The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region edged down 0.2 percent in June, 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 3.2 percent. Partially offsetting the lower energy prices was a 0.1-percent increase in the all items less food and energy index. The food index was unchanged over the month. (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 1.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy component advanced 2.1 percent. The food component also rose, up 2.8 percent, while energy prices fell 5.9 percent since June 2011. (See table 1.)

Food

Following a 0.5-percent increase in May, the food index was unchanged in June. A 0.3-percent decrease in food at home prices was offset by a 0.3-percent increase in food away from home prices.

Over the year, the food index advanced 2.8 percent. Prices were higher for both the food at home (2.9 percent) and food away from home (2.8 percent) components since last June.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, decreased 3.2 percent in June, due entirely to a 6.4-percent drop in gasoline prices—the largest one-month decline since December 2008. Moderating the recent decrease in the energy index were higher prices for electricity (3.7 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (1.6 percent) since May.

The energy index fell 5.9 percent over the year as its three largest components all recorded decreases. The decline was led by lower gasoline prices, down 5.9 percent. Utility (piped) gas service prices dropped 11.9 percent, their 20th consecutive over-the-year decrease, and electricity prices fell 1.5 percent, their 8th.

All items less food and energy

Over the month, the all items less food and energy index inched up 0.1 percent. The recent rise was led by higher prices for shelter (0.4 percent). Prices for used cars and trucks also increased, up 1.1 percent, among others. A seasonal decrease in apparel prices (-3.0 percent) moderated the advance in the all items less food and energy index since May.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.1 percent over the year. The 12-month advance was led by higher shelter prices (2.1 percent), particularly those for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (2.2 percent). Widespread price increases among other components, including medical care (3.7 percent) and apparel (3.6 percent), also contributed to the rise in the all items less food and energy index since June 2011.

The July 2012 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on August 15, 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	-0.2	1.5
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.

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	Apr. 2012	May 2012	Jun. 2012	Jun. 2011	Apr. 2012	May 2012
All items		245.850	245.709	245.201	1.5	-0.3	-0.2
All items (December 1977 = 100)		387.138	386.917	386.116
Food and beverages		238.835	240.018	240.039	2.8	0.5	0.0
Food		238.657	239.892	239.798	2.8	0.5	0.0
Food at home		238.223	239.676	239.056	2.9	0.3	-0.3
Food away from home		242.298	243.228	243.906	2.8	0.7	0.3
Alcoholic beverages		239.846	240.264	241.963	2.1	0.9	0.7
Housing		250.511	250.640	251.619	1.2	0.4	0.4
Shelter		300.873	301.935	303.136	2.1	0.8	0.4
Rent of primary residence (1)		298.710	299.623	300.242	2.6	0.5	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		312.761	313.152	313.774	2.2	0.3	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		312.667	313.059	313.681	2.2	0.3	0.2
Fuels and utilities		217.641	214.273	215.185	-4.2	-1.1	0.4
Household energy		197.928	194.001	194.873	-5.8	-1.5	0.4
Energy services (1)		182.657	179.646	185.112	-5.5	1.3	3.0
Electricity (1)		181.762	183.893	190.619	-1.5	4.9	3.7
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		173.523	159.995	162.510	-11.9	-6.3	1.6
Household furnishings and operations		128.419	128.027	128.380	0.8	0.0	0.3
Apparel		132.085	130.990	126.999	3.6	-3.9	-3.0
Transportation		220.249	218.237	214.475	-0.6	-2.6	-1.7
Private transportation		213.735	211.394	207.362	-0.9	-3.0	-1.9
New and used motor vehicles (3)		99.601	99.566	99.939	0.2	0.3	0.4
New vehicles		143.557	142.829	142.576	0.7	-0.7	-0.2
New cars and trucks (3) (4)		99.497	98.990	98.817	0.7	-0.7	-0.2
New cars (4)		139.026	138.692	138.334	0.0	-0.5	-0.3
Used cars and trucks		160.396	162.940	164.734	3.3	2.7	1.1
Motor fuel		327.196	316.518	296.226	-5.8	-9.5	-6.4
Gasoline (all types)		326.070	315.391	295.081	-5.9	-9.5	-6.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		328.640	317.531	296.395	-6.1	-9.8	-6.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)		329.856	319.824	300.810	-5.4	-8.8	-5.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)		311.109	302.204	285.020	-5.2	-8.4	-5.7
Medical care		435.762	437.270	437.098	3.7	0.3	0.0
Medical care commodities		365.345	366.928	366.859	3.4	0.4	0.0
Medical care services		453.330	454.767	454.557	3.8	0.3	0.0
Professional services		341.129	342.258	342.037	1.7	0.3	-0.1
Recreation (3)		119.606	119.673	119.880	1.8	0.2	0.2
Education and communication (3)		134.626	134.814	134.973	1.6	0.3	0.1
Other goods and services		426.733	426.180	427.178	2.8	0.1	0.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		196.580	195.754	193.235	0.8	-1.7	-1.3
Commodities less food and beverages		170.395	168.724	165.193	-0.4	-3.1	-2.1
Nondurables less food and beverages		222.751	219.265	212.243	-1.0	-4.7	-3.2
Durables		112.014	112.177	112.191	0.6	0.2	0.0
Services		294.320	294.827	296.218	1.9	0.6	0.5
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		227.607	227.022	225.877	1.1	-0.8	-0.5
All items less medical care		237.434	237.232	236.713	1.3	-0.3	-0.2
Commodities less food		173.225	171.601	168.196	-0.3	-2.9	-2.0
Nondurables		232.280	230.952	227.168	0.8	-2.2	-1.6
Nondurables less food		223.776	220.494	213.930	-0.8	-4.4	-3.0
Services less rent of shelter (2)		297.721	297.616	299.263	1.6	0.5	0.6
Services less medical care services		283.238	283.691	285.156	1.7	0.7	0.5
Energy		251.834	245.110	237.253	-5.9	-5.8	-3.2
All items less energy		247.573	248.130	248.396	2.2	0.3	0.1
All items less food and energy		250.751	251.183	251.518	2.1	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.

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