Prices in the Northeast Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were up 0.7 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the rise was mainly due to a 0.7 percent increase in the all items less food and energy index, driven by higher shelter and medical care prices. The energy index also rose, up 1.3 percent over the month. The index for food was unchanged over the month. (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 3.4 percent, up from 2.4 percent in February. (See chart 1.) The March advance was primarily due to a 4.0-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index (which has been above the all items index since March 2023). The food index rose 1.9 percent, mainly due to increased prices for food away from home. The energy index decreased 0.7 percent over the year. (See table 1.) 

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Northeast region, March 2021–March 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Aug 2023	2.8	3.7
Sep 2023	3.0	3.5
Oct 2023	2.7	3.4
Nov 2023	2.5	3.5
Dec 2023	2.6	3.5
Jan 2024	2.5	3.5
Feb 2024	2.4	3.2
Mar 2024	3.4	4.0

In March, the food index was unchanged over the month as the food away from home index rose 0.2 percent and the food at home index declined 0.1 percent. (See table 1.)  The indexes that contributed to the food at home decline were fruits and vegetables (down 1.8 percent—the largest decrease in the index since last March), dairy and related products (down 1.3 percent), and cereals and bakery products (down 0.7 percent). These were tempered by increases in the nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials index (up 2.3 percent), the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index (up 0.6 percent

From March 2023 to March 2024, the food index increased 1.9 percent as the food away from home index advanced 4.6 percent (the smallest increase since August 2021). Prices for food at home were up 0.5 percent, led by a 4.7-percent increase in the index for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials. Two indexes declined and offset some of the rise: meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (down 0.3 percent) and dairy and related products (down 2.4 percent, down further from February’s 1.5-percent decline).

The energy index increased 1.3 percent over the month, driven primarily by a 2.5-percent rise in the gasoline index. Prices for electricity also rose, up 1.6 percent. The utility (piped) gas service index (down 0.7 percent) and the fuel oil index both declined.

Over the year, energy prices were down 0.7 percent, moderating from February’s 5.2-percent decline. The March decrease was driven by lower prices for utility (piped) gas service (down 6.4 percent, the first single-digit decrease since May 2023). The gasoline index was down 0.1 percent, and fuel oil prices also declined. Prices for electricity were up 2.4 percent over the year, rising after three consecutive months of declines.

The index for all items less food and energy was up 0.7 percent in March, led by an equivalent rise in the shelter index. Within shelter, the owners’ equivalent rent of residences index was up 0.4 percent and lodging away from home index prices rose as well. Prices for medical care were up 1.9 percent over the month, mainly due to a 2.1-percent increase in prices for medical care services. The index for apparel rose 2.7 percent.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy was up 4.0 percent. This was mostly due to a 5.9-percent rise in the shelter index. Within shelter, the owners’ equivalent rent of residences index was up 6.1 percent and the rent of primary residence index increased 5.5 percent. The medical care index was up 2.2 percent after 12 consecutive months of declines. Also contributing to the overall index increase was the recreation index (up 2.5 percent) and other goods and services (up 4.1 percent).

Additional price indexes are available for the two divisions of the Northeast. Over the month, the all items CPI-U index for the New England division was up 1.0 percent. The CPI-U for the Middle Atlantic division rose 0.6 percent.

Over the year, the all items index rose 3.5 percent in the Middle Atlantic division and 3.1 percent in the New England division. (See table B.)

The April 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region is scheduled to be released on May 15, 2024.

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	Jan. 2024	Feb. 2024	Mar. 2024	Mar. 2023	Jan. 2024	Feb. 2024
All items		318.133	319.577	321.741	3.4	1.1	0.7
All items (December 1977 = 100)		500.963	503.237	506.645
Food and beverages		327.728	327.137	327.161	1.8	-0.2	0.0
Food		330.070	329.662	329.700	1.9	-0.1	0.0
Food at home		309.247	308.361	307.985	0.5	-0.4	-0.1
Cereals and bakery products		387.418	387.709	385.043	0.6	-0.6	-0.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		311.662	308.753	310.715	-0.3	-0.3	0.6
Dairy and related products		280.637	277.943	274.334	-2.4	-2.2	-1.3
Fruits and vegetables		363.066	360.819	354.327	0.8	-2.4	-1.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		220.846	221.102	226.084	4.7	2.4	2.3
Other food at home		278.172	279.156	279.385	0.1	0.4	0.1
Food away from home		366.928	367.438	368.267	4.6	0.4	0.2
Alcoholic beverages		295.446	292.405	292.242	1.3	-1.1	-0.1
Housing		345.324	346.555	348.586	4.6	0.9	0.6
Shelter		424.528	425.974	428.807	5.9	1.0	0.7
Rent of primary residence		426.573	428.770	430.137	5.5	0.8	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		439.046	441.139	443.041	6.1	0.9	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		438.611	440.700	442.589	6.1	0.9	0.4
Fuels and utilities		299.492	299.600	301.048	-0.1	0.5	0.5
Household energy		268.337	268.062	269.460	-0.6	0.4	0.5
Energy services		262.967	261.801	264.152	-0.4	0.5	0.9
Electricity		274.352	272.024	276.287	2.4	0.7	1.6
Utility (piped) gas service		222.316	223.513	221.949	-6.4	-0.2	-0.7
Household furnishings and operations		143.500	144.672	144.696	-0.1	0.8	0.0
Apparel		130.013	133.770	137.397	-0.4	5.7	2.7
Transportation		256.583	258.911	261.965	4.0	2.1	1.2
Private transportation		255.959	257.930	260.322	4.4	1.7	0.9
New and used motor vehicles(2)		123.947	124.644	125.142	0.4	1.0	0.4
New vehicles		174.821	174.890	174.742	0.7	0.0	-0.1
New cars(3)		165.225	164.792	164.540	-0.3	-0.4	-0.2
Used cars and trucks		190.773	191.771	192.925	-1.0	1.1	0.6
Motor fuel		275.692	280.019	286.761	-0.3	4.0	2.4
Gasoline (all types)		274.708	279.095	285.969	-0.1	4.1	2.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		268.749	273.415	280.617	-0.2	4.4	2.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		305.778	308.449	314.144	0.4	2.7	1.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		304.373	307.156	312.090	0.8	2.5	1.6
Medical care		561.852	562.889	573.512	2.2	2.1	1.9
Medical care commodities		412.457	412.870	415.865	4.7	0.8	0.7
Medical care services		605.554	606.782	619.757	1.7	2.3	2.1
Professional services		428.919	428.869	428.332	-0.6	-0.1	-0.1
Recreation(2)		140.023	141.310	141.669	2.5	1.2	0.3
Education and communication(2)		155.018	155.401	155.399	0.4	0.2	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(5)		1,409.045	1,410.151	1,410.245	2.2	0.1	0.0
Other goods and services		602.977	608.833	610.058	4.1	1.2	0.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities		226.532	227.473	228.379	0.5	0.8	0.4
Commodities less food and beverages		174.501	176.018	177.238	-0.5	1.6	0.7
Nondurables less food and beverages		223.281	226.697	229.285	0.9	2.7	1.1
Durables		120.145	120.252	120.441	-2.1	0.2	0.2
Services		406.062	407.988	411.357	5.0	1.3	0.8
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter		280.996	282.454	284.386	2.0	1.2	0.7
All items less medical care		307.449	308.913	310.700	3.5	1.1	0.6
Commodities less food		178.867	180.268	181.457	-0.4	1.4	0.7
Nondurables		274.825	276.282	277.617	1.4	1.0	0.5
Nondurables less food		227.529	230.540	232.953	0.9	2.4	1.0
Services less rent of shelter(1)		398.991	401.467	405.547	3.8	1.6	1.0
Services less medical care services		392.334	394.307	397.019	5.3	1.2	0.7
Energy		272.000	273.665	277.320	-0.7	2.0	1.3
All items less energy		326.312	327.759	329.836	3.7	1.1	0.6
All items less food and energy		327.723	329.505	331.953	4.0	1.3	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.