The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast rose 0.7 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the increase was largely due to higher prices within the all items less food and energy index, up 0.7 percent, led by higher shelter costs among widespread increases. The food index also increased in February, up 1.0 percent, as did the energy index, up 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 Northeast all items CPI-U increased 6.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index was mostly responsible for the over-the-year increase, up 5.0 percent. The energy index jumped 23.7 percent over the year, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The food index advanced 7.6 percent over-the-year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 1.0 percent for the month of February. (See table 1.) Of the two major components within the food index, prices for food at home increased 1.8 percent, while prices for food away from home declined 0.5 percent for the same period, marking the first price decline in a year. Within food at home, prices were higher for citrus fruits and soups, up 8.7 and 14.2 percent, respectively.

From February 2021 to February 2022, the food index increased 7.6 percent – the highest 12-month change since June 1981. Prices for food at home advanced 8.1 percent since a year ago, the greatest such increase in 32 years, and prices for food away from home increased 6.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index inched up 0.2 percent over the month following a 4.2 percent increase in January. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (4.5 percent) following 2 months of identical 0.8 percent declines. Prices for utility (piped) gas service advanced 1.7 percent over the month. Prices for electricity decreased 7.6 percent for the same period after a 12.3 percent jump in January.

Energy prices soared 23.7 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (36.4 percent). That was the smallest 12-month increase for gasoline since last April, the string of significant increases peaked at 57.1 percent in November. Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service jumped 20.3 percent and prices for electricity advanced 6.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.7 percent in February. Higher prices for shelter (0.4 percent), specifically owners' equivalent rent of residences (0.4 percent) drove the increase. Prices also increased for apparel (2.5 percent) and recreation (0.8 percent). The increase for the new and used motor vehicles category (0.9 percent) was largely due to higher prices for used cars and trucks, up 0.8 percent, and new vehicles, up 0.6 percent.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 5.0 percent, marking the largest 12-month rise since 1991. Annual increases in the index for new and used motor vehicles (23.2 percent)—more specifically, used cars and trucks (42.5 percent) and new vehicles (13.0 percent)—accounted for almost a third of the increase in the all items less food and energy index. Shelter (up 3.0 percent) also was a major contributing factor, led by owners’ equivalent rent of residences (2.8 percent) and household operations and furnishing where the 8.5 percent increase was the largest in over 41 years.

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

Month	2018		2019		2020		2021		2022
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.5	1.6	0.3	1.5	0.7	2.3	0.4	1.1	0.8	6.3
February	0.4	1.7	0.2	1.3	0.3	2.4	0.4	1.2	0.7	6.6
March	0.1	2.0	0.5	1.7	-0.2	1.7	0.6	2.1
April	0.4	2.1	0.4	1.7	-0.4	0.8	0.7	3.3
May	0.4	2.5	0.3	1.5	0.0	0.6	0.6	3.9
June	0.0	2.6	0.1	1.6	0.3	0.8	1.0	4.6
July	0.0	2.7	0.1	1.7	0.4	1.1	0.2	4.3
August	0.2	2.7	0.1	1.5	0.1	1.1	0.1	4.4
September	0.1	2.2	0.0	1.4	0.1	1.2	0.3	4.6
October	-0.1	2.3	-0.1	1.5	-0.2	1.1	0.6	5.4
November	-0.4	1.9	0.1	1.9	0.1	1.1	0.6	6.0
December	-0.1	1.7	-0.1	1.9	0.2	1.4	0.2	5.9

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U was 0.6 percent higher in the New England division, while prices in the Middle Atlantic division rose 0.7 percent.

Over the year, prices rose in the New England division (6.9 percent). The all items index also rose in the Middle Atlantic division, up 6.4 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	0.7	6.6
New England Division	0.6	6.9
Middle Atlantic Division	0.7	6.4

The Consumer Price Index for March 2022 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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	Dec. 2021	Jan. 2022	Feb. 2022	Feb. 2021	Dec. 2021	Jan. 2022
All items		290.405	292.644	294.605	6.6	1.4	0.7
All items (December 1977 = 100)		457.299	460.825	463.912
Food and beverages		290.371	292.369	295.233	7.2	1.7	1.0
Food		292.019	294.032	296.880	7.6	1.7	1.0
Food at home		273.384	275.323	280.327	8.1	2.5	1.8
Cereals and bakery products		321.479	326.232	333.363	9.0	3.7	2.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		291.134	291.962	296.569	11.9	1.9	1.6
Dairy and related products		244.907	248.980	252.336	5.4	3.0	1.3
Fruits and vegetables		331.744	334.196	342.776	6.1	3.3	2.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		188.326	188.815	192.892	7.0	2.4	2.2
Other food at home		242.129	243.344	246.557	7.1	1.8	1.3
Food away from home		323.704	325.824	324.347	6.5	0.2	-0.5
Alcoholic beverages		267.326	269.129	272.179	2.5	1.8	1.1
Housing		306.791	309.877	310.168	4.6	1.1	0.1
Shelter		377.105	377.619	379.166	3.0	0.5	0.4
Rent of primary residence		378.897	380.092	381.549	2.3	0.7	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		391.384	392.127	393.611	2.8	0.6	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		391.031	391.777	393.266	2.8	0.6	0.4
Fuels and utilities		255.417	272.944	266.556	12.6	4.4	-2.3
Household energy		226.535	244.870	237.801	14.3	5.0	-2.9
Energy services		222.742	240.319	229.158	10.5	2.9	-4.6
Electricity		217.206	244.010	225.379	6.1	3.8	-7.6
Utility (piped) gas service		216.609	215.517	219.240	20.3	1.2	1.7
Household furnishings and operations		133.658	135.607	136.146	8.5	1.9	0.4
Apparel		123.105	127.597	130.827	4.2	6.3	2.5
Transportation		238.557	238.672	243.040	18.6	1.9	1.8
Private transportation		237.991	238.284	242.462	20.9	1.9	1.8
New and used motor vehicles(2)		120.426	121.034	122.080	23.2	1.4	0.9
New vehicles		163.153	163.541	164.588	13.0	0.9	0.6
New cars and trucks(2)(3)		113.104	113.377	114.105	13.1	0.9	0.6
New cars(3)		153.901	154.025	155.361	13.2	0.9	0.9
Used cars and trucks		218.646	221.939	223.773	42.5	2.3	0.8
Motor fuel		291.991	289.713	302.827	36.4	3.7	4.5
Gasoline (all types)		290.904	288.602	301.617	36.4	3.7	4.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		288.444	286.049	299.401	37.3	3.8	4.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		307.342	305.514	316.597	33.4	3.0	3.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		295.791	294.217	304.471	30.7	2.9	3.5
Motor vehicle insurance(5)		609.767
Medical care		553.612	558.761	559.364	1.7	1.0	0.1
Medical care commodities		380.624	381.730	381.715	0.9	0.3	0.0
Medical care services		604.400	610.828	611.630	1.9	1.2	0.1
Professional services		424.071	423.951	423.559	1.4	-0.1	-0.1
Recreation(2)		132.909	134.030	135.169	5.2	1.7	0.8
Education and communication(2)		152.515	152.624	153.193	2.7	0.4	0.4
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,342.343	1,341.713	1,342.406	2.4	0.0	0.1
Other goods and services		536.641	538.725	546.304	6.4	1.8	1.4
Commodity and service group
Commodities		213.213	215.482	218.530	12.2	2.5	1.4
Commodities less food and beverages		171.317	173.555	176.494	15.8	3.0	1.7
Nondurables less food and beverages		212.555	215.991	221.564	14.0	4.2	2.6
Durables		121.870	123.083	124.063	18.3	1.8	0.8
Services		364.512	366.687	367.514	3.6	0.8	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		260.579	263.428	265.539	8.4	1.9	0.8
All items less medical care		278.823	280.935	282.949	7.0	1.5	0.7
Commodities less food		174.989	177.231	180.192	15.2	3.0	1.7
Nondurables		251.073	253.821	258.094	10.1	2.8	1.7
Nondurables less food		215.738	219.067	224.476	13.0	4.1	2.5
Services less rent of shelter(1)		363.255	367.302	367.351	4.1	1.1	0.0
Services less medical care services		347.985	349.877	350.704	3.8	0.8	0.2
Energy		253.130	263.647	264.302	23.7	4.4	0.2
All items less energy		297.500	299.031	301.134	5.4	1.2	0.7
All items less food and energy		300.367	301.822	303.806	5.0	1.1	0.7
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.