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News Release Information

16-999-NEW
Tuesday, May 17, 2016

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

Consumer Price Index, New York-Northern New Jersey – April 2016

Area prices up 0.4 percent over the month and 1.0 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), rose for the fourth consecutive month, up 0.4 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli attributed the increase primarily to higher prices for energy, particularly gasoline. (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 1.0 percent. (See table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.8 percent. (See chart 1.) Higher prices for shelter drove the 12-month change in both indexes. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 0.7 percent in April, reflecting higher prices for both food at home (1.0 percent) and food away from home (0.4 percent). Within the food at home group, prices rose for snacks; cakes, cupcakes, and cookies; and salad dressings.

Over the year, the food index increased 0.9 percent as away-from-home food prices rose 3.6 percent. In contrast, at-home food prices declined 1.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 4.6 percent in April. After falling in eight of the last nine months, gasoline prices jumped 12.9 percent, the largest increase since June 2009. Household energy prices rose 0.3 percent with higher prices for natural gas (0.4 percent) and fuel oil. Electricity prices were unchanged.

For the year ended in April 2016, the energy index fell 8.3 percent. The decline was driven by a 12.9-percent drop in gasoline prices, along with lower prices for electricity (-4.7 percent) and fuel oil. Natural gas prices moderated the drop in the energy index, rising 7.1 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched up 0.1 percent, due largely to a 0.2-percent increase in shelter prices. Higher prices for both owners’ equivalent rent (0.2 percent) and residential rent (0.1 percent) contributed to the price rise. Prices also increased for motor vehicle insurance. The indexes for medical care and recreation each rose 0.3 percent. A 1.4-percent decline in prices for apparel helped to moderate the overall advance.

From April 2015 to April 2016, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.8 percent. Shelter prices were up 2.8 percent as prices rose for residential rent (4.0 percent) and owners’ equivalent rent (2.8 percent). Other categories with higher prices included other goods and services (3.2 percent), education and communication (2.2 percent), and medical care (1.8 percent).

Table A. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)
Month201120122013201420152016
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.31.50.42.80.52.20.91.90.1-0.50.20.8

February

0.52.10.42.60.62.4-0.21.10.30.10.20.6

March

0.72.30.62.60.11.90.41.30.2-0.10.20.7

April

0.42.50.22.4-0.21.40.01.60.10.00.41.0

May

0.62.90.11.80.11.40.51.90.4-0.1  

June

0.23.2-0.11.60.31.80.01.70.20.1  

July

0.33.3-0.21.10.22.10.11.6-0.1-0.1  

August

0.43.50.61.40.11.7-0.21.30.10.1  

September

0.23.80.41.60.31.60.01.00.20.3  

October

-0.23.3-0.11.7-0.61.1-0.21.3-0.10.4  

November

-0.33.00.02.00.11.2-0.40.8-0.20.6  

December

-0.42.7-0.32.10.01.5-0.50.3-0.40.7  
CPI-W

In April, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 257.289, up 0.5 percent over the month. The CPI-W rose 1.0 percent over the year.

The May 2016 Consumer Price Index for New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island is scheduled to be released Thursday, June 16, 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 GroupIndexesPercent change from-
Feb.
2016
March
2016
April
2016
April
2015
Feb.
2016
March
2016
 

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

260.875261.508262.6191.00.70.4

All items (1967=100)

754.153755.983759.194   
 

Food and beverages

257.176256.386258.1671.00.40.7

Food

257.139256.258258.1320.90.40.7

Food at home

252.679250.602253.019-1.10.11.0

Food away from home

270.223271.062272.1923.60.70.4

Alcoholic beverages

253.288253.738254.2432.70.40.2
 

Housing

280.952282.322282.6621.70.60.1

Shelter

355.645356.133356.7812.80.30.2

Rent of primary residence (1)

368.693369.185369.5794.00.20.1

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

362.154362.714363.3222.80.30.2

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

361.705362.266362.8732.80.30.2

Fuels and utilities

171.281177.962178.408-4.14.20.3

Household energy

161.641169.118169.618-5.24.90.3

Energy services (1)

158.285166.466166.704-1.55.30.1

Electricity (1)

172.533177.430177.479-4.72.90.0

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

124.721138.168138.7257.111.20.4

Household furnishings and operations

112.376113.012112.173-3.0-0.2-0.7
 

Apparel

131.283131.207129.416-1.1-1.4-1.4
 

Transportation

203.647204.036209.200-2.12.72.5

Private transportation

187.944188.566193.835-2.73.12.8

Motor fuel

147.105150.069169.326-13.015.112.8

Gasoline (all types)

146.459149.409168.673-12.915.212.9

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

143.421146.864166.856-13.516.313.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

164.097163.927179.863-10.89.69.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

168.610168.705183.167-9.38.68.6
 

Medical care

457.224457.077458.6201.80.30.3
 

Recreation (5)

118.637119.296119.6910.20.90.3
 

Education and communication (5)

143.642143.604143.2692.2-0.3-0.2
 

Other goods and services

411.739413.772413.0993.20.3-0.2
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

260.875261.508262.6191.00.70.4

Commodities

184.012184.251185.710-1.80.90.8

Commodities less food and beverages

139.632140.333141.561-4.11.40.9

Nondurables less food and beverages

171.271172.651175.003-5.02.21.4

Durables

97.83997.81897.843-2.40.00.0

Services

326.020326.969327.8442.30.60.3
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

252.333252.997254.0891.00.70.4

All items less shelter

223.371224.067225.370-0.10.90.6

Commodities less food

143.907144.604145.815-3.81.30.8

Nondurables

215.464215.825217.942-1.61.21.0

Nondurables less food

176.245177.572179.818-4.52.01.3

Services less rent of shelter (2)

304.439305.913307.0551.70.90.4

Services less medical care services

315.500316.650317.3302.30.60.2

Energy

158.388164.258171.881-8.38.54.6

All items less energy

272.554272.702273.2131.60.20.2

All items less food and energy

277.089277.412277.6961.80.20.1

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: Tuesday, May 17, 2016