Prices in the Northeast Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that this was due to counteracting price changes between the food index (down 0.2 percent), the all items less food and energy index (unchanged), and the 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 2.5 percent. The November advance was primarily due to a 3.5-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index, which was led by increases within the shelter index. The food index rose 2.7 percent—the smallest rise in 2023 so far—as increases continued to moderate since the year began. The energy index decreased 7.8 percent and has been lower than the year before every month since March. (See table 1.) Since March 2023, the 12-month change in the all items index has been lower than the all items less food and energy index. (See chart 1.)

  

View Chart Data

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Nov 2023	2.5	3.5

In November, the food index decreased 0.2 percent (the largest decline in the index since February 2021) as the food at home index also declined (down 0.5 percent—the fifth and largest such decline in 2023). (See table 1.)  Most grocery categories were down over the month, including other food at home (down 1.1 percent, the largest decrease in that index since it began) and fruits and vegetables (down 1.5 percent, mainly due to declines in canned fruits and vegetables prices). Cereals and bakery products (up 0.5 percent) and dairy and related products (up 0.6 percent) were the only food at home indexes to rise. Prices for food away from home rose 0.4 percent over the month.

From November 2022 to November 2023, food prices continued to moderate, up 2.7 percent—the 12-month rate of increase slowed every month in 2023 after starting the year at 9.7 percent. Food away from home prices rose 5.3 percent, while the food at home index was up just 1.4 percent. This was the smallest over-the year increase in grocery prices since July 2021; the increases peaked at 12.0 percent in August 2022. Nearly all grocery categories rose over the year, including the other food at home index (up 2.6 percent), cereals and bakery products (up 3.4 percent), and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (up 4.1 percent). The only grocery item to decline from last November was meats, poultry, fish, and eggs—decreasing for the seventh consecutive month—down 1.4 percent.

The energy index increased 0.1 percent in November, up after a 2.2-percent decline last month (energy prices decreased in 7 of the last 12 months). The November increase was led by a 9.7-percent increase in the utility (piped) gas service index, which typically increases in November. The electricity index also contributed to the overall rise as it was up 2.7 percent, although it has declined in 7 of the last 12 months. The gasoline index decreased 4.7 percent over the month, tempering the increase, and the fuel oil index was also down.

Over the year, energy prices were down 7.8 percent; this was the ninth month of year-over-year declines, ranging from -3.4 to -17.0 percent. The November decline was driven by lower prices for gasoline (down 7.7 percent), utility (piped) gas service (down 15.0 percent, following a decline of 21.6 percent in October), and fuel oil. The electricity index was up 2.0 percent, the only energy component to increase—the rise followed a 0.6-percent decline in October and is well below the February peak of 23.2 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in November due to a mixture of positive and negative movements that were spread throughout the components of the index. The shelter index was up 0.4 percent over the month, with owner’s equivalent rent of residences (up 0.6 percent) and rent of primary residence (up 0.4 percent) contributing to the increase. Falling prices for lodging away from home counteracted some of the rise. The medical care index and the new and used vehicle index were both up 0.4 percent. Several components decreased, including apparel (down 5.2 percent, this index typically declines in November), household furnishings and operations (down 0.6 percent), and recreation (down 0.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy was up 3.5 percent, as the shelter index component increased 6.4 percent. Owner’s equivalent rent of residences was up 6.6 percent and rent of primary residence had a 6.5-percent increase. The only major component of the all items less food and energy index to decline was the medical care index, down 4.7 percent, for a ninth consecutive over-the-year decrease. This decline was driven by a 6.2-percent decrease in the medical care services index.

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 0.4 percent.

Over the year, the all items index rose 2.8 percent in the Middle Atlantic division and 2.0 percent in the New England division.(See table B.)

The December 2023 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region is scheduled to be released on January 11, 2024.

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, Northeast Region, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from
	Historical data	Sep. 2023	Oct. 2023	Nov. 2023	Nov. 2022	Sep. 2023	Oct. 2023
All items		316.373	316.300	316.252	2.5	0.0	0.0
All items (December 1977 = 100)		498.191	498.076	498.000
Food and beverages		324.377	326.008	325.397	2.8	0.3	-0.2
Food		326.593	328.271	327.572	2.7	0.3	-0.2
Food at home		306.771	308.342	306.717	1.4	0.0	-0.5
Cereals and bakery products		386.251	386.634	388.714	3.4	0.6	0.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		307.700	308.970	307.669	-1.4	0.0	-0.4
Dairy and related products		281.719	279.994	281.626	0.3	0.0	0.6
Fruits and vegetables		356.376	362.625	357.172	0.7	0.2	-1.5
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		214.879	215.927	215.612	4.1	0.3	-0.1
Other food at home		279.541	280.625	277.526	2.6	-0.7	-1.1
Food away from home		360.909	362.775	364.256	5.3	0.9	0.4
Alcoholic beverages		293.809	294.792	295.374	4.0	0.5	0.2
Housing		339.281	339.349	341.316	4.3	0.6	0.6
Shelter		416.575	417.687	419.375	6.4	0.7	0.4
Rent of primary residence		419.414	421.432	423.237	6.5	0.9	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		431.564	433.092	435.554	6.6	0.9	0.6
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		431.179	432.688	435.143	6.6	0.9	0.6
Fuels and utilities		290.749	286.199	294.997	-5.9	1.5	3.1
Household energy		259.094	254.205	263.481	-7.5	1.7	3.6
Energy services		248.919	243.595	255.200	-4.0	2.5	4.8
Electricity		263.300	256.473	263.322	2.0	0.0	2.7
Utility (piped) gas service		204.109	201.952	221.491	-15.0	8.5	9.7
Household furnishings and operations		143.691	143.340	142.503	0.8	-0.8	-0.6
Apparel		136.951	135.288	128.189	0.1	-6.4	-5.2
Transportation		263.247	263.135	261.067	2.5	-0.8	-0.8
Private transportation		263.044	262.200	259.919	3.0	-1.2	-0.9
New and used motor vehicles(2)		127.377	126.272	126.799	1.8	-0.5	0.4
New vehicles		175.567	175.536	175.000	2.0	-0.3	-0.3
New cars(3)		165.544	165.556	165.466	1.5	0.0	-0.1
Used cars and trucks		199.216	196.510	198.124	-3.3	-0.5	0.8
Motor fuel		322.306	313.683	299.039	-8.0	-7.2	-4.7
Gasoline (all types)		321.733	312.856	298.096	-7.7	-7.3	-4.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		317.127	307.625	292.560	-8.1	-7.7	-4.9
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		347.644	341.990	328.683	-5.6	-5.5	-3.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		341.418	336.743	324.423	-4.7	-5.0	-3.7
Medical care		556.263	548.512	550.861	-4.7	-1.0	0.4
Medical care commodities		400.240	400.017	403.345	3.3	0.8	0.8
Medical care services		601.994	591.982	594.027	-6.2	-1.3	0.3
Professional services		435.698	423.086	424.812	-1.4	-2.5	0.4
Recreation(2)		139.950	141.088	140.427	1.9	0.3	-0.5
Education and communication(2)		155.620	154.955	154.627	0.0	-0.6	-0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,420.287	1,414.154	1,410.737	2.6	-0.7	-0.2
Other goods and services		593.468	598.691	599.697	5.4	1.0	0.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		230.373	229.933	227.448	0.0	-1.3	-1.1
Commodities less food and beverages		181.083	179.821	176.693	-2.0	-2.4	-1.7
Nondurables less food and beverages		235.428	233.246	226.699	-2.6	-3.7	-2.8
Durables		122.274	121.772	121.256	-1.4	-0.8	-0.4
Services		399.003	399.275	401.523	4.0	0.6	0.6
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		281.577	281.052	280.341	0.5	-0.4	-0.3
All items less medical care		305.855	306.133	305.975	3.2	0.0	-0.1
Commodities less food		185.264	184.056	181.010	-1.7	-2.3	-1.7
Nondurables		279.405	279.085	275.433	0.4	-1.4	-1.3
Nondurables less food		238.817	236.831	230.729	-2.1	-3.4	-2.6
Services less rent of shelter(1)		392.569	391.875	394.910	1.2	0.6	0.8
Services less medical care services		385.015	386.008	388.271	5.2	0.8	0.6
Energy		284.786	278.447	278.696	-7.8	-2.1	0.1
All items less energy		323.269	323.738	323.663	3.4	0.1	0.0
All items less food and energy		324.736	324.997	325.031	3.5	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.