Prices in the Northeast Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), moderated as they decreased by 0.2 percent in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that this is the first drop in the index since October 2020 and was led by broad-based declines in energy prices, down 4.6 percent in July. (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 7.3 percent, down from June’s 7.6 percent rise. (See chart 1 and table A.) The all items less food and energy index registered its smallest increase of 2022, up 4.3 percent, but drove much of the over-the-year growth in the all items index. The energy index moderated, up 36.7 percent over the year after 12-month increases of 40.2 and 44.2 percent in May and June.  The food index advanced 10.1 percent over-the-year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 1.3 percent for the month of July, the largest increase since April 2020. (See table 1.) The two major components of the food index were up; prices for food at home rose 1.5 percent due to broad-based increases, while prices for food away from home were up 0.9 percent. Within food at home, prices for other food at home (including products like sugar and sweets, fats and oils, and other foods) rose by 1.6 percent while cereals and bakery products were up 2.1 percent and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs prices increased 1.2 percent.

From July 2021 to July 2022, the food index increased 10.1 percent – the highest 12-month change since February 1981. Prices for food at home advanced 11.7 percent over the year, the greatest such increase since March 1979 and the 14^th consecutive month of price increases. Prices for food away from home were up 7.4 percent, the largest increase since December 1981.

Energy

The energy index dropped 4.6 percent over the month, the biggest over-the-month decrease in the energy index since April 2020, as all its components had price declines. The most significant decrease was for gasoline prices which fell by 5.9 percent, the largest decline since April 2020. The household energy index decreased by 3.3 percent, driven by lower prices for fuel oil, electricity (-1.9 percent), and utility (piped) gas service (-0.5 percent).

Energy prices increased by 36.7 percent since July 2021, though at a slower pace than the previous 2 months. Gasoline prices accounted for the majority of the over-the-year change, up 47.4 percent; they increased steadily since February 2021 and peaked in June 2022 at 60.0 percent. The utility (piped) gas service index increased by 35.5 percent, less than the 38.8 percent in June, and the electricity index increased by 15.6 percent over the past year, the same as in June.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.1 percent in July, the smallest increase in the index since September 2021. Higher prices for shelter (up 0.3 percent), medical care (up 0.5 percent) and recreation (up 0.4 percent) were offset by lower prices for public transportation, new and used motor vehicles (-0.5 percent), and apparel (-1.6 percent) - which has had 1-month price declines in every July since that index started in 1987.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased by 4.3 percent, the smallest increase in 2022. The 12-month increases of 2.7 percent in the overall shelter index and 10.6 percent in the new and used motor vehicles index contributed to the rise in the all items less food and energy index although each moderated during 2022, as did recreation (up 4.5 percent) and education and communication (up 1.1 percent). Some parts of the all items less food and energy index rose more quickly, however, including medical care, up 5.0 percent, the fastest rate of the last 2 years.  Within shelter, owners equivalent rent of residences (up 3.3 percent) and rent of primary residence (up 3.7 percent) recorded the largest increases in over 15 and 13 years, respectively.

Geographic divisions

Additional price indexes are now available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U declined 0.3 percent in the New England division, while prices in the Middle Atlantic division decreased 0.1 percent.

Over the year, the all items index rose 7.3 percent in both divisions. (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	-0.2	7.3
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	-0.2	7.3
New England Division	-0.3	7.3
Middle Atlantic Division	-0.1	7.3

The August 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region is scheduled to be released on September 13, 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	May 2022	Jun. 2022	Jul. 2022	Jul. 2021	May 2022	Jun. 2022
All items		302.939	306.453	305.916	7.3	1.0	-0.2
All items (December 1977 = 100)		477.036	482.570	481.724
Food and beverages		303.241	304.928	308.776	9.7	1.8	1.3
Food		305.074	306.848	310.853	10.1	1.9	1.3
Food at home		290.648	291.665	296.137	11.7	1.9	1.5
Cereals and bakery products		346.685	352.511	359.884	15.5	3.8	2.1
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		306.537	306.931	310.644	9.9	1.3	1.2
Dairy and related products		262.471	267.049	270.667	13.3	3.1	1.4
Fruits and vegetables		352.857	346.709	350.853	8.4	-0.6	1.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		197.754	198.924	203.205	12.6	2.8	2.2
Other food at home		258.328	260.067	264.114	12.6	2.2	1.6
Food away from home		328.173	331.418	334.425	7.4	1.9	0.9
Alcoholic beverages		277.710	278.252	280.031	4.3	0.8	0.6
Housing		317.975	320.297	319.846	5.5	0.6	-0.1
Shelter		384.343	385.575	386.621	2.7	0.6	0.3
Rent of primary residence		384.670	386.924	388.189	3.7	0.9	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		397.064	398.725	399.736	3.3	0.7	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		396.712	398.378	399.392	3.3	0.7	0.3
Fuels and utilities		296.645	306.592	297.558	24.1	0.3	-2.9
Household energy		269.073	279.009	269.663	28.1	0.2	-3.3
Energy services		245.800	258.329	254.546	21.7	3.6	-1.5
Electricity		244.127	253.807	248.867	15.6	1.9	-1.9
Utility (piped) gas service		230.683	247.643	246.317	35.5	6.8	-0.5
Household furnishings and operations		138.564	139.554	139.771	8.5	0.9	0.2
Apparel		130.543	129.637	127.622	4.3	-2.2	-1.6
Transportation		261.073	271.417	266.429	15.7	2.1	-1.8
Private transportation		257.749	268.937	264.840	17.1	2.8	-1.5
New and used motor vehicles(2)		122.678	127.943	127.241	10.6	3.7	-0.5
New vehicles		166.089	167.365	168.573	10.5	1.5	0.7
New cars(3)		157.871	158.540	160.171	12.1	1.5	1.0
Used cars and trucks		219.444	224.188	224.831	7.0	2.5	0.3
Motor fuel		386.955	416.155	391.537	47.6	1.2	-5.9
Gasoline (all types)		384.786	414.151	389.580	47.4	1.2	-5.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		382.731	411.558	385.881	47.5	0.8	-6.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		400.533	433.247	414.314	47.8	3.4	-4.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		383.206	414.948	398.793	47.0	4.1	-3.9
Medical care		568.877	573.145	576.156	5.0	1.3	0.5
Medical care commodities		386.503	386.288	391.379	2.7	1.3	1.3
Medical care services		622.597	628.303	630.586	5.5	1.3	0.4
Professional services		427.073	430.281	427.588	1.6	0.1	-0.6
Recreation(2)		136.352	136.949	137.500	4.5	0.8	0.4
Education and communication(2)		152.249	152.217	152.327	1.1	0.1	0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,343.876	1,344.427	1,348.651	1.9	0.4	0.3
Other goods and services		550.577	557.181	557.521	6.0	1.3	0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities		227.659	230.510	229.581	12.0	0.8	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages		185.510	188.635	185.946	13.4	0.2	-1.4
Nondurables less food and beverages		244.700	250.340	243.255	19.2	-0.6	-2.8
Durables		123.593	124.801	125.047	7.7	1.2	0.2
Services		374.918	379.054	378.922	4.6	1.1	0.0
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		275.001	279.325	278.230	9.6	1.2	-0.4
All items less medical care		291.218	294.694	294.009	7.5	1.0	-0.2
Commodities less food		189.175	192.253	189.664	13.1	0.3	-1.3
Nondurables		273.947	277.683	275.892	13.9	0.7	-0.6
Nondurables less food		246.481	251.796	245.274	18.1	-0.5	-2.6
Services less rent of shelter(1)		377.399	384.943	383.505	6.8	1.6	-0.4
Services less medical care services		357.858	361.880	361.593	4.5	1.0	-0.1
Energy		316.107	333.517	318.237	36.7	0.7	-4.6
All items less energy		305.705	308.028	308.796	5.2	1.0	0.2
All items less food and energy		307.765	310.200	310.401	4.3	0.9	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.