The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast inched up 0.1 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that the recent increase was largely due to a 0.9-percent increase in the energy index. The food index inched down 0.1 percent over the month, while the all items less food and energy index was 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 increased 1.7 percent, due largely to a 1.3-percent advance in the all items less food and energy index. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index and food index also increased, up 7.3 and 1.2 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index inched down 0.1 percent since April. Prices for food at home edged down 0.3 percent, while prices for food away from home inched up 0.1 percent over the month.

From May 2016 to May 2017, the food index rose 1.2 percent, as prices for food away from home increased 2.4 percent and prices for food at home edged up 0.3 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, increased 0.9 percent since April, mostly due to a 3.2-percent advance in electricity prices over the month. Prices for gasoline edged up 0.2 percent, while those for utility (piped) gas service decreased 0.9 percent. 

The energy index increased 7.3 percent since May 2016. The advance was led by a 7.5-percent rise in gasoline prices. Prices also increased over the year for electricity (4.7 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (12.0 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged over the month. Price increases for categories including shelter (0.2 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (0.3 percent) were offset by price decreases for apparel (-1.4 percent) and education and communication (-0.3 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.3 percent since May 2016, led by higher prices for shelter (2.4 percent). Prices were also higher over the year for several other categories including medical care (1.6 percent) and recreation (2.4 percent).

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

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.3	1.8	0.6	1.5	-0.2	-0.4	0.0	0.7	0.6	2.5
February	0.6	2.0	0.1	1.0	0.2	-0.2	0.2	0.7	0.3	2.6
March	0.0	1.5	0.5	1.5	0.3	-0.4	0.2	0.6	-0.1	2.2
April	-0.1	1.1	0.0	1.6	0.1	-0.3	0.6	1.0	0.3	1.9
May	0.0	1.2	0.4	2.0	0.4	-0.3	0.3	0.9	0.1	1.7
June	0.1	1.5	0.0	1.9	0.3	0.0	0.2	0.7
July	0.2	1.8	0.1	1.8	-0.1	-0.2	0.0	0.8
August	0.2	1.5	-0.3	1.3	-0.2	-0.1	0.1	1.0
September	0.1	1.1	0.0	1.2	0.0	-0.1	0.2	1.3
October	-0.4	0.7	-0.2	1.4	-0.2	-0.1	0.2	1.6
November	0.1	1.0	-0.4	0.9	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.6
December	0.0	1.3	-0.5	0.4	-0.4	0.5	0.0	1.9

The Consumer Price Index for June 2017 is scheduled to be released Friday, July 14, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 28 percent of the total 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 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 (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period "market basket" of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch17.pdf.

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.

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