Prices in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged down 0.2 percent after a 0.1-percent decline in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli attributed the decrease largely to lower apparel 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 0.6 percent. (See table A.) The November increase was the largest since November 2014. (See chart 1.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.0 percent. (See table 1.) Higher prices for shelter drove the 12-month change in both indexes.

 

Food

The food index declined 0.2 percent in November after inching up 0.1 percent in October. Lower prices for soups, pork chops, and uncooked beef steaks contributed to a 0.6-percent decrease in prices for food at home. Prices for food away from home rose 0.4 percent.

Over the year, the food index increased 1.4 percent. At-home food prices rose 0.9 percent, while away-from-home food prices rose 2.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index inched down 0.1 percent over the month. Gasoline prices fell 0.8 percent, down for the fifth consecutive month; fuel oil prices were also lower in November. Moderating the decrease in the energy index were higher prices for natural gas (1.0 percent) and electricity (0.3 percent).

For the year ended November 2015, the energy index fell 16.7 percent, largely due to a 27.0-percent drop in gasoline prices. The household energy index fell 8.6 percent due to lower prices for electricity (-6.4 percent), natural gas (-0.4 percent), and fuel oil.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged down 0.2 percent after a 0.2-percent increase in October. Apparel prices had a larger-than-usual seasonal decline of 4.2 percent. Medical care prices fell 1.0 percent. The shelter index was unchanged as increases in the residential rent (0.3 percent) and owners’ equivalent rent (0.1 percent) components canceled out lower prices for lodging away from home. Moderating the decline in the all items less food and energy index was a 0.5-percent increase in prices for education and communication.

From November 2014 to November 2015, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.0 percent. Shelter prices rose 3.1 percent, reflecting higher prices for residential rent (3.6 percent) and owners’ equivalent rent (2.9 percent). Prices for education and communication rose 2.0 percent, the largest increase since August 2012. Prices for medical care were up 1.8 percent.

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

Month	2010		2011		2012		2013		2014		2015
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.2	2.4	0.3	1.5	0.4	2.8	0.5	2.2	0.9	1.9	0.1	-0.5
February	0.0	1.8	0.5	2.1	0.4	2.6	0.6	2.4	-0.2	1.1	0.3	0.1
March	0.5	2.1	0.7	2.3	0.6	2.6	0.1	1.9	0.4	1.3	0.2	-0.1
April	0.2	2.1	0.4	2.5	0.2	2.4	-0.2	1.4	0.0	1.6	0.1	0.0
May	0.2	2.2	0.6	2.9	0.1	1.8	0.1	1.4	0.5	1.9	0.4	-0.1
June	-0.1	1.5	0.2	3.2	-0.1	1.6	0.3	1.8	0.0	1.7	0.2	0.1
July	0.1	1.5	0.3	3.3	-0.2	1.1	0.2	2.1	0.1	1.6	-0.1	-0.1
August	0.2	1.4	0.4	3.5	0.6	1.4	0.1	1.7	-0.2	1.3	0.1	0.1
September	0.0	1.2	0.2	3.8	0.4	1.6	0.3	1.6	0.0	1.0	0.2	0.3
October	0.2	1.5	-0.2	3.3	-0.1	1.7	-0.6	1.1	-0.2	1.3	-0.1	0.4
November	0.0	1.3	-0.3	3.0	0.0	2.0	0.1	1.2	-0.4	0.8	-0.2	0.6
December	0.0	1.4	-0.4	2.7	-0.3	2.1	0.0	1.5	-0.5	0.3

CPI-W

In November, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 255.385, down 0.2 percent over the month. The CPI-W rose 0.3 percent over the year.

The December 2015 Consumer Price Index for New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island is scheduled to be released Wednesday, January 20, 2016, 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/pdf/homch17.pdf.

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 Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Sept. 2015	Oct. 2015	Nov. 2015	Nov. 2014	Sept. 2015	Oct. 2015
Expenditure category
All items	261.887	261.515	261.009	0.6	-0.3	-0.2
All items (1967=100)	757.080	756.003	754.540
Food and beverages	257.249	257.485	257.088	1.4	-0.1	-0.2
Food	257.272	257.468	257.038	1.4	-0.1	-0.2
Food at home	255.562	255.938	254.510	0.9	-0.4	-0.6
Food away from home	266.439	266.390	267.327	2.1	0.3	0.4
Alcoholic beverages	252.427	253.265	253.392	1.8	0.4	0.1
Housing	281.295	280.808	280.746	1.8	-0.2	0.0
Shelter	353.080	353.807	353.678	3.1	0.2	0.0
Rent of primary residence (1)	363.025	364.511	365.524	3.6	0.7	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)	359.282	359.793	360.154	2.9	0.2	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)	358.867	359.380	359.730	2.9	0.2	0.1
Fuels and utilities	183.888	177.376	177.913	-7.2	-3.2	0.3
Household energy	176.237	168.873	169.516	-8.6	-3.8	0.4
Energy services (1)	170.232	162.600	163.433	-4.9	-4.0	0.5
Electricity (1)	185.034	174.991	175.602	-6.4	-5.1	0.3
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	135.133	132.664	133.930	-0.4	-0.9	1.0
Household furnishings and operations	114.099	113.679	113.377	-1.9	-0.6	-0.3
Apparel	136.900	132.622	127.008	0.6	-7.2	-4.2
Transportation	211.043	209.410	209.745	-5.9	-0.6	0.2
Private transportation	197.045	194.577	194.066	-7.0	-1.5	-0.3
Motor fuel	186.623	175.975	174.566	-27.0	-6.5	-0.8
Gasoline (all types)	185.782	175.165	173.767	-27.0	-6.5	-0.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)	183.471	172.554	171.284	-27.9	-6.6	-0.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)	200.936	191.207	188.849	-24.2	-6.0	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)	203.448	194.610	192.346	-21.9	-5.5	-1.2
Medical care	445.282	452.809	448.440	1.8	0.7	-1.0
Recreation (5)	118.392	119.023	118.727	0.2	0.3	-0.2
Education and communication (5)	142.713	142.863	143.590	2.0	0.6	0.5
Other goods and services	405.528	406.409	408.579	2.6	0.8	0.5
Commodity and service group
All items	261.887	261.515	261.009	0.6	-0.3	-0.2
Commodities	189.115	187.444	185.890	-2.8	-1.7	-0.8
Commodities less food and beverages	146.878	144.375	142.342	-6.2	-3.1	-1.4
Nondurables less food and beverages	183.949	179.477	176.158	-8.4	-4.2	-1.8
Durables	99.002	98.710	98.145	-1.7	-0.9	-0.6
Services	323.852	324.499	324.813	2.3	0.3	0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	253.870	253.196	252.840	0.6	-0.4	-0.1
All items less shelter	225.906	225.062	224.390	-1.0	-0.7	-0.3
Commodities less food	150.963	148.540	146.556	-5.8	-2.9	-1.3
Nondurables	222.239	219.980	218.027	-3.0	-1.9	-0.9
Nondurables less food	188.224	184.023	180.878	-7.8	-3.9	-1.7
Services less rent of shelter (2)	302.694	303.266	304.120	1.1	0.5	0.3
Services less medical care services	314.068	314.275	314.827	2.3	0.2	0.2
Energy	182.653	173.933	173.801	-16.7	-4.8	-0.1
All items less energy	271.373	271.795	271.249	1.9	0.0	-0.2
All items less food and energy	275.679	276.144	275.574	2.0	0.0	-0.2
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.