Prices in the Northeast Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 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 the July increase was primarily due to a 0.3-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index led by higher prices for shelter. The food index rose 0.2 percent while the energy index partially offset the increases and declined 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 index increased 2.6 percent, slightly up from last month but well below the recent peak of 7.6 percent in June 2022.  The July increase was mainly due to a 4.0-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index which—like the over-the-month rise—was led by increases within the shelter index. (See chart 1 and table A.) This is the fifth consecutive month that the 12-month change in the all items index has been lower than the all items less food and energy index. The food index continued moderating, rising only 4.6 percent (down from a peak of 10.3 percent in October), while the energy index decreased 13.6 percent, trending down for the fifth consecutive month after over 2 years of 12-month increases which peaked at 44.2 percent in June 2022. (See table 1.)

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Northeast region, July 2020–July 2023

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Jul 2020	1.1	1.6
Aug 2020	1.1	1.6
Sep 2020	1.2	1.5
Oct 2020	1.1	1.5
Nov 2020	1.1	1.5
Dec 2020	1.4	1.6
Jan 2021	1.1	1.1
Feb 2021	1.2	0.8
Mar 2021	2.1	1.3
Apr 2021	3.3	2.5
May 2021	3.9	3.0
Jun 2021	4.6	3.9
Jul 2021	4.3	3.5
Aug 2021	4.4	3.2
Sep 2021	4.6	3.2
Oct 2021	5.4	3.7
Nov 2021	6.0	4.1
Dec 2021	5.9	4.3
Jan 2022	6.3	4.6
Feb 2022	6.6	5.0
Mar 2022	7.3	5.0
Apr 2022	7.2	4.9
May 2022	7.5	4.6
Jun 2022	7.6	4.4
Jul 2022	7.3	4.3
Aug 2022	7.4	5.0
Sep 2022	7.2	5.4
Oct 2022	6.9	5.2
Nov 2022	6.4	4.7
Dec 2022	6.1	4.8
Jan 2023	6.0	4.9
Feb 2023	5.9	5.1
Mar 2023	4.3	4.5
Apr 2023	3.8	4.2
May 2023	3.1	4.3
Jun 2023	2.2	3.8
Jul 2023	2.6	4.0

In July, the food index was up 0.2 percent as prices for food at home rose at the same rate.(See table 1.) Within food at home, prices for cereals and bakery products were up 0.9 percent after declining 0.3 percent last month. The dairy and related products index rose 1.3 percent, mainly due to increased prices for cheese, ice cream and related products. The fruits and vegetables index increased 0.7 percent as prices for apples and potatoes rose. Two grocery categories had decreased prices: meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-0.4 percent, down for the sixth consecutive month) and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (down 0.7 percent). The food away from home index also rose 0.2 percent over the month—so far in 2023, monthly percent changes in this index have ranged from 0.2 to 0.6 percent.

From July 2022 to July 2023, the food index increased 4.6 percent, the smallest rise since September 2021, led by the food away from home index (up 6.8 percent). Prices for food at home increased 3.4 percent; the index has moderated each month since January 2023 and was well below the recent peak of 12.0 percent last August. Within this grocery category, the other food at home index (which includes products like sweets, fats, and snacks) rose 5.9 percent, also below its recent peak of 14.0 percent in October 2022. The cereals and bakery products index was up 7.7 percent, the smallest increase since January 2022. The only grocery index to decrease was meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (down 2.2 percent, the largest over-the-year decrease since the index began in 2018).

The energy index decreased 0.6 percent in July, down for the fifth month in 2023 after rising 1.5 percent in June. This was due to a 2.8-percent decline in the electricity index and a 1.0-percent decrease in the utility (piped) gas service index. The energy index decline was tempered by higher prices for gasoline, up 0.8 percent over the month, and fuel oil.

Over the year, energy prices were down 13.6 percent as most of the index components declined. The primary cause was the 21.3-percent decrease in the gasoline index, as prices for gasoline were lower than the year before for the sixth consecutive month. The utility (piped) gas service index was down 17.6 percent, comparable to last month’s 17.2-percent decrease, and the fuel oil index also declined. Only the electricity index increased over the year, up 6.1 percent, but well below the recent peak of 23.2 percent in February 2023.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent in July, the same as it had been for the previous three months. The July rise was mainly due to the 0.4-percent increase in the shelter index which was dominated by the owners’ equivalent rent of residences index (up 0.7 percent). Also in shelter, the index for rent of primary residence was up 0.5 percent. The education and communication index increased 0.3 percent as prices for tuition, other school fees, and childcare rose 1.0 percent (the largest monthly increase in this index since August 2021). Some indexes declined and tempered the overall rise such as public transportation, lodging away from home (within the shelter index), and apparel (which typically declines every July).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy was up 4.0 percent. Changes for the all items less food and energy index have ranged from 3.8 percent to 5.1 percent so far in 2023. Like the monthly change, higher prices for shelter (up 6.5 percent) made up most of the rise as the owners’ equivalent rent of residences and rent of primary residence indexes were both up 6.7 percent. The medical care index countered the overall increase, down 2.8 percent, marking the fifth consecutive month of accelerating decreases for the index. Within medical care, the medical care services index decreased 3.9 percent while the medical care commodities index was up 2.9 percent.

Additional price indexes are available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U index for the Middle Atlantic division increased 0.3 percent. The CPI-U for the New England division decreased 0.1 percent.

Over the year, the all items index rose 2.8 percent in the Middle Atlantic division and 2.1 percent in the New England division. (See table B.)

The August 2023 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region is scheduled to be released on September 13, 2023.

The Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region is published monthly. 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, 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 2023	Jun. 2023	Jul. 2023	Jul. 2022	May 2023	Jun. 2023
All items		312.241	313.329	313.952	2.6	0.5	0.2
All items (December 1977 = 100)		491.685	493.397	494.379
Food and beverages		321.736	322.257	323.002	4.6	0.4	0.2
Food		323.855	324.353	325.081	4.6	0.4	0.2
Food at home		305.619	305.456	306.205	3.4	0.2	0.2
Cereals and bakery products		385.236	384.259	387.713	7.7	0.6	0.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		306.081	305.170	303.874	-2.2	-0.7	-0.4
Dairy and related products		276.175	277.448	281.156	3.9	1.8	1.3
Fruits and vegetables		358.228	354.117	356.495	1.6	-0.5	0.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		215.425	216.664	215.115	5.9	-0.1	-0.7
Other food at home		277.743	279.273	279.691	5.9	0.7	0.1
Food away from home		354.585	356.600	357.255	6.8	0.8	0.2
Alcoholic beverages		292.473	293.314	294.274	5.1	0.6	0.3
Housing		332.726	334.730	335.321	4.8	0.8	0.2
Shelter		408.046	410.022	411.594	6.5	0.9	0.4
Rent of primary residence		410.567	412.417	414.384	6.7	0.9	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		421.154	423.569	426.355	6.7	1.2	0.7
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		420.801	423.216	425.968	6.7	1.2	0.7
Fuels and utilities		282.613	288.416	284.664	-4.3	0.7	-1.3
Household energy		250.929	256.967	252.760	-6.3	0.7	-1.6
Energy services		247.494	254.752	248.947	-2.2	0.6	-2.3
Electricity		257.285	271.488	263.933	6.1	2.6	-2.8
Utility (piped) gas service		211.267	205.164	203.018	-17.6	-3.9	-1.0
Household furnishings and operations		143.445	143.507	143.680	2.8	0.2	0.1
Apparel		135.489	133.940	132.144	3.5	-2.5	-1.3
Transportation		259.172	260.265	261.486	-1.9	0.9	0.5
Private transportation		256.389	258.252	261.015	-1.4	1.8	1.1
New and used motor vehicles(2)		127.291	128.290	129.791	2.0	2.0	1.2
New vehicles		174.665	174.870	175.216	3.9	0.3	0.2
New cars(3)		165.757	165.738	165.736	3.5	0.0	0.0
Used cars and trucks		210.671	213.212	212.904	-5.3	1.1	-0.1
Motor fuel		303.850	304.743	307.015	-21.6	1.0	0.7
Gasoline (all types)		303.138	304.270	306.693	-21.3	1.2	0.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		298.557	299.758	302.193	-21.7	1.2	0.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		328.078	329.283	331.346	-20.0	1.0	0.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		323.264	323.896	326.210	-18.2	0.9	0.7
Medical care		560.953	558.956	559.936	-2.8	-0.2	0.2
Medical care commodities		401.928	401.499	402.552	2.9	0.2	0.3
Medical care services		607.582	605.115	606.070	-3.9	-0.2	0.2
Professional services		430.747	430.825	434.158	1.5	0.8	0.8
Recreation(2)		138.683	139.861	140.109	1.9	1.0	0.2
Education and communication(2)		154.225	154.150	154.643	1.5	0.3	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,384.923	1,384.655	1,398.129	3.7	1.0	1.0
Other goods and services		591.711	593.151	594.572	6.6	0.5	0.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		228.148	228.426	228.467	-0.5	0.1	0.0
Commodities less food and beverages		179.134	179.300	179.052	-3.7	0.0	-0.1
Nondurables less food and beverages		228.369	228.112	227.978	-6.3	-0.2	-0.1
Durables		123.873	124.289	124.000	-0.8	0.1	-0.2
Services		393.054	394.909	396.085	4.5	0.8	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		279.077	279.837	280.106	0.7	0.4	0.1
All items less medical care		301.315	302.544	303.152	3.1	0.6	0.2
Commodities less food		183.320	183.505	183.289	-3.4	0.0	-0.1
Nondurables		274.496	274.619	274.916	-0.4	0.2	0.1
Nondurables less food		232.116	231.927	231.861	-5.5	-0.1	0.0
Services less rent of shelter(1)		389.495	391.254	391.995	2.2	0.6	0.2
Services less medical care services		378.256	380.415	381.607	5.5	0.9	0.3
Energy		272.659	276.781	275.009	-13.6	0.9	-0.6
All items less energy		319.776	320.615	321.454	4.1	0.5	0.3
All items less food and energy		321.090	321.993	322.857	4.0	0.6	0.3
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.