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News Release Information

22-1663-BOS
Thursday, August 11, 2022

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

Consumer Price Index, Boston-Cambridge-Newton – July 2022

Area prices were up 0.7 percent over the past two months, up 7.0 percent from a year ago

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Boston advanced 0.7 percent for the two months ending in July 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that the July increase was influenced by higher prices for food. (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 CPI-U increased 7.0 percent. The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.9 percent over the year, mainly due to higher shelter prices. Energy prices advanced 43.9 percent. Food prices increased 10.3 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 2.6 percent for the two months ending in July. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 1.7 percent, and prices for food away from home rose 4.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 10.3 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 10.9 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home rose 9.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 2.1 percent for the two months ending in July. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for electricity (5.3 percent). Prices for gasoline rose 2.9 percent, and prices for utility (piped) gas service increased 7.9 percent for the same period. Partly offsetting the increase within household energy was a price decrease in fuel oil.

Energy prices advanced 43.9 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (55.1 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service rose 52.3 percent, and prices for electricity rose 20.2 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.3 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for shelter (0.5 percent) and medical care (1.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for household furnishings and operations (-3.5 percent) and apparel (-1.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 3.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (2.8 percent), medical care (6.9 percent), and new and used motor vehicles (7.5 percent). Within shelter, owners’ equivalent rent of residences increased 4.2 percent. Partly offsetting the increase within shelter was a price decrease in lodging away from home.

The Consumer Price Index for September 2022 is scheduled to be released on October 13, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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 BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H. Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts; Rockingham, Strafford Counties in New Hampshire.

Information from this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table A. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20182019202020212022
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

1.12.80.52.50.62.20.70.51.66.3

March

0.93.60.52.10.11.80.91.31.97.3

May

0.03.20.22.3-1.00.60.83.21.17.5

July

0.33.40.02.00.20.81.24.30.77.0

September

1.23.30.21.10.10.6-0.14.0

November

-0.43.20.72.10.40.41.75.3
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Ma.-N.H. (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)
Expenditure categoryIndexesPercent change from
Historical
data
May
2022
Jun.
2022
Jul.
2022
Jul.
2021
May
2022
Jun.
2022

All items

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0
313.578 315.8417.00.7 

All items (1967 = 100)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11AAA0
911.422 918.001   

Food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF
312.662 320.4939.62.5 

Food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF1
316.898 325.18510.32.6 

Food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF11
290.104292.924294.91010.91.70.7

Cereal and bakery products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF111
347.425 353.86211.01.9 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF112
317.587 317.14212.6-0.1 

Dairy and related products

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEFJ
332.523 342.93320.33.1 

Fruits and vegetables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF113
376.289 370.4814.8-1.5 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF114
175.428 187.78814.67.0 

Other food at home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF115
219.249 225.1629.22.7 

Food away from home

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEFV
362.550 377.9609.44.3 

Alcoholic beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAF116
269.720 272.1760.80.9 

Housing

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAH
325.761 326.2065.80.1 

Shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAH1
377.395378.066379.4622.80.50.4

Rent of primary residence(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHA
388.190392.245394.1864.61.50.5

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)(3)(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHC
405.346407.971409.9154.21.10.5

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)(3)(4)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHC01
405.346407.971409.9154.21.10.5

Fuels and utilities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAH2
379.200 380.64029.90.4 

Household energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAH21
325.258335.875330.19735.91.5-1.7

Energy services(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHF
312.895324.136332.05430.26.12.4

Electricity(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHF01
346.253351.405364.45020.25.33.7

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEHF02
241.257260.301260.30952.37.90.0

Household furnishings and operations

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAH3
151.131 145.83610.4-3.5 

Apparel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAA
135.997 133.5588.4-1.8 

Transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAT
242.470 245.74814.81.4 

Private transportation

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAT1
249.985 256.07415.72.4 

New and used motor vehicles(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETA
136.123 139.5707.52.5 

New Vehicles(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETA01
234.301 236.8306.91.1 

Used cars and trucks(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETA02
483.067 494.9636.82.5 

Motor fuel

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETB
396.371433.260407.84155.32.9-5.9

Gasoline (all types)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETB01
391.698428.374403.19155.12.9-5.9

Gasoline, unleaded regular(6)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASS47014
382.105417.422391.64355.22.5-6.2

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(6)(7)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASS47015
412.235454.183434.83256.05.5-4.3

Gasoline, unleaded premium(6)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASS47016
396.049436.193419.12854.55.8-3.9

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASETE
      

Medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAM
733.033 743.0916.91.4 

Recreation(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAR
118.266 118.3200.40.0 

Education and communication(5)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAE
174.610 175.2310.60.4 

Tuition, other fees, and child care(1)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASEEB
1,434.076 1,437.7160.40.3 

Other goods and services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAG
565.740 572.3958.11.2 

Commodity and service group

Commodities

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAC
228.512 230.83612.21.0 

Commodities less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASACL11
183.589 183.91414.00.2 

Nondurables less food and beverages

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASANL11
245.049 245.82623.30.3 

Durables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAD
129.193 129.2375.70.0 

Services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAS
390.392 392.6034.50.6 

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0L2
291.367 293.7599.50.8 

All items less medical care

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0L5
297.528 299.5057.00.7 

Commodities less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASACL1
187.439 187.81913.40.2 

Nondurables

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASAN
278.442 282.54315.51.5 

Nondurables less food

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASANL1
246.095 246.97421.30.4 

Services less rent of shelter(3)

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASASL2RS
423.369 425.9616.60.6 

Services less medical care services

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASASL5
365.422 367.5914.20.6 

Energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0E
351.088372.160358.60743.92.1-3.6

All items less energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0LE
316.080 317.9964.70.6 

All items less food and energy

Go to web page with historical data for series CUURS11ASA0L1E
317.284 318.2883.90.3 

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a January 1978=100 base.
(2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(3) Indexes on a November 1982=100 base.
(4) This index series underwent a change in composition in January 2010. The expenditure class now includes weight from secondary residences, and has been re-titled "Owners' equivalent rent of residences." The item stratum "Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence" excludes secondary residences.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(6) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(7) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.

Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 11, 2022