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News Release Information

24-1913-PHI
Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Consumer Price Index, Northeast Region – August 2024

Area prices were up 0.2 percent over the past month, up 3.4 percent from a year ago.

Prices in the Northeast Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), rose 0.2 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the rise was primarily due to increases in the shelter and apparel indexes. These contributed to the 0.5-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. The food index was also up over the month (0.1 percent) and the energy index tempered the overall increase as it declined 2.0 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 3.4 percent, mainly because of a 6.3-percent rise in the shelter index within the all items less food and energy index (up 4.0 percent). (See chart 1.) Food prices rose 2.2 percent, the same as last month. Energy prices decreased 1.3 percent, mostly due to a decline in gasoline prices. (See table 1.) 

Food

In August, the food index was up 0.1 percent over the month, mainly driven by a 0.2-percent increase in prices for food away from home. (See table 1.) The food at home index remained unchanged over the month. The meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index was up 1.8 percent (the largest index increase since May 2022), mostly due to price increases for chicken and eggs. Prices for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials decreased 1.8 percent, partially because of lower prices for coffee. The other food at home index also declined, down 0.6 percent.

From August 2023 to August 2024, the food index increased 2.2 percent as the food away from home index advanced 4.2 percent. Prices for food at home were up 1.0 percent, led by the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index (up 4.1 percent—the fifth consecutive month of rising increases). The nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials index was up 2.0 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index decreased 2.0 percent over the month (the first index decline in 2024), mostly due to a 2.5-percent decrease in prices for gasoline. The electricity index was down 1.1 percent. The utility (piped) gas service index declined 2.3 percent, and fuel oil prices also decreased.

Over the year, energy prices were down 1.3 percent, predominantly due to the gasoline index (down 8.0 percent, the largest index decline since last August). The fuel oil index also decreased. Prices for electricity increased 7.9 percent over the year as utility (piped) gas service prices rose 1.8 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was up 0.5 percent in August after a 0.1-percent decline in July. This was largely due to a 0.6-percent increase in the shelter index. Within shelter, the owners’ equivalent rent of residences index was also up 0.6 percent, and the rent of primary residence index rose 0.7 percent. The apparel index also contributed to the overall rise as it advanced 2.8 percent over the month. The 0.5-percent increase in the education and communication index was led by a 0.9-percent uptick in prices for tuition, other school fees, and childcare.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy was up 4.0 percent, mainly because of the 6.3-percent rise in the shelter index. Within shelter, the owners’ equivalent rent of residences index was up 6.4 percent, and the rent of primary residence index was up 5.9 percent. The medical care index was up 2.6 percent over the year, as prices rose for medical care services (up 2.0 percent) and medical care commodities (up 5.5 percent). Two indexes declined over the year: new and used motor vehicles (down 3.7 percent; the fifth consecutive month of decreases) and apparel (down 1.1 percent).

Geographic divisions

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 up 0.3 percent. The CPI-U for the New England division increased 0.2 percent.

Over the year, the all items index rose 3.4 percent in the Middle Atlantic division and 3.3 percent in the New England division. (See table B.)

Table A. Northeast region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month

January

0.7 2.3 0.4 1.1 0.8 6.3 0.7 6.0 0.6 2.5

February

0.3 2.4 0.4 1.2 0.7 6.6 0.5 5.9 0.5 2.4

March

-0.2 1.7 0.6 2.1 1.3 7.3 -0.2 4.3 0.7 3.4

April

-0.4 0.8 0.7 3.3 0.6 7.2 0.2 3.8 0.4 3.6

May

0.0 0.6 0.6 3.9 0.9 7.5 0.1 3.1 0.4 3.9

June

0.3 0.8 1.0 4.6 1.2 7.6 0.3 2.2 0.3 3.8

July

0.4 1.1 0.2 4.3 -0.2 7.3 0.2 2.6 0.0 3.6

August

0.1 1.1 0.1 4.4 0.3 7.4 0.5 2.8 0.2 3.4

September

0.1 1.2 0.3 4.6 0.1 7.2 0.3 3.0

October

-0.2 1.1 0.6 5.4 0.3 6.9 0.0 2.7

November

0.1 1.1 0.6 6.0 0.1 6.4 0.0 2.5

December

0.2 1.4 0.2 5.9 -0.1 6.1 0.0 2.6
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

0.2 3.4

New England Division

0.2 3.3

Middle Atlantic Division

0.3 3.4

The September Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region is scheduled to be released on October 10, 2024.


Technical Note

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
Jun.
2024
Jul.
2024
Aug.
2024
Aug.
2023
Jun.
2024
Jul.
2024

All items

325.271 325.339 326.140 3.4 0.3 0.2

All items (December 1977 = 100)

512.202 512.309 513.571      

Food and beverages

329.007 329.749 329.911 2.1 0.3 0.0

Food

331.469 332.234 332.435 2.2 0.3 0.1

Food at home

307.891 309.000 308.935 1.0 0.3 0.0

Cereals and bakery products

386.874 385.818 387.374 0.0 0.1 0.4

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

313.613 313.213 318.729 4.1 1.6 1.8

Dairy and related products

276.169 279.924 279.124 0.7 1.1 -0.3

Fruits and vegetables

347.943 353.095 352.107 -0.1 1.2 -0.3

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

221.119 225.084 221.129 2.0 0.0 -1.8

Other food at home

282.135 280.052 278.451 -0.3 -1.3 -0.6

Food away from home

373.582 373.682 374.390 4.2 0.2 0.2

Alcoholic beverages

295.121 295.550 295.188 0.7 0.0 -0.1

Housing

353.688 354.777 355.938 5.5 0.6 0.3

Shelter

436.491 437.068 439.750 6.3 0.7 0.6

Rent of primary residence

436.003 438.034 441.048 5.9 1.2 0.7

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)

451.832 453.685 456.323 6.4 1.0 0.6

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)

451.377 453.220 455.868 6.4 1.0 0.6

Fuels and utilities

298.760 302.989 299.076 3.6 0.1 -1.3

Household energy

266.665 271.118 266.603 3.7 0.0 -1.7

Energy services

264.900 269.198 265.459 6.3 0.2 -1.4

Electricity

282.480 288.277 285.238 7.9 1.0 -1.1

Utility (piped) gas service

211.964 213.020 208.168 1.8 -1.8 -2.3

Household furnishings and operations

145.986 147.046 146.292 1.3 0.2 -0.5

Apparel

134.081 130.491 134.137 -1.1 0.0 2.8

Transportation

267.276 267.463 267.101 1.0 -0.1 -0.1

Private transportation

266.037 267.701 267.717 1.1 0.6 0.0

New and used motor vehicles(2)

124.559 124.986 125.016 -3.7 0.4 0.0

New vehicles

174.977 174.967 174.634 -0.5 -0.2 -0.2

New cars(3)

164.957 164.696 164.462 -0.8 -0.3 -0.1

Used cars and trucks

193.788 192.432 190.911 -9.0 -1.5 -0.8

Motor fuel

302.221 303.288 295.782 -8.0 -2.1 -2.5

Gasoline (all types)

301.867 302.970 295.432 -8.0 -2.1 -2.5

Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)

296.618 297.770 289.880 -8.5 -2.3 -2.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

330.810 331.681 325.231 -5.9 -1.7 -1.9

Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)

327.141 327.972 322.489 -4.9 -1.4 -1.7

Medical care

578.651 572.336 573.346 2.6 -0.9 0.2

Medical care commodities

425.037 424.001 423.427 5.5 -0.4 -0.1

Medical care services

623.580 615.631 617.137 2.0 -1.0 0.2

Professional services

425.588 425.016 425.014 -2.2 -0.1 0.0

Recreation(2)

143.728 142.794 142.980 2.4 -0.5 0.1

Education and communication(2)

155.197 155.599 156.370 1.0 0.8 0.5

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)

1,414.764 1,422.147 1,434.313 2.0 1.4 0.9

Other goods and services

607.588 610.227 606.702 2.9 -0.1 -0.6

Commodity and service group

Commodities

229.461 229.201 229.046 -0.5 -0.2 -0.1

Commodities less food and beverages

177.957 177.303 177.027 -2.3 -0.5 -0.2

Nondurables less food and beverages

230.342 228.745 228.710 -2.1 -0.7 0.0

Durables

120.849 120.881 120.490 -2.5 -0.3 -0.3

Services

417.230 417.612 419.327 5.5 0.5 0.4

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

286.376 286.252 286.349 1.8 0.0 0.0

All items less medical care

314.159 314.513 315.305 3.5 0.4 0.3

Commodities less food

182.239 181.611 181.332 -2.2 -0.5 -0.2

Nondurables

279.062 278.609 278.671 0.3 -0.1 0.0

Nondurables less food

234.122 232.653 232.598 -1.9 -0.7 0.0

Services less rent of shelter(1)

409.225 409.397 410.055 4.5 0.2 0.2

Services less medical care services

403.031 403.982 405.710 5.9 0.7 0.4

Energy

282.219 285.253 279.467 -1.3 -1.0 -2.0

All items less energy

333.307 333.142 334.475 3.8 0.4 0.4

All items less food and energy

335.745 335.415 336.956 4.0 0.4 0.5

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2024