The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region inched down 0.1 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that since March a 2.2-percent decrease in the energy index was nearly offset by one-month increases in the food (0.4 percent) and all items less food and energy (0.1 percent) indexes. (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 CPI-U increased 1.1 percent, due mostly to a 1.6-percent advance in the all items less food and energy index. (See chart 1 and table A.) The food index also rose since April 2012, up 1.8 percent, while the energy index decreased 4.3 percent. (See table 1.)

 

Food

The food index rose 0.4 percent in April as its two components, food at home and food away from home, recorded identical 0.4-percent increases.

Over the year, the food index advanced 1.8 percent. Prices for both the food at home and food away from home components increased since last April, up 1.6 and 2.1 percent, respectively.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, fell 2.2 percent since March. The one-month decrease was due mostly to a 4.1-percent decline in gasoline prices. Following two months of decreases totaling 4.6 percent, electricity prices increased 1.8 percent in April. Utility (piped) gas service prices were unchanged over the month.

Energy prices declined 4.3 percent over the year, primarily reflecting an 8.7-percent drop in gasoline prices—the largest over-the-year decrease since October 2009. Utility (piped) gas service prices rose 5.6 percent over the year, their largest 12-month advance since January 2009. Electricity prices also increased since April 2012, up 1.6 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched up 0.1 percent in April. The recent advance was led by higher prices for medical care (0.4 percent), particularly medical care services (0.5 percent). Apparel prices also rose since March, up 0.5 percent. Nearly offsetting the price increases within the all items less food and energy index were lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-0.5 percent) and education and communication (-0.2 percent), among others.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.6 percent over the year. The 12-month advance was led by higher prices for shelter (2.0 percent), particularly those for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (1.7 percent). Widespread price increases among other components, including medical care (2.7 percent), also contributed to the rise in the all items less food and energy index since April 2012.

The May 2013 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on June 18, 2013, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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

Month	2008		2009		2010		2011		2012		2013
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.4	3.9	0.2	0.5	0.4	3.0	0.4	1.6	0.4	2.9	0.3	1.8
February	0.4	4.0	0.6	0.7	0.0	2.5	0.5	2.0	0.4	2.8	0.6	2.0
March	0.8	3.9	0.2	0.2	0.3	2.6	0.8	2.5	0.5	2.5	0.0	1.5
April	0.5	3.9	0.2	-0.1	0.2	2.5	0.5	2.8	0.3	2.3	-0.1	1.1
May	0.9	4.3	0.1	-0.8	0.2	2.6	0.5	3.2	-0.1	1.7
June	1.1	5.0	0.8	-1.2	-0.1	1.7	0.1	3.4	-0.2	1.5
July	0.8	5.7	0.1	-1.9	0.0	1.6	0.2	3.6	-0.1	1.1
August	-0.3	5.5	0.3	-1.2	0.1	1.4	0.3	3.8	0.5	1.3
September	-0.4	5.2	0.1	-0.7	-0.1	1.2	0.1	4.0	0.5	1.7
October	-0.9	4.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.5	-0.1	3.6	0.1	1.9
November	-1.6	1.7	0.2	2.0	0.2	1.5	-0.1	3.2	0.2	1.8
December	-0.9	0.7	-0.1	2.8	0.0	1.6	-0.3	2.9	-0.3	1.8

 

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 88 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 29 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/homch17_a.htm.

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.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service:  1-800-877-8339.

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	Feb. 2013	Mar. 2013	Apr. 2013	Apr. 2012	Feb. 2013	Mar. 2013
All items		248.665	248.719	248.464	1.1	-0.1	-0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		391.571	391.657	391.255
Food and beverages		242.682	242.247	243.324	1.9	0.3	0.4
Food		242.461	242.001	243.057	1.8	0.2	0.4
Food at home		242.105	241.071	242.120	1.6	0.0	0.4
Food away from home		246.035	246.415	247.494	2.1	0.6	0.4
Alcoholic beverages		244.299	244.217	245.613	2.4	0.5	0.6
Housing		254.836	254.689	254.570	1.6	-0.1	0.0
Shelter		306.049	306.748	306.765	2.0	0.2	0.0
Rent of primary residence (1)		305.518	306.762	306.780	2.7	0.4	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		317.613	317.898	318.106	1.7	0.2	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		317.516	317.802	318.006	1.7	0.2	0.1
Fuels and utilities		224.236	220.169	220.047	1.1	-1.9	-0.1
Household energy		203.916	199.619	199.419	0.8	-2.2	-0.1
Energy services (1)		189.781	185.575	187.803	2.8	-1.0	1.2
Electricity (1)		187.824	181.337	184.595	1.6	-1.7	1.8
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		182.430	183.220	183.174	5.6	0.4	0.0
Household furnishings and operations		128.298	128.269	127.620	-0.6	-0.5	-0.5
Apparel		129.525	130.408	131.107	-0.7	1.2	0.5
Transportation		219.243	220.030	217.554	-1.2	-0.8	-1.1
Private transportation		212.106	212.229	209.465	-2.0	-1.2	-1.3
New and used motor vehicles (3)		99.152	99.432	99.279	-0.3	0.1	-0.2
New vehicles		144.761	144.646	144.574	0.7	-0.1	0.0
New cars and trucks (3) (4)		100.327	100.247	100.192	0.7	-0.1	-0.1
New cars (4)		140.378	140.043	139.769	0.5	-0.4	-0.2
Used cars and trucks		155.992	157.819	158.822	-1.0	1.8	0.6
Motor fuel		312.225	311.504	298.883	-8.7	-4.3	-4.1
Gasoline (all types)		310.952	310.263	297.617	-8.7	-4.3	-4.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		312.367	311.368	298.118	-9.3	-4.6	-4.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)		316.403	316.790	304.833	-7.6	-3.7	-3.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)		300.889	300.842	290.807	-6.5	-3.4	-3.3
Medical care		444.784	445.676	447.411	2.7	0.6	0.4
Medical care commodities		364.692	365.485	365.334	0.0	0.2	0.0
Medical care services		466.095	467.004	469.470	3.6	0.7	0.5
Professional services		347.338	347.704	350.125	2.6	0.8	0.7
Recreation (3)		120.922	120.445	120.381	0.6	-0.4	-0.1
Education and communication (3)		136.452	136.477	136.264	1.2	-0.1	-0.2
Other goods and services		431.003	430.720	431.595	1.1	0.1	0.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		195.917	195.772	194.902	-0.9	-0.5	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages		167.787	167.775	166.087	-2.5	-1.0	-1.0
Nondurables less food and beverages		218.411	218.419	215.214	-3.4	-1.5	-1.5
Durables		111.202	111.171	111.030	-0.9	-0.2	-0.1
Services		300.447	300.692	301.016	2.3	0.2	0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		229.574	229.391	229.032	0.6	-0.2	-0.2
All items less medical care		240.000	240.023	239.693	1.0	-0.1	-0.1
Commodities less food		170.796	170.782	169.170	-2.3	-1.0	-0.9
Nondurables		231.739	231.539	230.313	-0.8	-0.6	-0.5
Nondurables less food		219.899	219.902	216.939	-3.1	-1.3	-1.3
Services less rent of shelter (2)		305.193	304.928	305.572	2.6	0.1	0.2
Services less medical care services		288.954	289.161	289.367	2.2	0.1	0.1
Energy		249.192	246.358	241.032	-4.3	-3.3	-2.2
All items less energy		250.994	251.356	251.635	1.6	0.3	0.1
All items less food and energy		254.120	254.639	254.774	1.6	0.3	0.1
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) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.