The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast region edged down 0.2 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sheila Watkins, the Bureau’s regional commissioner, noted that one-month decreases in the energy index (-1.5 percent) and the all items less food and energy index (-0.1 percent) were partially offset by an increase in the food index (0.2 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 1.8 percent, due largely to an identical advance in the all items less food and energy index. (See chart 1 and table A.) The indexes for food and energy also rose since November 2011, up 2.1 and 2.0 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index posted its fifth consecutive over-the-month increase, edging up 0.2 percent in November. Prices rose for food at home and food away from home, up 0.3 and 0.1 percent, respectively.

Over the year, the food index advanced 2.1 percent. Both components of the food index had price increases since November 2011—prices for food at home rose 1.9 percent and those for food away from home, 2.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, fell 1.5 percent over the month. The recent one-month decline was due to a 4.4-percent decrease in gasoline prices. Moderating the overall decline in the energy index were higher utility (piped) gas service prices, up 7.1 percent—the largest one-month advance since November 2009. Electricity prices also rose since October, up 0.4 percent.

Energy prices increased 2.0 percent since November 2011, reflecting a 7.3-percent advance in gasoline prices. Partially offsetting the rise in gasoline prices were the 13th consecutive over-the-year decrease in electricity prices and the 25th in utility (piped) gas service prices, down 3.2 and 6.1 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched down 0.1 percent since October, due largely to a seasonal decline in apparel prices, down 1.2 percent. Lower prices for medical care (-0.4 percent) and education and communication (-0.3 percent), among others, also contributed to the recent decline. Higher prices for recreation (0.1 percent) helped to moderate the one-month decrease in the all items less food and energy index.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.8 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 (2.0 percent). Widespread price increases among other components, including medical care (3.2 percent), also contributed to the rise in the all items less food and energy index since November 2011. In contrast, prices for new and used motor vehicles recorded their fifth straight over-the-year decline, down 1.0 percent since last November.

The December 2012 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is scheduled to be released on January 16, 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	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	-0.1	1.1
August	-0.2	1.6	-0.3	5.5	0.3	-1.2	0.1	1.4	0.3	3.8	0.5	1.3
September	-0.1	2.4	-0.4	5.2	0.1	-0.7	-0.1	1.2	0.1	4.0	0.5	1.7
October	0.2	3.1	-0.9	4.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	1.5	-0.1	3.6	0.1	1.9
November	0.6	4.0	-1.6	1.7	0.2	2.0	0.2	1.5	-0.1	3.2	0.2	1.8
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; 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	Sep. 2012	Oct. 2012	Nov. 2012	Nov. 2011	Sep. 2012	Oct. 2012
All items		247.409	247.564	247.097	1.8	-0.1	-0.2
All items (December 1977 = 100)		389.593	389.837	389.102
Food and beverages		240.621	241.130	241.471	2.1	0.4	0.1
Food		240.456	240.928	241.348	2.1	0.4	0.2
Food at home		239.214	239.749	240.353	1.9	0.5	0.3
Food away from home		245.310	245.695	245.850	2.6	0.2	0.1
Alcoholic beverages		241.443	242.479	241.671	1.9	0.1	-0.3
Housing		252.626	252.608	253.107	1.5	0.2	0.2
Shelter		304.119	304.658	304.677	2.1	0.2	0.0
Rent of primary residence (1)		302.463	303.026	303.148	2.3	0.2	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)		315.718	316.313	316.662	2.0	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)		315.612	316.212	316.559	2.0	0.3	0.1
Fuels and utilities		217.829	215.552	218.862	-2.0	0.5	1.5
Household energy		197.244	194.751	198.327	-3.0	0.5	1.8
Energy services (1)		184.493	180.788	185.133	-4.1	0.3	2.4
Electricity (1)		189.012	182.090	182.728	-3.2	-3.3	0.4
Utility (piped) gas service (1)		163.986	167.197	178.991	-6.1	9.2	7.1
Household furnishings and operations		128.248	128.047	128.044	1.3	-0.2	0.0
Apparel		134.271	133.745	132.110	0.7	-1.6	-1.2
Transportation		219.435	219.488	216.923	2.7	-1.1	-1.2
Private transportation		213.351	213.207	210.087	2.8	-1.5	-1.5
New and used motor vehicles (3)		98.806	98.615	98.381	-1.0	-0.4	-0.2
New vehicles		141.999	142.700	143.698	1.1	1.2	0.7
New cars and trucks (3) (4)		98.416	98.885	99.580	1.1	1.2	0.7
New cars (4)		137.791	138.461	139.699	0.8	1.4	0.9
Used cars and trucks		160.495	157.541	155.078	-2.5	-3.4	-1.6
Motor fuel		324.678	322.497	308.659	7.2	-4.9	-4.3
Gasoline (all types)		323.652	321.423	307.372	7.3	-5.0	-4.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular (4)		325.269	323.035	308.476	7.2	-5.2	-4.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (4) (5)		329.733	327.265	313.995	7.4	-4.8	-4.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium (4)		311.765	309.842	298.012	7.6	-4.4	-3.8
Medical care		440.739	442.157	440.321	3.2	-0.1	-0.4
Medical care commodities		373.556	373.478	365.054	1.8	-2.3	-2.3
Medical care services		456.846	458.843	459.764	3.7	0.6	0.2
Professional services		342.610	343.244	342.947	1.3	0.1	-0.1
Recreation (3)		119.649	119.593	119.708	1.4	0.0	0.1
Education and communication (3)		136.129	136.374	135.974	1.2	-0.1	-0.3
Other goods and services		428.374	430.038	428.698	1.5	0.1	-0.3
Commodity and service group
Commodities		196.800	196.680	195.129	1.8	-0.8	-0.8
Commodities less food and beverages		169.922	169.533	167.214	1.6	-1.6	-1.4
Nondurables less food and beverages		222.860	222.296	217.899	2.6	-2.2	-2.0
Durables		110.997	110.794	110.596	-0.2	-0.4	-0.2
Services		297.158	297.574	298.130	1.9	0.3	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		228.556	228.571	227.920	1.7	-0.3	-0.3
All items less medical care		238.856	238.962	238.549	1.7	-0.1	-0.2
Commodities less food		172.806	172.453	170.164	1.6	-1.5	-1.3
Nondurables		233.177	233.110	230.895	2.3	-1.0	-1.0
Nondurables less food		223.963	223.484	219.274	2.5	-2.1	-1.9
Services less rent of shelter (2)		300.122	300.446	301.654	1.6	0.5	0.4
Services less medical care services		286.015	286.342	286.874	1.7	0.3	0.2
Energy		250.391	248.020	244.421	2.0	-2.4	-1.5
All items less energy		249.466	249.890	249.751	1.8	0.1	-0.1
All items less food and energy		252.673	253.091	252.844	1.8	0.1	-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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