-5.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		343.957	341.114	322.966	-3.9	-6.1	-5.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		356.261	356.564	344.216	-2.8	-3.4	-3.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		350.981	352.035	341.572	-2.0	-2.7	-3.0
Medical care		590.806		587.828	-2.2	-0.5
Recreation(3)		134.441		132.016	-0.5	-1.8
Education and communication(3)		137.893		138.597	2.4	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,143.332		1,158.191	4.5	1.3
Other goods and services		683.713		685.933	10.7	0.3
Commodity and service group
Commodities		223.510		223.443	0.7	0.0
Commodities less food and beverages		185.192		184.208	-0.5	-0.5
Nondurables less food and beverages		228.959		227.241	-1.6	-0.8
Durables		134.256		133.893	0.8	-0.3
Services		387.989		389.045	4.9	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		274.574		273.917	1.5	-0.2
All items less medical care		293.600		294.271	4.0	0.2
Commodities less food		188.208		187.273	-0.3	-0.5
Nondurables		262.275		262.437	0.6	0.1
Nondurables less food		230.770		229.213	-1.3	-0.7
Services less rent of shelter(2)		384.313		382.522	2.4	-0.5
Services less medical care services		372.344		373.548	5.8	0.3
Energy		272.718	270.129	262.626	-5.4	-3.7	-2.8
All items less energy		312.530		313.962	4.2	0.5
All items less food and energy		318.452		319.773	4.4	0.4
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.