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News Release Information

15-1807-NEW
Wednesday, September 16, 2015

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

Consumer Price Index, New York-Northern New Jersey – August 2015

Area prices up 0.1 percent over the month and 0.1 percent over the year

Prices in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), ticked up 0.1 percent, after a downtick of 0.1 percent in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that higher prices for apparel and shelter were largely offset by lower energy prices. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the year, the CPI-U was up 0.1 percent. (See table A.) Since February, the 12-month percent change has remained relatively flat, within a range of -0.1 to 0.1 percent. (See chart 1.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.6 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 0.3 percent in August, following a 0.2-percent decline in July. Higher prices for fresh fish and seafood, nonfrozen noncarbonated juices and drinks, and eggs contributed to a 0.5-percent increase in prices for food at home. In contrast, prices for food away from home were unchanged.

Over the year, the food index increased 1.8 percent. At-home food prices rose 1.6 percent, while away-from-home food prices rose 2.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 4.0 percent, largely due to a 6.2-percent drop in gasoline prices. Household energy prices also declined (-2.4 percent). A reduction in electricity charges (-1.8 percent), coupled with lower prices for fuel oil, led to the downturn in household energy prices.

For the year ended August 2015, the energy index fell 17.7 percent; gasoline prices decreased 26.7 percent, and household energy prices declined 9.9 percent. Within household energy, natural gas prices were down 11.1 percent, and electricity prices were down 3.1 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent after little or no change in June and July. Apparel prices, often up at this time of year with the introduction of fall and winter lines, rose 4.9 percent. Shelter prices advanced 0.3 percent, reflecting a 0.4-percent increase for owners’ equivalent rent and a 0.3-percent increase for residential rent. Medical care prices (0.5 percent) and education and communication (0.3 percent) also increased. By contrast, prices for recreation (-0.4 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.1 percent) declined.

From August 2014 to August 2015, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.6 percent. A 2.3-percent advance in shelter prices was due in part to a 2.8-percent rise in residential rent. Apparel prices increased 3.6 percent, and medical care prices rose 2.0 percent.

Table A. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)
Month201020112012201320142015
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.22.40.31.50.42.80.52.20.91.90.1-0.5

February

0.01.80.52.10.42.60.62.4-0.21.10.30.1

March

0.52.10.72.30.62.60.11.90.41.30.2-0.1

April

0.22.10.42.50.22.4-0.21.40.01.60.10.0

May

0.22.20.62.90.11.80.11.40.51.90.4-0.1

June

-0.11.50.23.2-0.11.60.31.80.01.70.20.1

July

0.11.50.33.3-0.21.10.22.10.11.6-0.1-0.1

August

0.21.40.43.50.61.40.11.7-0.21.30.10.1

September

0.01.20.23.80.41.60.31.60.01.0  

October

0.21.5-0.23.3-0.11.7-0.61.1-0.21.3  

November

0.01.3-0.33.00.02.00.11.2-0.40.8  

December

0.01.4-0.42.7-0.32.10.01.5-0.50.3  
CPI-W

In August, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 256.038, virtually unchanged over the month. The CPI-W decreased 0.3 percent over the year.

The September 2015 Consumer Price Index for New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island is scheduled to be released Thursday, October 15, 2015, 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 Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: (1) a CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) which covers approximately 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 28 percent of the total 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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 (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period "market basket" of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. 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 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Conn.-Pa. consolidated area covered in this release is comprised of Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties in New York State; Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren Counties in New Jersey; Fairfield County and parts of Litchfield, Middlesex, and New Haven Counties in Connecticut; and Pike County in Pennsylvania.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)(not seasonally adjusted)
Item and GroupIndexesPercent change from-
June
2015
July
2015
Aug.
2015
Aug.
2014
June
2015
July
2015
 

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

261.512261.199261.3470.1-0.10.1

All items (1967=100)

755.996755.091755.517   
 

Food and beverages

255.896255.558256.2541.70.10.3

Food

255.920255.400256.1471.80.10.3

Food at home

254.763253.429254.6561.60.00.5

Food away from home

264.286264.876264.9802.00.30.0

Alcoholic beverages

251.093253.525253.4191.50.90.0
 

Housing

279.665279.811279.9880.90.10.1

Shelter

348.425349.931351.0382.30.70.3

Rent of primary residence (1)

357.922359.322360.2392.80.60.3

Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)

355.525355.990357.3462.40.50.4

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)

355.136355.598356.9622.40.50.4

Fuels and utilities

193.123189.206185.294-8.4-4.1-2.1

Household energy

186.936182.362177.971-9.9-4.8-2.4

Energy services (1)

178.813174.437172.104-5.4-3.8-1.3

Electricity (1)

195.445190.894187.481-3.1-4.1-1.8

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

139.717135.821135.772-11.1-2.80.0

Household furnishings and operations

115.347113.431113.295-3.3-1.8-0.1
 

Apparel

126.205125.403131.5073.64.24.9
 

Transportation

221.481219.546215.733-6.3-2.6-1.7

Private transportation

205.629205.477201.825-7.5-1.8-1.8

Motor fuel

221.242220.073206.476-26.7-6.7-6.2

Gasoline (all types)

220.269219.119205.570-26.7-6.7-6.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

220.453218.778204.321-27.5-7.3-6.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

224.650226.041216.306-24.4-3.7-4.3

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

224.191225.834217.238-22.7-3.1-3.8
 

Medical care

444.312445.132447.1862.00.60.5
 

Recreation (5)

119.294119.097118.6310.1-0.6-0.4
 

Education and communication (5)

140.695140.798141.283-0.10.40.3
 

Other goods and services

404.141404.439404.2391.80.00.0
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

261.512261.199261.3470.1-0.10.1

Commodities

190.200189.533189.319-2.8-0.5-0.1

Commodities less food and beverages

149.081148.289147.649-6.2-1.0-0.4

Nondurables less food and beverages

187.080186.067185.517-8.2-0.8-0.3

Durables

100.10099.58898.894-2.2-1.2-0.7

Services

322.317322.279322.7141.50.10.1
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

253.519253.164253.2380.0-0.10.0

All items less shelter

227.346226.257225.997-1.3-0.6-0.1

Commodities less food

153.078152.375151.745-5.9-0.9-0.4

Nondurables

223.245222.544222.589-2.9-0.30.0

Nondurables less food

191.125190.294189.766-7.5-0.7-0.3

Services less rent of shelter (2)

304.731302.901302.5390.3-0.7-0.1

Services less medical care services

312.586312.560312.8511.50.10.1

Energy

202.639199.302191.334-17.7-5.6-4.0

All items less energy

269.051269.025269.9481.60.30.3

All items less food and energy

273.167273.229274.1901.60.40.4

Footnotes
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(2) Index is on a December 1982=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
 

Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
The New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA consolidated area comprises the five boroughs of New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Orange Counties in New York State; Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Middlesex, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren Counties in New Jersey; Fairfield County and parts of Litchfield, New Haven, and Middlesex Counties in Connecticut; and Pike County in Pennsylvania.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2015