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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Northeast > News Release
News Release Information

26-1393-BOS
Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (646) 264-3600

Consumer Price Index, Boston-Cambridge-Newton — July 2026

Area prices up 0.2 percent over the two months, 3.7 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Boston area was up 0.2 percent for the two months ending in July 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Mark J. Maggi noted that prices rose for all items less food and energy (+0.7 percent), while prices declined for energy (-4.9 percent) and food (-0.5 percent). (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Boston area all items CPI-U rose 3.7 percent for the 12 months ending in July. The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.0 percent. Energy prices increased 16.0 percent, and food prices increased 3.1 percent.

  Line chart of 12-month percent changes in the Consumer Price Index CPI-U for all items and all items less food and energy for Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, July 2023 to July 2026, not seasonally adjusted. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data
Food

Food prices declined 0.5 percent for the two months ending in July. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) fell 1.0 percent, with lower prices in all six major grocery store food groups. Conversely, prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.3 percent.

Food prices increased 3.1 percent over the year. Prices for food at home increased 3.2 percent, and prices for food away from home rose 2.8 percent. Among the six major grocery store food groups, dairy and related products (-2.9 percent) recorded the only price decrease over the year.

Energy

The energy index decreased 4.9 percent for the two months ending in July. Gasoline prices declined 9.2 percent.

The energy index increased 16.0 percent from July 2025 to July 2026. Over the year, the gasoline index advanced 30.5 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.7 percent during the two-month period. The shelter index (+1.6 percent) was the largest contributor to the increase, with increases in owners’ equivalent rent (+1.0 percent), rent of primary residence (+0.8 percent), and lodging away from home. Prices also rose for new and used motor vehicles (+1.1 percent) and medical care (+0.8 percent). In contrast, apparel prices, often down this time of year, fell 6.0 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.0 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+4.7 percent) and education and communication (+4.5 percent). Within shelter, prices rose for owners’ equivalent rent (+3.9 percent), rent of primary residence (+3.3 percent), and lodging away from home.

The September 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Boston area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).


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 Consumer Price Index for Boston is published bi-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. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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, MA-NH Core Based Statistical Area includes Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts and Rockingham and Strafford Counties in New Hampshire.

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. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, CPI-U by expenditure category for July 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Expenditure category

 Indexes Percent change from:
Historical
data		 May
2026		 Jun.
2026		 Jul.
2026		 Jul.
2025		 May
2026		 Jun.
2026

All items

 359.056 - 359.707 3.7 0.2 -

All items (1967=100)

 1,043.607 - 1,045.500 - - -

Food and beverages

 367.926 - 365.929 2.8 -0.5 -

Food

 373.774 - 371.836 3.1 -0.5 -

Food at home

 328.839 324.334 325.514 3.2 -1.0 0.4

Cereals and bakery products

 386.449 386.304 384.620 1.1 -0.5 -0.4

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

 349.517 334.349 346.012 1.4 -1.0 3.5

Dairy and related products

 358.238 355.160 352.034 -2.9 -1.7 -0.9

Fruits and vegetables

 395.579 383.407 393.021 7.4 -0.6 2.5

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

 231.531 233.455 230.327 4.8 -0.5 -1.3

Other food at home

 261.886 262.409 258.140 4.7 -1.4 -1.6

Food away from home

 453.607 - 454.850 2.8 0.3 -

Alcoholic beverages

 312.229 - 309.840 0.3 -0.8 -

Housing

 395.326 - 400.046 4.4 1.2 -

Shelter

 468.708 470.085 476.313 4.7 1.6 1.3

Rent of primary residence

 487.943 489.296 491.717 3.3 0.8 0.5

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

 504.053 506.267 509.059 3.9 1.0 0.6

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

 504.053 506.267 509.059 3.9 1.0 0.6

Household furnishings and operations

 148.812 - 147.718 -0.6 -0.7 -

Apparel

 133.892 - 125.851 -6.9 -6.0 -

Transportation

 256.789 - 252.257 6.5 -1.8 -

Private transportation

 264.319 - 260.792 5.1 -1.3 -

New and used motor vehicles(3)

 139.948 - 141.454 -1.2 1.1 -

New vehicles(1)

 241.260 - 241.995 0.4 0.3 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

 415.575 - 426.627 -2.7 2.7 -

Motor fuel

 391.155 368.380 355.303 30.5 -9.2 -3.5

Gasoline (all types)

 387.349 364.797 351.849 30.5 -9.2 -3.5

Unleaded regular(4)

 375.196 351.822 338.655 31.4 -9.7 -3.7

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

 423.474 406.348 394.426 27.3 -6.9 -2.9

Unleaded premium(4)

 416.394 400.695 390.413 25.8 -6.2 -2.6

Medical care

 754.926 - 760.966 -0.1 0.8 -

Recreation(3)

 120.321 - 119.524 1.3 -0.7 -

Education and communication(3)

 186.334 - 187.637 4.5 0.7 -

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(6)

 107.327 - 108.080 5.1 0.7 -

Other goods and services

 710.296 - 715.434 3.8 0.7 -

Footnotes
(1) Index is on a January 1978=100 base.
(2) Index is on a November 1982=100 base.
(3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(6) Index 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. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, CPI-U by special aggregate index for July 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Special aggregate index

 Indexes Percent change from:
Historical
data		 May
2026		 Jun.
2026		 Jul.
2026		 Jul.
2025		 May
2026		 Jun.
2026

All items

 359.056 - 359.707 3.7 0.2 -

Food

 373.774 - 371.836 3.1 -0.5 -

Energy

 383.422 368.313 364.562 16.0 -4.9 -1.0

All items less food and energy

 363.487 - 365.982 3.0 0.7 -

All items less energy

 363.476 - 365.377 3.0 0.5 -

All items less medical care

 343.772 - 344.233 4.0 0.1 -

All items less shelter

 317.007 - 314.647 3.1 -0.7 -

Commodities

 239.467 - 236.605 2.3 -1.2 -

Commodities less food

 181.512 - 178.622 1.6 -1.6 -

Commodities less food & beverages

 176.332 - 173.426 1.7 -1.6 -

Durables

 117.728 - 119.507 -1.1 1.5 -

Nondurables

 306.579 - 299.615 3.6 -2.3 -

Nondurables less food

 249.708 - 239.346 4.0 -4.1 -

Nondurables less food & beverages

 246.784 - 235.458 4.7 -4.6 -

Services

 466.531 - 470.737 4.3 0.9 -

Services less rent of shelter(1)

 478.707 - 477.986 3.6 -0.2 -

Services less medical care services

 444.270 - 448.299 4.7 0.9 -

Footnotes
(1) Indexes on a November 1982=100 base.

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

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, August 12, 2026