The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast increased 0.4 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Frank Waligorski noted that the recent increase reflected a rise in the energy index (4.0 percent) and the all items less food and energy index (0.2 percent) since December. The food index also increased over the month, up 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 increased 1.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) This reflected an advance in the all items less food and energy index, up 1.1 percent. The food index also rose, up 3.5 percent, while the energy index fell 3.3 percent since January 2020. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index edged up 0.2 percent since December. Prices were higher for both food away from home and food at home, up 0.4 and 0.1 percent, respectively.

From January 2020 to January 2021, the food index increased 3.5 percent. Prices for food away from home increased over the year, up 4.3 percent; those for food at home also rose, up 2.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, rose 4.0 percent in January, led by a 7.0-percent advance in gasoline prices. Prices were also higher for electricity (1.6 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (1.1 percent) over the month.

The energy index fell 3.3 percent since January 2020. The decrease reflected a drop in prices for gasoline (-7.5 percent). Prices for electricity and for utility (piped) gas service rose over the year, up 2.4 and 2.2 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent over the month. Price increases for apparel (6.4 percent), medical care (0.5 percent), and household furnishings and operations (0.6 percent) were moderated by lower prices for recreation (-0.9 percent) and other goods and services (-0.8 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.1 percent since January 2020, led by higher prices for shelter (1.3 percent), particularly those for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (1.8 percent). Prices also increased for used cars and trucks (9.9 percent) over the year.

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
March	-0.1	2.2	0.1	2.0	0.5	1.7	-02	1.7
April	0.3	1.9	0.4	2.1	0.4	1.7	-0.4	0.8
May	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.5	0.3	1.5	0.0	0.6
June	0.0	1.5	0.0	2.6	0.1	1.6	0.3	0.8
July	-0.2	1.3	0.0	2.7	0.1	1.7	0.4	1.1
August	0.3	1.6	0.2	2.7	0.1	1.5	0.1	1.1
September	0.5	1.9	0.1	2.2	0.0	1.4	0.1	1.2
October	-0.1	1.5	-0.1	2.3	-0.1	1.5	-0.2	1.1
November	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.9	0.1	1.9	0.1	1.1
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 increased in the New England division, up 0.5 percent, and the Middle Atlantic division, up 0.4 percent.

Over the year, prices rose in the Middle Atlantic division, up 1.3 percent. The all items index also rose in the New England division (0.6 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	0.4	1.1
New England Division	0.5	0.6
Middle Atlantic Division	0.4	1.3

The Consumer Price Index for February 2021 is scheduled to be released Wednesday, March 10, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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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