The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast increased 0.2 percent in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the recent increase was largely due to a rise in the all items less food and energy index, up 0.1 percent, pushed by a 0.3-percent increase in the shelter index. The food index and the energy index also increased over the month, up 0.4 and 0.7 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 rose 4.3 percent, down slightly from its over-the-year peak of 4.6 percent in June, the highest such increase in over 12 years. (See chart 1 and table A.) The July figure reflected advances in the all items less food and energy index, up 3.5 percent, which continued to show the impact of increased prices for used cars and trucks. The energy index and the food index also rose since July 2020, up 20.9 and 2.5 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 0.4 percent since May. Prices were higher for both food away from home, up 0.7 percent, and food at home, up 0.2 percent over the month. Within the food at home component, prices were higher mainly due to the broad meats, poultry, fish, and eggs category (up 1.1 percent), while they decreased for other items such as ice cream and related products.

From July 2020 to July 2021, the food index increased 2.5 percent. Prices for food away from home increased over the year, up 4.1 percent, slightly ahead of the average 12-month change since April 2020. Prices for food at home increased 1.3 percent, higher than the over-the-year pace of the prior 3 months but well below the 5.4 percent peak in May 2020 which was the highest of 18 consecutive increases (the duration of the pandemic) ranging from 0.8 to 5.4 percent. From April through September 2020, the over-the-year increase in the food at home index outpaced the change in the food away from home index, reversing a long-standing trend. Since October 2020, the 12-month rise in food away from home prices has been higher than the change in food at home prices by between 0.5 and 4.1 percent. The food at home rates had dropped while the food away from home rates continued to rise; the drop reversed in July.

Energy

The energy index, which includes prices for household and transportation fuels, rose 0.7 percent in July. The increase was largely due to higher prices for gasoline (2.1 percent). Prices were also higher for utility (piped) gas service (1.9 percent), while those for electricity declined 1.9 percent over the month.

The energy index rose 20.9 percent since July 2020. The increase was due largely to a rise in prices for gasoline, up 39.5 percent. Prices for utility (piped) gas service and electricity also advanced over the year, up 12.6 and 2.3 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent since June. Prices were higher for shelter (0.3 percent), particularly the indexes for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (0.2 percent) and lodging away from home (3.4 percent). Prices were also higher for recreation (0.7 percent) and other goods and services (1.2 percent). Lower prices for apparel (-1.4 percent), among others categories, helped to moderate the overall rise.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.5 percent since July 2020. Prices were higher over the year for new and used motor vehicles (17.8 percent), particularly those for used cars and trucks (42.4 percent). Prices also increased for shelter (2.3 percent), among other categories, while medical care declined, down 1.0 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	1.0	4.6
July	-0.2	1.3	0.0	2.7	0.1	1.7	0.4	1.1	0.2	4.3
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 New England division, up 0.2 percent, and the Middle Atlantic division, up 0.1 percent.

Over the year, prices rose in the Middle Atlantic division, up 4.4 percent. The all items index also rose in the New England division (4.2 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	0.2	4.3
New England Division	0.2	4.2
Middle Atlantic Division	0.1	4.4

The Consumer Price Index for August 2021 is scheduled to be released Tuesday, September 14, 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	May 2021	Jun. 2021	Jul. 2021	Jul. 2020	May 2021	Jun. 2021
All items		281.858	284.741	285.220	4.3	1.2	0.2
All items (December 1977 = 100)		443.840	448.380	449.135
Food and beverages		279.003	280.344	281.387	2.5	0.9	0.4
Food		280.001	281.235	282.295	2.5	0.8	0.4
Food at home		263.165	264.804	265.218	1.3	0.8	0.2
Cereals and bakery products		311.155	311.423	311.674	-1.5	0.2	0.1
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		274.365	279.493	282.667	4.9	3.0	1.1
Dairy and related products		237.351	241.121	238.850	0.6	0.6	-0.9
Fruits and vegetables		326.659	327.151	323.565	0.0	-0.9	-1.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		180.186	180.734	180.452	0.4	0.1	-0.2
Other food at home		233.182	232.778	234.659	1.1	0.6	0.8
Food away from home		308.774	309.388	311.464	4.1	0.9	0.7
Alcoholic beverages		264.840	267.640	268.452	3.1	1.4	0.3
Housing		299.508	302.584	303.139	3.3	1.2	0.2
Shelter		372.283	375.342	376.327	2.3	1.1	0.3
Rent of primary residence		374.233	374.726	374.519	1.1	0.1	-0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		385.234	386.046	386.814	1.6	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		384.901	385.713	386.478	1.6	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities		234.961	240.778	239.796	7.9	2.1	-0.4
Household energy		205.596	211.595	210.453	8.6	2.4	-0.5
Energy services		204.680	210.822	209.217	5.2	2.2	-0.8
Electricity		211.641	219.525	215.374	2.3	1.8	-1.9
Utility (piped) gas service		176.024	178.375	181.757	12.6	3.3	1.9
Household furnishings and operations		127.112	128.661	128.856	6.8	1.4	0.2
Apparel		125.851	124.080	122.306	4.1	-2.8	-1.4
Transportation		223.359	231.271	230.214	16.7	3.1	-0.5
Private transportation		217.664	226.435	226.236	17.9	3.9	-0.1
New and used motor vehicles(2)		109.086	116.471	115.034	17.8	5.5	-1.2
New vehicles		148.670	151.770	152.527	4.9	2.6	0.5
New cars and trucks(2)(3)		103.057	105.221	105.721	4.9	2.6	0.5
New cars(3)		139.018	141.661	142.862	5.7	2.8	0.8
Used cars and trucks		187.664	208.303	210.163	42.4	12.0	0.9
Motor fuel		254.310	259.857	265.259	39.3	4.3	2.1
Gasoline (all types)		253.372	258.909	264.305	39.5	4.3	2.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		250.753	256.252	261.690	40.8	4.4	2.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		268.777	274.820	280.232	33.8	4.3	2.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		260.774	266.320	271.233	31.1	4.0	1.8
Motor vehicle insurance(5)		609.561	612.063	612.211	1.0	0.4	0.0
Medical care		550.360	546.769	548.685	-1.0	-0.3	0.4
Medical care commodities		380.928	378.829	381.269	-2.9	0.1	0.6
Medical care services		600.049	596.012	597.750	-0.6	-0.4	0.3
Professional services		419.865	418.971	421.041	3.3	0.3	0.5
Recreation(2)		129.162	130.720	131.624	2.2	1.9	0.7
Education and communication(2)		149.607	150.022	150.709	1.3	0.7	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,314.677	1,318.737	1,322.994	1.3	0.6	0.3
Other goods and services		519.652	519.842	526.208	3.0	1.3	1.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		201.362	204.080	205.055	8.3	1.8	0.5
Commodities less food and beverages		159.865	163.004	163.903	12.7	2.5	0.6
Nondurables less food and beverages		202.286	202.858	204.001	11.4	0.8	0.6
Durables		111.052	115.538	116.158	14.3	4.6	0.5
Services		359.111	362.155	362.161	2.3	0.8	0.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		250.676	253.507	253.808	5.5	1.2	0.1
All items less medical care		270.029	273.206	273.621	4.9	1.3	0.2
Commodities less food		163.709	166.858	167.760	12.3	2.5	0.5
Nondurables		240.228	241.174	242.274	6.2	0.9	0.5
Nondurables less food		205.935	206.640	207.763	10.7	0.9	0.5
Services less rent of shelter(1)		357.112	360.217	359.172	2.3	0.6	-0.3
Services less medical care services		342.511	346.043	345.929	2.7	1.0	0.0
Energy		225.404	231.222	232.729	20.9	3.2	0.7
All items less energy		290.591	293.243	293.635	3.3	1.0	0.1
All items less food and energy		294.320	297.241	297.517	3.5	1.1	0.1
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.