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News Release Information

17-1407-BOS
Friday, October 13, 2017

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

Consumer Price Index, Boston-Brockton-Nashua — September 2017

Area prices up 1.2 percent over two months; up 2.7 percent from a year ago

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Boston-Brockton-Nashua area rose 1.2 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Deborah A. Brown noted that the two-month increase was mainly due to higher prices within all items less food and energy, up 0.9 percent and higher prices paid for energy prices, up 8.4 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bimonthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the Boston CPI-U rose 2.7 percent. The increase was largely attributable to higher prices within all items less food and energy, up 1.9 percent (See chart 1.). Higher energy prices paid by area consumers, up 15.3 percent also contributed to the increase.

 

Food

Food prices edged down 0.2 percent since July mainly due to lower grocery store or food at home prices, down 0.5 percent. Restaurant prices, or food away from home, up 0.1 percent, partially offset the decrease.

Food prices increased 1.4 percent over the year, mainly due to higher food at home prices, up 1.3 percent. Restaurant prices, or food away from home edged up, 1.5 percent, also contributing to the increase.

 

Energy

The energy index increased 8.4 percent over the two months, mainly driven by higher gasoline prices, up 18.5 percent.

Energy prices were up 15.3 percent from a year ago, largely attributable to higher gasoline prices, up 25.7 percent. To a lesser extent, higher prices for electricity, up 9.3 percent, also contributed to the overall increase.

 

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up from July (0.9 percent).  The increase was mainly attributable to shelter up 1.2 percent. The increase within the shelter index was attributable to higher prices for lodging away from home. Higher prices for apparel, up 9.9 percent and education and communication, up 2.5 percent also contributed to the increase.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.9 percent, with higher shelter costs being the main driver of the increase, up 2.8 percent. Within shelter, higher costs for owners’ equivalent rent of residences, up 2.1 percent, led the increase. Higher recreation and other goods and services prices up 5.4 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively, also contributed to the overall increase.

CPI-W

In September, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 267.760. The CPI-W was up 1.0 percent over two months and increased 2.8 percent over the year.

The November 2017 Consumer Price Index for Boston-Brockton-Nashua is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Consumer Price Index Geographic Revision for 2018

In January 2018, BLS will introduce a new geographic area sample for the Consumer Price Index. As part of the new sample, the index for this area will be renamed. The first indexes using the new structure will be published in February 2018. Additional information on the geographic revision is available at: www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/geographic-revision-2018.htm.


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 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 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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 change 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 https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch17.pdf

In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each location are averaged together withweights 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 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, Mass.-N.H.-Maine-Conn. consolidated area covered in this release is comprised of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Bristol, Hampden, and Worcester Counties in Massachusetts; Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, and Strafford Counties in New Hampshire; York County in Maine; and Windham County in Connecticut.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service (800) 877-8339.

Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Boston-Brockton-Nashua, Ma.-N.H.-Maine-Conn., (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)
Expenditure categoryIndexesPercent change from
 
Historical
data
Jul.
2017
Aug.
2017
Sep.
2017
Sep.
2016
Jul.
2017
Aug.
2017

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SA0
266.429 269.7572.71.2 

All items (1967 = 100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103AA0
774.382 784.055   
 

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAF
261.303 261.0011.2-0.1 

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAF1
262.963 262.3061.4-0.2 

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAF11
248.723246.810247.5411.3-0.50.3

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SEFV
287.624 287.9741.50.1 

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAF116
246.428 250.393-1.01.6 
 

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAH
271.961 274.8503.11.1 

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAH1
322.742322.992326.4972.81.21.1

Rent of primary residence(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SEHA
332.077334.621335.4053.11.00.2

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SEHC
342.436343.070343.9572.10.40.3

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SEHC01
342.436343.070343.9572.10.40.3

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAH2
263.351 266.4087.81.2 

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAH21
219.432219.162222.4248.11.41.5

Energy services(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SEHF
234.878233.409233.5216.1-0.60.0

Electricity(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SEHF01
275.211275.211275.3879.30.10.1

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SEHF02
156.959153.058153.058-2.5-2.50.0

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAH3
127.719 127.613-0.3-0.1 
 

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAA
136.726 150.306-3.39.9 
 

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAT
185.671 189.8343.62.2 

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAT1
184.364 189.7504.12.9 

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SETB
197.330205.422233.49625.618.313.7

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SETB01
195.135203.194231.17525.718.513.8

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SS47014
188.751196.809224.99426.619.214.3

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SS47015
209.448215.577240.85222.215.011.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SS47016
209.025215.801236.95319.513.49.8
 

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAM
639.112 644.0471.50.8 
 

Recreation(6)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAR
124.086 122.9255.4-0.9 
 

Education and communication(6)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAE
158.204 162.2252.02.5 
 

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAG
482.516 481.4516.8-0.2 
 

Commodity and service group

 

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAC
187.885 191.8371.82.1 

Commodities less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SACL11
149.827 155.2932.13.6 

Nondurables less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SANL11
191.634 205.6065.57.3 

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAD
108.997 107.696-2.3-1.2 

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAS
337.491 340.2243.20.8 
 

Special aggregate indexes

 

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SA0L2
247.032 250.2262.71.3 

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SA0L5
252.128 255.3882.81.3 

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SACL1
153.707 159.1642.03.6 

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SAN
225.340 232.5993.13.2 

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SANL1
194.645 207.9414.96.8 

Services less rent of shelter(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SASL2RS
372.233 373.8503.70.4 

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SASL5
316.789 319.2873.40.8 

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SA0E
208.245211.611225.63415.38.46.6

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SA0LE
275.790 277.7781.80.7 

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURA103SA0L1E
278.833 281.2791.90.9 

Footnotes
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
(3) This index series underwent a change in composition in January 2010. The expenditure class now includes weight from secondary residences, and has been re-titled "Owners' equivalent rent of residences." The item stratum "Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence" excludes secondary residences.
(4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(6) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
 

Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, October 13, 2017