Prices in the Northeast Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted this third consecutive month of no change was due to counteracting price changes between the energy index (down 2.9 percent), the all items less food and energy index (up 0.2 percent), and the food index (unchanged). (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 2.6 percent. Like last month, the December 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 2.4 percent—the smallest rise in 2023—as increases continued to moderate since the year began. The energy index decreased 6.8 percent. (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, December 2020–December 2023

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Dec 2023	2.6	3.5

In December, the food index was unchanged as the food at home index declined 0.2 percent. (See table 1.)  Grocery price categories had a mix of rises and falls, led by a 1.5-percent decline in cereals and bakery products (the largest decrease in that index since October 2018). Dairy and related products prices were down 0.8 percent and the other food at home index declined 0.2 percent. Grocery categories that increased included nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (up 0.8 percent) and fruits and vegetables (up 0.2 percent). Prices for food away from home rose 0.4 percent over the month.

From December 2022 to December 2023, food prices continued to moderate, up 2.4 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 1.0 percent. This was the smallest over-the year increase in grocery prices since June 2021; the increases peaked at 12.0 percent in August 2022. Half of the grocery categories rose over the year, including the nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials index (up 5.2 percent), other food at home (up 1.7 percent), and cereals and bakery products (up 2.5 percent). The grocery categories that declined were meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (down 1.0 percent), fruits and vegetables (down 0.7 percent—the first decline in this index since March 2020), and dairy and related products (down 0.1 percent—the first decline in the index since August 2021).

The energy index decreased 2.9 percent in December as all components declined, down after a 0.1-percent increase last month (energy prices decreased 7 months out of the year). The December decrease was led by a 4.5-percent decline in the gasoline index. Fuel oil was also down. Both the electricity index and utility (piped) gas index were down 1.2 percent over the month.

Over the year, energy prices were down 6.8 percent. The December decline was driven by lower prices for utility (piped) gas service (down 18.3 percent). The other energy components also declined including gasoline (down 3.7 percent), fuel oil, and electricity (down 1.8 percent—the largest decline in this index since October 2019).

The index for all items less food and energy was up 0.2 percent in December, primarily due to a 0.7-percent increase in the shelter index. Within shelter, owners’ equivalent rent of residences was up 0.4 percent, lodging away from home rose, and rent of primary residence increased 0.5 percent. The recreation index had a 0.5-percent rise over the month and the medical care index was up 0.2 percent. Some indexes declined and tempered the all items less food and energy rise, including new and used motor vehicles (down 1.9 percent), public transportation, and apparel (down 0.8 percent—this index has declined in every December since it began in 1987).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy was up 3.5 percent, as the shelter index component increased 6.5 percent. Owners’ equivalent rent of residences increased 6.4 percent, while rent of primary residence went up 6.1 percent and lodging away from home also rose. A 4.3-percent decline in the medical care index softened the rise of the all items less food and energy index. The medical care decline was driven by a 5.7-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 was unchanged. The CPI-U for the New England division decreased 0.1 percent.

Over the year, the all items index rose 2.7 percent in the Middle Atlantic division and 2.3 percent in the New England division.(See table B.)

The January 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region is scheduled to be released on February 13, 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	Oct. 2023	Nov. 2023	Dec. 2023	Dec. 2022	Oct. 2023	Nov. 2023
All items		316.300	316.252	316.143	2.6	0.0	0.0
All items (December 1977 = 100)		498.076	498.000	497.828
Food and beverages		326.008	325.397	325.301	2.5	-0.2	0.0
Food		328.271	327.572	327.483	2.4	-0.2	0.0
Food at home		308.342	306.717	306.005	1.0	-0.8	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		386.634	388.714	382.875	2.5	-1.0	-1.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		308.970	307.669	307.787	-1.0	-0.4	0.0
Dairy and related products		279.994	281.626	279.241	-0.1	-0.3	-0.8
Fruits and vegetables		362.625	357.172	357.766	-0.7	-1.3	0.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		215.927	215.612	217.392	5.2	0.7	0.8
Other food at home		280.625	277.526	276.835	1.7	-1.4	-0.2
Food away from home		362.775	364.256	365.615	5.3	0.8	0.4
Alcoholic beverages		294.792	295.374	295.183	3.3	0.1	-0.1
Housing		339.349	341.316	342.437	4.2	0.9	0.3
Shelter		417.687	419.375	422.128	6.5	1.1	0.7
Rent of primary residence		421.432	423.237	425.176	6.1	0.9	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		433.092	435.554	437.360	6.4	1.0	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		432.688	435.143	436.925	6.4	1.0	0.4
Fuels and utilities		286.199	294.997	290.304	-6.7	1.4	-1.6
Household energy		254.205	263.481	258.519	-8.5	1.7	-1.9
Energy services		243.595	255.200	252.083	-7.6	3.5	-1.2
Electricity		256.473	263.322	260.114	-1.8	1.4	-1.2
Utility (piped) gas service		201.952	221.491	218.772	-18.3	8.3	-1.2
Household furnishings and operations		143.340	142.503	142.213	-0.8	-0.8	-0.2
Apparel		135.288	128.189	127.171	0.7	-6.0	-0.8
Transportation		263.135	261.067	257.472	2.5	-2.2	-1.4
Private transportation		262.200	259.919	256.584	2.8	-2.1	-1.3
New and used motor vehicles(2)		126.272	126.799	124.402	-0.7	-1.5	-1.9
New vehicles		175.536	175.000	174.597	1.7	-0.5	-0.2
New cars(3)		165.556	165.466	164.646	0.8	-0.5	-0.5
Used cars and trucks		196.510	198.124	198.313	-0.7	0.9	0.1
Motor fuel		313.683	299.039	285.602	-4.0	-9.0	-4.5
Gasoline (all types)		312.856	298.096	284.588	-3.7	-9.0	-4.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		307.625	292.560	278.749	-4.0	-9.4	-4.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		341.990	328.683	316.069	-2.9	-7.6	-3.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		336.743	324.423	313.370	-2.1	-6.9	-3.4
Medical care		548.512	550.861	551.897	-4.3	0.6	0.2
Medical care commodities		400.017	403.345	404.924	3.0	1.2	0.4
Medical care services		591.982	594.027	594.896	-5.7	0.5	0.1
Professional services		423.086	424.812	424.875	-1.5	0.4	0.0
Recreation(2)		141.088	140.427	141.161	2.7	0.1	0.5
Education and communication(2)		154.955	154.627	154.568	0.2	-0.2	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,414.154	1,410.737	1,410.104	2.5	-0.3	0.0
Other goods and services		598.691	599.697	599.255	5.9	0.1	-0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		229.933	227.448	225.941	0.5	-1.7	-0.7
Commodities less food and beverages		179.821	176.693	174.684	-1.0	-2.9	-1.1
Nondurables less food and beverages		233.246	226.699	223.166	-0.6	-4.3	-1.6
Durables		121.772	121.256	120.492	-1.5	-1.1	-0.6
Services		399.275	401.523	402.731	3.8	0.9	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		281.052	280.341	279.140	0.5	-0.7	-0.4
All items less medical care		306.133	305.975	305.814	3.2	-0.1	-0.1
Commodities less food		184.056	181.010	179.038	-0.8	-2.7	-1.1
Nondurables		279.085	275.433	273.576	1.2	-2.0	-0.7
Nondurables less food		236.831	230.729	227.405	-0.3	-4.0	-1.4
Services less rent of shelter(1)		391.875	394.910	394.345	0.5	0.6	-0.1
Services less medical care services		386.008	388.271	389.504	4.9	0.9	0.3
Energy		278.447	278.696	270.482	-6.8	-2.9	-2.9
All items less energy		323.738	323.663	324.256	3.3	0.2	0.2
All items less food and energy		324.997	325.031	325.747	3.5	0.2	0.2
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.