The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region inched down 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 decrease was due to a one-month decline in the energy index, down 2.7 percent. Nearly offsetting the lower energy prices were increases in the all items less food and energy index (0.2 percent) and the food index (0.5 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 CPI-U increased 1.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy component advanced 2.3 percent. The food component also rose, up 3.4 percent, while energy prices fell 5.2 percent since May 2011. (See table 1.)

Food

Following three consecutive months of unchanged prices, the food index rose 0.5 percent in May. Prices for both food at home and food away from home increased over the month, up 0.6 and 0.4 percent, respectively.

Over the year, the food index advanced 3.4 percent. Prices were higher for both the food at home (3.7 percent) and food away from home (2.9 percent) components since last May.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 2.7 percent in May, due largely to a 3.3-percent decline in gasoline prices. Utility (piped) gas service prices also fell over the month, down 7.8 percent—the index’s largest one-month decrease since May 2009. Moderating the recent decline in the energy index were higher prices for electricity, up 1.2 percent over the month.

The energy index fell 5.2 percent over the year—the largest 12-month decline since October 2009—as its three largest components all recorded decreases. The recent decrease was led by lower gasoline prices, down 4.3 percent—their first 12-month decline since October 2009. Utility (piped) gas service prices recorded their 19th consecutive over-the-year decrease, down 13.9 percent since May 2011, and electricity prices recorded their 7th, down 3.6 percent.

All items less food and energy

Over the month, the all items less food and energy index edged up 0.2 percent. The recent rise was led by higher prices for shelter (0.4 percent), particularly those for lodging away from home. Prices for used cars and trucks also increased, up 1.6 percent, as did those for medical care, up 0.3 percent. Lower prices for apparel (-0.8 percent) and new vehicles (-0.5 percent) helped to moderate the advance in the all items less food and energy index since April.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.3 percent over the year. The 12-month advance was led by higher shelter prices (2.4 percent), particularly those for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (2.3 percent). Widespread price increases among other components, including medical care (3.6 percent) and apparel (5.2 percent), also contributed to the rise in the all items less food and energy index since May 2011.

The June 2012 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on July 17, 2012, 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	2007		2008		2009		2010		2011		2012
	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	0.3	2.3	0.4	3.9	0.2	0.5	0.4	3.0	0.4	1.6	0.4	2.9
February	0.4	2.4	0.4	4.0	0.6	0.7	0.0	2.5	0.5	2.0	0.4	2.8
March	0.8	2.6	0.8	3.9	0.2	0.2	0.3	2.6	0.8	2.5	0.5	2.5
April	0.5	2.2	0.5	3.9	0.2	-0.1	0.2	2.5	0.5	2.8	0.3	2.3
May	0.5	2.3	0.9	4.3	0.1	-0.8	0.2	2.6	0.5	3.2	-0.1	1.7
June	0.4	2.3	1.1	5.0	0.8	-1.2	-0.1	1.7	0.1	3.4
July	0.2	2.0	0.8	5.7	0.1	-1.9	0.0	1.6	0.2	3.6
August	-0.2	1.6	-0.3	5.5	0.3	-1.2	0.1	1.4	0.3	3.8
September	-0.1	2.4	-0.4	5.2	0.1	-0.7	-0.1	1.2	0.1	4.0
October	0.2	3.1	-0.9	4.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.5	-0.1	3.6
November	0.6	4.0	-1.6	1.7	0.2	2.0	0.2	1.5	-0.1	3.2
December	0.0	3.8	-0.9	0.7	-0.1	2.8	0.0	1.6	-0.3	2.9

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; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

For personal assistance or further information on Consumer Price Indexes, as well as other Bureau products, contact the Mid-Atlantic Information Office at (215) 597-3282 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET.

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	Mar. 2012	Apr. 2012	May 2012	May 2011	Mar. 2012	Apr. 2012
All items		245.125	245.850	245.709	1.7	0.2	-0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		385.997	387.138	386.917
Food and beverages		238.911	238.835	240.018	3.2	0.5	0.5
Food		238.732	238.657	239.892	3.4	0.5	0.5
Food at home		238.560	238.223	239.676	3.7	0.5	0.6
Food away from home		241.987	242.298	243.228	2.9	0.5	0.4
Alcoholic beverages		239.942	239.846	240.264	1.4	0.1	0.2
Housing		250.557	250.511	250.640	1.3	0.0	0.1
Shelter		300.544	300.873	301.935	2.4	0.5	0.4
Rent of primary residence (1)		298.057	298.710	299.623	2.6	0.5	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		312.312	312.761	313.152	2.3	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		312.225	312.667	313.059	2.3	0.3	0.1
Fuels and utilities		219.967	217.641	214.273	-4.4	-2.6	-1.5
Household energy		200.456	197.928	194.001	-6.0	-3.2	-2.0
Energy services (1)		185.011	182.657	179.646	-7.5	-2.9	-1.6
Electricity (1)		183.221	181.762	183.893	-3.6	0.4	1.2
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		177.596	173.523	159.995	-13.9	-9.9	-7.8
Household furnishings and operations		127.945	128.419	128.027	0.3	0.1	-0.3
Apparel		131.208	132.085	130.990	5.2	-0.2	-0.8
Transportation		217.010	220.249	218.237	0.1	0.6	-0.9
Private transportation		210.717	213.735	211.394	-0.1	0.3	-1.1
New and used motor vehicles (3)		98.964	99.601	99.566	1.1	0.6	0.0
New vehicles		142.784	143.557	142.829	1.3	0.0	-0.5
New cars and trucks (3) (4)		98.953	99.497	98.990	1.4	0.0	-0.5
New cars (4)		138.263	139.026	138.692	0.9	0.3	-0.2
Used cars and trucks		157.903	160.396	162.940	4.8	3.2	1.6
Motor fuel		316.289	327.196	316.518	-4.2	0.1	-3.3
Gasoline (all types)		315.029	326.070	315.391	-4.3	0.1	-3.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		317.467	328.640	317.531	-4.4	0.0	-3.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)		318.818	329.856	319.824	-4.0	0.3	-3.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)		300.644	311.109	302.204	-3.8	0.5	-2.9
Medical care		433.803	435.762	437.270	3.6	0.8	0.3
Medical care commodities		365.805	365.345	366.928	3.2	0.3	0.4
Medical care services		450.427	453.330	454.767	3.8	1.0	0.3
Professional services		340.473	341.129	342.258	1.8	0.5	0.3
Recreation (3)		119.597	119.606	119.673	1.6	0.1	0.1
Education and communication (3)		134.562	134.626	134.814	1.5	0.2	0.1
Other goods and services		426.251	426.733	426.180	2.4	0.0	-0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		195.456	196.580	195.754	1.5	0.2	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages		168.791	170.395	168.724	0.5	0.0	-1.0
Nondurables less food and beverages		220.153	222.751	219.265	0.2	-0.4	-1.6
Durables		111.445	112.014	112.177	1.1	0.7	0.1
Services		293.967	294.320	294.827	1.9	0.3	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		226.730	227.607	227.022	1.4	0.1	-0.3
All items less medical care		236.759	237.434	237.232	1.6	0.2	-0.1
Commodities less food		171.658	173.225	171.601	0.5	0.0	-0.9
Nondurables		230.913	232.280	230.952	1.6	0.0	-0.6
Nondurables less food		221.319	223.776	220.494	0.3	-0.4	-1.5
Services less rent of shelter (2)		297.327	297.721	297.616	1.3	0.1	0.0
Services less medical care services		283.026	283.238	283.691	1.7	0.2	0.2
Energy		248.826	251.834	245.110	-5.2	-1.5	-2.7
All items less energy		247.083	247.573	248.130	2.5	0.4	0.2
All items less food and energy		250.152	250.751	251.183	2.3	0.4	0.2
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.

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