The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Northeast Region advanced 0.8 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.6 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Northeast Region all items CPI-U increased 5.0 percent for the 12 months ending in May. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.6 percent over the year. Energy prices advanced 26.2 percent, and food prices rose 3.8 percent.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Northeast region, May 2023–May 2026

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Apr 2024	3.6	4.1
May 2024	3.9	4.3
Jun 2024	3.8	4.3
Jul 2024	3.6	3.9
Aug 2024	3.4	4.0
Sep 2024	3.4	4.2
Oct 2024	3.5	4.4
Nov 2024	3.5	4.3
Dec 2024	3.5	3.9
Jan 2025	3.7	4.1
Feb 2025	3.9	4.2
Mar 2025	3.2	3.4
Apr 2025	3.1	3.5
May 2025	2.8	3.1
Jun 2025	3.0	3.2
Jul 2025	3.2	3.4
Aug 2025	3.3	3.4
Sep 2025	3.1	3.0
Oct 2025	-	-
Nov 2025	3.1	2.8
Dec 2025	3.3	3.1
Jan 2026	2.8	2.7
Feb 2026	2.7	2.6
Mar 2026	3.6	2.9
Apr 2026	4.4	3.1
May 2026	5.0	3.6
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

Food prices increased 0.1 percent for the month of May. Prices for food at home were unchanged, and prices for food away from home rose 0.4 percent for the same period.

Food prices rose 3.8 percent over the year. Prices for food at home advanced 3.9 percent, and prices for food away from home rose 3.5 percent.

The energy index advanced 3.7 percent over the month. Gasoline prices increased 11.1 percent. Prices for electricity decreased 1.4 percent, and prices for natural gas service decreased 3.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices advanced 26.2 percent over the year. Gasoline prices increased 44.9 percent. Prices for electricity increased 9.4 percent, and prices for natural gas service advanced 8.8 percent during the past year.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent in May. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (+1.0 percent) and education and communication (+0.5 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for household furnishings and operations (-0.6 percent) and apparel (-0.3 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.6 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+4.4 percent) and medical care (+2.5 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for new and used motor vehicles (-0.8 percent) as prices for used cars and trucks decreased 2.5 percent.

The Consumer Price Index for June 2026 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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 Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region is published monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program.

The Northeast region is comprised of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Northeast region CPI-U by expenditure category for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		344.142	347.585	350.338	5.0	1.8	0.8
All items (December 1977 = 100)		541.919	547.341	551.676	-	-	-
Food and beverages		346.979	348.510	349.100	3.7	0.6	0.2
Food		350.135	351.671	352.157	3.8	0.6	0.1
Food at home		323.805	325.914	325.776	3.9	0.6	0.0
Cereals and bakery products		404.173	405.382	401.746	1.5	-0.6	-0.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		331.395	336.001	337.700	2.8	1.9	0.5
Dairy and related products		283.521	282.849	282.539	1.4	-0.3	-0.1
Fruits and vegetables		372.802	373.844	371.632	8.5	-0.3	-0.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		247.634	252.189	249.822	7.3	0.9	-0.9
Other food at home		288.982	289.385	291.216	2.9	0.8	0.6
Food away from home		397.168	397.484	399.251	3.5	0.5	0.4
Alcoholic beverages		303.592	305.029	306.839	2.6	1.1	0.6
Housing		381.383	385.228	387.529	5.1	1.6	0.6
Shelter		377.851	381.798	382.757	4.7	1.3	0.3
Rent of primary residence		471.917	475.463	477.940	4.5	1.3	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		485.436	488.564	491.289	4.4	1.2	0.6
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		484.929	488.047	490.778	4.4	1.2	0.6
Fuels and utilities		355.526	366.601	361.280	11.8	1.6	-1.5
Household energy		322.037	333.596	327.763	13.5	1.8	-1.7
Energy services		313.150	325.566	319.232	9.2	1.9	-1.9
Electricity		313.667	331.164	326.423	9.4	4.1	-1.4
Utility (piped) gas service		290.340	291.825	282.774	8.8	-2.6	-3.1
Household furnishings and operations		154.391	155.360	154.418	3.9	0.0	-0.6
Apparel		139.736	139.423	138.945	3.7	-0.6	-0.3
Transportation		277.218	285.590	294.165	10.2	6.1	3.0
Private transportation		275.070	283.910	292.000	9.5	6.2	2.8
New and used motor vehicles(2)		124.909	125.396	125.782	-0.8	0.7	0.3
New vehicles		176.171	176.536	176.532	0.5	0.2	0.0
New cars(3)		166.779	167.728	167.800	1.3	0.6	0.0
Used cars and trucks		187.666	189.436	191.950	-2.5	2.3	1.3
Motor fuel		309.770	349.317	387.239	45.0	25.0	10.9
Gasoline (all types)		308.736	347.594	386.159	44.9	25.1	11.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		303.202	342.625	381.939	46.7	26.0	11.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		337.691	376.053	413.250	38.7	22.4	9.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		335.784	371.048	405.138	36.3	20.7	9.2
Medical care		596.122	597.769	597.851	2.5	0.3	0.0
Medical care commodities		425.957	425.493	426.086	-0.3	0.0	0.1
Medical care services		646.176	648.482	648.401	3.1	0.3	0.0
Professional services		450.825	452.703	451.528	4.2	0.2	-0.3
Recreation(2)		147.938	147.601	147.846	2.9	-0.1	0.2
Education and communication(2)		160.798	161.003	161.850	1.7	0.7	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(5)		104.065	104.138	103.992	2.8	-0.1	-0.1
Other goods and services		647.112	650.191	651.742	4.1	0.7	0.2
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 2024=100 base.
- Data not available. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. Northeast region CPI-U by special aggregate index for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		344.142	347.585	350.338	5.0	1.8	0.8
Food		350.135	351.671	352.157	3.8	0.6	0.1
Energy		318.210	341.568	354.082	26.2	11.3	3.7
All items less food and energy		353.417	355.336	357.609	3.6	1.2	0.6
All items less energy		351.025	352.875	354.861	3.6	1.1	0.6
All items less medical care		333.122	336.661	339.550	5.3	1.9	0.9
All items less shelter		301.437	304.864	306.895	5.4	1.8	0.7
Commodities		238.424	241.391	243.919	6.3	2.3	1.0
Commodities less food		187.336	190.710	193.890	8.2	3.5	1.7
Commodities less food & beverages		182.969	186.396	189.610	8.5	3.6	1.7
Durables		121.128	121.448	121.348	0.4	0.2	-0.1
Nondurables		293.575	298.136	302.309	8.3	3.0	1.4
Nondurables less food & beverages		241.346	248.767	256.325	14.9	6.2	3.0
Nondurables less food		244.799	251.778	258.910	13.8	5.8	2.8
Services		445.550	449.426	452.369	4.4	1.5	0.7
Services less rent of shelter(1)		437.230	441.601	442.527	4.3	1.2	0.2
Services less medical care services		431.741	435.743	438.918	4.5	1.7	0.7
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.