The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Boston area dropped by 0.3 percent for the two months ending in July 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Acting Regional Commissioner Mark J. Maggi stated that prices for all items excluding food and energy decreased by 0.4 percent during this period.
Over the past year, the Boston area’s all items CPI-U rose by 3.2 percent as of July 2025. The index for all items less food and energy increased by 3.5 percent over the same period, while food prices went up by 3.3 percent and energy prices declined by 0.8 percent.
For the most recent two-month period, food prices remained unchanged overall. Prices for food away from home increased by 0.4 percent, but grocery store purchases fell by 0.3 percent.
Year-over-year, food prices were up by 3.3 percent, with a notable rise of 6.9 percent in restaurant and cafeteria purchases and a smaller increase of 0.5 percent in grocery store costs.
Energy prices rose by 0.9 percent over the two-month period due to a 2.9-percent increase in gasoline prices; however, from July 2024 to July 2025, energy costs fell overall as gasoline prices dropped by nearly twelve percent.
Prices excluding food and energy fell during the last two months mainly because shelter costs decreased by almost one percent despite increases in owners’ equivalent rent (+1.5%) and rent of primary residence (+1%). Lodging away from home saw price declines, as did apparel (-4.5%). Some categories such as recreation (+1.5%) and personal care recorded price increases.
Over twelve months, shelter costs rose significantly—up nearly five percent—with both owners’ equivalent rent and primary residence rents seeing similar increases above five percent each; tuition, other school fees, and childcare also climbed five percent over the year.
The next release of Consumer Price Index data for Boston is scheduled for October 15, 2025 at 8:30 a.m., Eastern Time.
The Consumer Price Index measures average changes in consumer goods and services pricing over time using a fixed market basket methodology (https://www.bls.gov/cpi/overview.htm). The Boston CPI is published every two months with fewer components than national indexes due to smaller sample sizes; this can result in greater volatility compared to national or regional figures (https://www.bls.gov/regions/northeast/news-release/consumerpriceindex_boston.htm). Local indexes are not seasonally adjusted nor do they compare absolute price levels between cities—they only track changes since their base periods.
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton metropolitan area covers several counties across Massachusetts and New Hampshire including Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk (MA), Rockingham and Strafford (NH).
Further details about CPI methodology can be found through technical notes or via the BLS Handbook of Methods (https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/home.htm).
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