Prices in the Northeast Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.2 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the increase was the second largest in 2022, following a 1.3 percent rise in March. The all items less food and energy index, up 0.8 percent, accounted for more than half of the overall rise in the CPI-U. The energy index also increased in June, up 5.5 percent, and the food index inched up 0.6 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 7.6 percent, the largest increase since December 1981. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index was largely responsible for the over-the-year increase, up 4.4 percent, although it was the smallest increase since January. The energy index jumped 44.2 percent over the year as the price of gasoline was 60.0 percent higher than the year before. The food index advanced 9.1 percent over-the-year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.6 percent for the month of June, down from the 1.1 percent increase in May. (See table 1.) Of the two major components within the food index, prices for food away from home increased 1.0 percent (the largest percent increase since October 2021), while prices for food at home were up 0.3 percent (the smallest increase since July 2021) for the same period. Within food at home, lower prices for fruits and vegetables (-1.7 percent) were offset by price increases for cereals and bakery products, and dairy and related products, both up 1.7 percent.

From June 2021 to June 2022, the food index increased 9.1 percent – the highest 12-month change since April 1981. Prices for food at home advanced 10.1 percent since a year ago, the greatest such increase since November 1980. Prices for food away from home increased 7.1 percent, the largest series increase since December 1981.

Energy

The energy index increased 5.5 percent over the month and accounted for two-fifths of the increase in the overall CPI-U. Gasoline prices increased 7.6 percent, down from the 10.8 percent rise in May. Prices for electricity increased 4.0 percent and the utility (piped) gas service index advanced 7.4 percent over the month, the largest increase for the natural gas index since November 2020.

Energy prices soared 44.2 percent over the year, the largest index increase since April 1980. Higher energy prices were largely due to higher prices for gasoline (60.0 percent which was the 17^th consecutive month increase and the largest 12-month rise since September 2005). Prices for utility (piped) gas service advanced 38.8 percent during the past year while electricity prices jumped 15.6 percent. The price increase for utility (piped) gas service represents the 18^th month of consecutive price increases and the largest increase since May 2001.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent in June, the largest increase in a year. Higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (4.3 percent) as well as higher prices for shelter (0.3 percent) and medical care (0.8 percent) contributed to the increase while a decrease in apparel (-0.7 percent) tempered the overall index increase. Owners' equivalent rent of residences (up 0.4 percent) and rent of primary residence (up 0.6 percent) contributed to the increase of the shelter index while medical care services advancing 0.9 percent contributed to the medical care index increase.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy moderated as it increased 4.4 percent, the smallest price increase so far in 2022. The 12-month increase in the shelter index (2.7 percent), the 9.8 percent increase in the new and used motor vehicles index (breaking 14 consecutive months of double-digit increases), the 8.5 percent increase in household furnishings and operations and the 4.8 percent increase in medical care contributed to the increase in the all items less food and energy index. The increase in shelter was led by gains in the indexes for owners’ equivalent rent of residences, up 3.3 percent, and household furnishings and operations, up 8.5 percent.

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U increased 1.3 percent in the Middle Atlantic division, while prices in the New England division rose 0.8 percent.

Over the year, the all items index rose 7.9 percent in the New England division and 7.5 percent in the Middle Atlantic division. (See table B.)

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	0.9	7.5
June	0.0	2.6	0.1	1.6	0.3	0.8	1.0	4.6	1.2	7.6
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

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	1.2	7.6
New England Division	0.8	7.9
Middle Atlantic Division	1.3	7.5

The July 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region is scheduled to be released on August 10, 2022.

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	Apr. 2022	May 2022	Jun. 2022	Jun. 2021	Apr. 2022	May 2022
All items		300.325	302.939	306.453	7.6	2.0	1.2
All items (December 1977 = 100)		472.920	477.036	482.570
Food and beverages		300.047	303.241	304.928	8.8	1.6	0.6
Food		301.840	305.074	306.848	9.1	1.7	0.6
Food at home		286.582	290.648	291.665	10.1	1.8	0.3
Cereals and bakery products		340.416	346.685	352.511	13.2	3.6	1.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		300.953	306.537	306.931	9.8	2.0	0.1
Dairy and related products		262.070	262.471	267.049	10.8	1.9	1.7
Fruits and vegetables		350.638	352.857	346.709	6.0	-1.1	-1.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		195.044	197.754	198.924	10.1	2.0	0.6
Other food at home		253.600	258.328	260.067	11.7	2.6	0.7
Food away from home		326.649	328.173	331.418	7.1	1.5	1.0
Alcoholic beverages		275.062	277.710	278.252	4.0	1.2	0.2
Housing		315.371	317.975	320.297	5.9	1.6	0.7
Shelter		382.640	384.343	385.575	2.7	0.8	0.3
Rent of primary residence		383.169	384.670	386.924	3.3	1.0	0.6
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		395.373	397.064	398.725	3.3	0.8	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		395.028	396.712	398.378	3.3	0.8	0.4
Fuels and utilities		285.467	296.645	306.592	27.3	7.4	3.4
Household energy		257.473	269.073	279.009	31.9	8.4	3.7
Energy services		241.446	245.800	258.329	22.5	7.0	5.1
Electricity		240.543	244.127	253.807	15.6	5.5	4.0
Utility (piped) gas service		225.203	230.683	247.643	38.8	10.0	7.4
Household furnishings and operations		138.292	138.564	139.554	8.5	0.9	0.7
Apparel		129.657	130.543	129.637	4.5	0.0	-0.7
Transportation		255.695	261.073	271.417	17.4	6.1	4.0
Private transportation		253.535	257.749	268.937	18.8	6.1	4.3
New and used motor vehicles(2)		124.792	122.678	127.943	9.8	2.5	4.3
New vehicles		164.492	166.089	167.365	10.3	1.7	0.8
New cars and trucks(2)(3)
New cars(3)		156.487	157.871	158.540	11.9	1.3	0.4
Used cars and trucks		217.988	219.444	224.188	7.6	2.8	2.2
Motor fuel		348.980	386.955	416.155	60.1	19.2	7.5
Gasoline (all types)		347.219	384.786	414.151	60.0	19.3	7.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		344.584	382.731	411.558	60.6	19.4	7.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		366.408	400.533	433.247	57.6	18.2	8.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		350.883	383.206	414.948	55.8	18.3	8.3
Motor vehicle insurance(5)
Medical care		568.472	568.877	573.145	4.8	0.8	0.8
Medical care commodities		386.322	386.503	386.288	2.0	0.0	-0.1
Medical care services		622.123	622.597	628.303	5.4	1.0	0.9
Professional services		428.561	427.073	430.281	2.7	0.4	0.8
Recreation(2)		136.369	136.352	136.949	4.8	0.4	0.4
Education and communication(2)		152.381	152.249	152.217	1.5	-0.1	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,342.634	1,343.876	1,344.427	1.9	0.1	0.0
Other goods and services		552.518	550.577	557.181	7.2	0.8	1.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		223.370	227.659	230.510	13.0	3.2	1.3
Commodities less food and beverages		181.058	185.510	188.635	15.7	4.2	1.7
Nondurables less food and beverages		234.083	244.700	250.340	23.4	6.9	2.3
Durables		123.360	123.593	124.801	8.0	1.2	1.0
Services		374.044	374.918	379.054	4.7	1.3	1.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		272.061	275.001	279.325	10.2	2.7	1.6
All items less medical care		288.517	291.218	294.694	7.9	2.1	1.2
Commodities less food		184.742	189.175	192.253	15.2	4.1	1.6
Nondurables		266.906	273.947	277.683	15.1	4.0	1.4
Nondurables less food		236.376	246.481	251.796	21.9	6.5	2.2
Services less rent of shelter(1)		377.423	377.399	384.943	6.9	2.0	2.0
Services less medical care services		356.960	357.858	361.880	4.6	1.4	1.1
Energy		294.285	316.107	333.517	44.2	13.3	5.5
All items less energy		304.768	305.705	308.028	5.0	1.1	0.8
All items less food and energy		307.228	307.765	310.200	4.4	1.0	0.8
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.