The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast increased 0.6 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the recent increase was largely due to rising prices for both used cars and trucks and public transportation. These were reflected in the advance in the all items less food and energy index (0.5 percent) since April. The energy index and the food index also increased over the month, up 2.0 and 0.2 percent, respectively. (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 Northeast all items CPI-U advanced 3.9 percent, the index’s largest over-the-year increase since September 2011. (See chart 1 and table A.) This reflected advances in the all items less food and energy index, up 3.0 percent, and the energy index, up 22.7 percent. The food index also rose since May 2020, up 1.3 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 0.2 percent since April. Prices were higher for food at home, up 0.4 percent, as prices rose for items such as chicken and uncooked beef steaks. The food away from home index was unchanged over the month.

From May 2020 to May 2021, the food index increased 1.3 percent. Prices for food away from home increased over the year, up 3.6 percent; those for food at home declined 0.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, rose 2.0 percent in May, due to a 4.8-percent advance in gasoline prices. Prices were also higher for electricity (1.1 percent), while those for utility (piped) gas service fell 3.3 percent over the month.

The energy index rose 22.7 percent since May 2020—the index’s largest over-the-year increase since September 2008. The increase reflected a jump in prices for gasoline (45.0 percent)—the index’s largest 12-month advance since January 2010. Prices for electricity and utility (piped) gas service also advanced over the year, up 4.0 and 6.4 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.5 percent since April. Prices were higher for new and used motor vehicles (2.8 percent), particularly those for used cars and trucks (6.5 percent), and for public transportation (9.5 percent). Lower prices for recreation and other goods and services helped to moderate the overall rise, down 0.5 and 0.6 percent, respectively.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.0 percent since May 2020. Prices were higher for new and used motor vehicles (12.8 percent), particularly those for used cars and trucks (30.1 percent) which had the largest 12-month increase since the index was first published in 1978. Prices also increased for shelter (1.8 percent), among others, while recreation declined, down 2.4 percent.

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

Month	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.6	2.5	0.5	1.6	0.3	1.5	0.7	2.3	0.4	1.1
February	0.3	2.6	0.4	1.7	0.2	1.3	0.3	2.4	0.4	1.2
March	-0.1	2.2	0.1	2.0	0.5	1.7	-02	1.7	0.6	2.1
April	0.3	1.9	0.4	2.1	0.4	1.7	-0.4	0.8	0.7	3.3
May	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.5	0.3	1.5	0.0	0.6	0.6	3.9
June	0.0	1.5	0.0	2.6	0.1	1.6	0.3	0.8
July	-0.2	1.3	0.0	2.7	0.1	1.7	0.4	1.1
August	0.3	1.6	0.2	2.7	0.1	1.5	0.1	1.1
September	0.5	1.9	0.1	2.2	0.0	1.4	0.1	1.2
October	-0.1	1.5	-0.1	2.3	-0.1	1.5	-0.2	1.1
November	0.0	1.6	-0.4	1.9	0.1	1.9	0.1	1.1
December	0.1	1.7	-0.1	1.7	-0.1	1.9	0.2	1.4

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U increased in the Middle Atlantic division, up 0.7 percent, and the New England division, up 0.3 percent.

Over the year, prices rose in the Middle Atlantic division, up 4.0 percent. The all items index also rose in the New England division (3.6 percent). (See table B.)

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

Area	1-month change	12-month change
Northeast	0.6	3.9
New England Division	0.3	3.6
Middle Atlantic Division	0.7	4.0

The Consumer Price Index for June 2021 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, July 13, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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 93 percent of the total U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000. Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods available on the internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.

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.

The New England division is comprised of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Middle Atlantic division is comprised of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (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	Mar. 2021	Apr. 2021	May 2021	May 2020	Mar. 2021	Apr. 2021
All items		278.197	280.234	281.858	3.9	1.3	0.6
All items (December 1977 = 100)		438.075	441.283	443.840
Food and beverages		276.783	278.408	279.003	1.3	0.8	0.2
Food		277.661	279.404	280.001	1.3	0.8	0.2
Food at home		260.243	262.195	263.165	-0.4	1.1	0.4
Cereals and bakery products		305.942	309.941	311.155	-0.5	1.7	0.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		267.033	271.443	274.365	-1.7	2.7	1.1
Dairy and related products		239.061	236.485	237.351	-1.9	-0.7	0.4
Fruits and vegetables		325.273	326.498	326.659	1.5	0.4	0.0
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		180.914	180.578	180.186	-0.6	-0.4	-0.2
Other food at home		230.228	232.722	233.182	0.4	1.3	0.2
Food away from home		307.319	308.751	308.774	3.6	0.5	0.0
Alcoholic beverages		264.273	264.290	264.840	1.9	0.2	0.2
Housing		297.291	298.589	299.508	2.8	0.7	0.3
Shelter		369.937	370.994	372.283	1.8	0.6	0.3
Rent of primary residence		373.351	373.814	374.233	1.3	0.2	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		383.526	384.500	385.234	1.5	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		383.196	384.169	384.901	1.5	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities		231.807	235.379	234.961	8.1	1.4	-0.2
Household energy		202.646	206.020	205.596	8.9	1.5	-0.2
Energy services		200.205	205.281	204.680	4.7	2.2	-0.3
Electricity		201.762	209.376	211.641	4.0	4.9	1.1
Utility (piped) gas service		182.207	182.056	176.024	6.4	-3.4	-3.3
Household furnishings and operations		125.826	126.519	127.112	5.9	1.0	0.5
Apparel		126.937	125.916	125.851	6.2	-0.9	-0.1
Transportation		210.476	216.319	223.359	17.1	6.1	3.3
Private transportation		207.196	212.347	217.664	17.6	5.1	2.5
New and used motor vehicles(2)		101.246	106.106	109.086	12.8	7.7	2.8
New vehicles		146.136	147.518	148.670	2.0	1.7	0.8
New cars and trucks(2)(3)		101.285	102.251	103.057	2.0	1.7	0.8
New cars(3)		137.174	138.243	139.018	2.9	1.3	0.6
Used cars and trucks		160.571	176.132	187.664	30.1	16.9	6.5
Motor fuel		242.183	242.832	254.310	44.6	5.0	4.7
Gasoline (all types)		241.208	241.857	253.372	45.0	5.0	4.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		238.438	238.981	250.753	46.6	5.2	4.9
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		256.052	258.571	268.777	37.3	5.0	3.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		250.493	251.661	260.774	34.2	4.1	3.6
Motor vehicle insurance(5)		610.393	609.564	609.561	15.2	-0.1	0.0
Medical care		548.730	550.365	550.360	0.3	0.3	0.0
Medical care commodities		378.497	378.807	380.928	-2.5	0.6	0.6
Medical care services		598.682	600.724	600.049	0.9	0.2	-0.1
Professional services		415.405	418.685	419.865	4.1	1.1	0.3
Recreation(2)		128.684	129.835	129.162	-2.4	0.4	-0.5
Education and communication(2)		149.349	149.478	149.607	1.8	0.2	0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,311.727	1,311.727	1,314.677	1.0	0.2	0.2
Other goods and services		520.572	522.862	519.652	2.0	-0.2	-0.6
Commodity and service group
Commodities		197.254	199.229	201.362	7.0	2.1	1.1
Commodities less food and beverages		155.199	157.217	159.865	11.3	3.0	1.7
Nondurables less food and beverages		199.422	199.655	202.286	12.4	1.4	1.3
Durables		105.749	108.724	111.052	10.0	5.0	2.1
Services		355.873	357.972	359.111	2.3	0.9	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		246.534	248.927	250.676	5.0	1.7	0.7
All items less medical care		266.273	268.330	270.029	4.2	1.4	0.6
Commodities less food		159.124	161.101	163.709	10.9	2.9	1.6
Nondurables		237.662	238.568	240.228	5.9	1.1	0.7
Nondurables less food		203.208	203.428	205.935	11.6	1.3	1.2
Services less rent of shelter(1)		352.858	356.127	357.112	2.8	1.2	0.3
Services less medical care services		339.144	341.246	342.511	2.5	1.0	0.4
Energy		218.736	221.008	225.404	22.7	3.0	2.0
All items less energy		287.157	289.199	290.591	2.8	1.2	0.5
All items less food and energy		290.670	292.778	294.320	3.0	1.3	0.5
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.