Prices in the Northeast Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.6 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the increase was the smallest in 2022, following a 1.3 percent rise in March. The all items less food and energy index was up 0.6 percent; the food index also increased in April, up 1.0 percent; and the energy index inched up 0.1 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 7.2 percent about the same as in March (7.3 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 4.9 percent. The energy index jumped 33.2 percent over the year, as the price of gasoline was 43.6 percent higher than the year before. The food index advanced 8.0 percent over-the-year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 1.0 percent for the month of April. (See table 1.) Of the two major components within the food index, prices for food at home increased 1.4 percent, while prices for food away from home were up 0.3 percent for the same period. Within food at home, prices were higher for dairy and related products (3.3 percent); meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (1.2 percent); and fruits and vegetables (1.4 percent).

From April 2021 to April 2022, the food index increased 8.0 percent – the highest 12-month change since June 1981. Prices for food at home advanced 9.3 percent since a year ago, the greatest such increase since April 1981. Prices for food away from home increased 5.8 percent, continuing slight deceleration since January 2022.

Energy

The energy index inched up 0.1 percent over the month, following a 11.2 percent increase in March. Gasoline prices decreased 2.5 percent, the largest gasoline price decrease in a year. Prices for electricity increased 2.1 percent for the same period. The utility (piped) gas service index advanced 2.7 percent over the month, the largest increase for the natural gas index since the start of 2022 but below the recent peak of 3.5 percent in November 2021.

Energy prices soared 33.2 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (43.6 percent), which was the 15^th consecutive month of increase, peaking at 57.1 percent in November. Prices for electricity advanced 14.9 percent during the past year while fuel oil prices jumped 81.6 percent. Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service jumped 23.7 percent. The price increase for utility (piped) gas service represents the 16^th month of consecutive price increases.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent in April, it has ranged from 0.5 to 0.7 percent so far in 2022. Higher prices for shelter (0.5 percent) - largely lodging away from home (up 7.7 percent) – as well as higher prices for medical care (up 0.9 percent) and public transportation pushed the overall index up but they were somewhat offset by decreases in apparel (3.6 percent) and education and communication (0.2 percent). The new and used motor vehicles index was up 2.5 percent.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.9 percent after 2 consecutive months of 5.0 percent increases. The 17.6 percent 12-month increase in the new and used motor vehicles index and the 3.1 percent increase in the shelter index accounted for well over half of the increase in the all items less food and energy index. The shelter increase was the largest over-the-year shelter increase since January 2017. The increase in shelter was led by gains in the indexes for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (2.8 percent) and household operations and furnishings, up 9.3 percent - the largest increase 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	1.3	7.3
April	0.4	2.1	0.4	1.7	-0.4	0.8	0.7	3.3	0.6	7.2
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 0.1 percent higher in the New England division, while prices in the Middle Atlantic division rose 0.8 percent.

Over the year, the all items index rose 7.0 percent in the New England division and also rose in the Middle Atlantic division, up 7.2 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	0.6	7.2
New England Division	0.1	7.0
Middle Atlantic Division	0.8	7.2

The Consumer Price Index for May 2022 is scheduled to be released on Friday, June 10, 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	Feb. 2022	Mar. 2022	Apr. 2022	Apr. 2021	Feb. 2022	Mar. 2022
All items		294.605	298.403	300.325	7.2	1.9	0.6
All items (December 1977 = 100)		463.912	469.894	472.920
Food and beverages		295.233	297.203	300.047	7.8	1.6	1.0
Food		296.880	298.883	301.840	8.0	1.7	1.0
Food at home		280.327	282.730	286.582	9.3	2.2	1.4
Cereals and bakery products		333.363	335.526	340.416	9.8	2.1	1.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		296.569	297.267	300.953	10.9	1.5	1.2
Dairy and related products		252.336	253.603	262.070	10.8	3.9	3.3
Fruits and vegetables		342.776	345.908	350.638	7.4	2.3	1.4
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		192.892	192.256	195.044	8.0	1.1	1.5
Other food at home		246.557	252.079	253.600	9.0	2.9	0.6
Food away from home		324.347	325.521	326.649	5.8	0.7	0.3
Alcoholic beverages		272.179	273.704	275.062	4.1	1.1	0.5
Housing		310.168	313.196	315.371	5.6	1.7	0.7
Shelter		379.166	380.887	382.640	3.1	0.9	0.5
Rent of primary residence		381.549	382.076	383.169	2.5	0.4	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		393.611	394.432	395.373	2.8	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		393.266	394.084	395.028	2.8	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities		266.556	279.655	285.467	21.3	7.1	2.1
Household energy		237.801	251.512	257.473	25.0	8.3	2.4
Energy services		229.158	236.042	241.446	17.6	5.4	2.3
Electricity		225.379	235.572	240.543	14.9	6.7	2.1
Utility (piped) gas service		219.240	219.386	225.203	23.7	2.7	2.7
Household furnishings and operations		136.146	137.074	138.292	9.3	1.6	0.9
Apparel		130.827	134.447	129.657	3.0	-0.9	-3.6
Transportation		243.040	252.063	255.695	18.2	5.2	1.4
Private transportation		242.462	251.301	253.535	19.4	4.6	0.9
New and used motor vehicles(2)		122.080	121.692	124.792	17.6	2.2	2.5
New vehicles		164.588	163.078	164.492	11.5	-0.1	0.9
New cars and trucks(2)(3)		114.105	113.060
New cars(3)		155.361	154.520	156.487	13.2	0.7	1.3
Used cars and trucks		223.773	219.614	217.988	23.8	-2.6	-0.7
Motor fuel		302.827	357.632	348.980	43.7	15.2	-2.4
Gasoline (all types)		301.617	356.041	347.219	43.6	15.1	-2.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		299.401	354.027	344.584	44.2	15.1	-2.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		316.597	371.363	366.408	41.7	15.7	-1.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		304.471	355.314	350.883	39.4	15.2	-1.2
Motor vehicle insurance(5)
Medical care		559.364	563.166	568.472	3.3	1.6	0.9
Medical care commodities		381.715	383.644	386.322	2.0	1.2	0.7
Medical care services		611.630	616.008	622.123	3.6	1.7	1.0
Professional services		423.559	423.664	428.561	2.4	1.2	1.2
Recreation(2)		135.169	135.923	136.369	5.0	0.9	0.3
Education and communication(2)		153.193	152.753	152.381	1.9	-0.5	-0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,342.406	1,342.234	1,342.634	2.4	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services		546.304	552.074	552.518	5.7	1.1	0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		218.530	223.384	223.370	12.1	2.2	0.0
Commodities less food and beverages		176.494	182.158	181.058	15.2	2.6	-0.6
Nondurables less food and beverages		221.564	236.826	234.083	17.2	5.7	-1.2
Durables		124.063	123.348	123.360	13.5	-0.6	0.0
Services		367.514	370.184	374.044	4.5	1.8	1.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		265.539	270.076	272.061	9.3	2.5	0.7
All items less medical care		282.949	286.740	288.517	7.5	2.0	0.6
Commodities less food		180.192	185.784	184.742	14.7	2.5	-0.6
Nondurables		258.094	266.941	266.906	11.9	3.4	0.0
Nondurables less food		224.476	238.860	236.376	16.2	5.3	-1.0
Services less rent of shelter(1)		367.351	371.135	377.423	6.0	2.7	1.7
Services less medical care services		350.704	353.256	356.960	4.6	1.8	1.0
Energy		264.302	293.911	294.285	33.2	11.3	0.1
All items less energy		301.134	302.683	304.768	5.4	1.2	0.7
All items less food and energy		303.806	305.285	307.228	4.9	1.1	0.6
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.