Prices in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged up 0.2 percent in February, following a 0.5-percent increase in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli attributed the rise to higher prices for shelter and apparel. (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 increased 1.3 percent. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.6 percent. (See table A and chart 1.) Price increases for shelter drove the 12-month change in both indexes. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index ticked up 0.1 percent, following a 0.6-percent increase in January. Prices for food away from home rose 0.4 percent for the second consecutive month. Prices for food at home, on the other hand, edged down 0.2 percent, with price declines in four of the six grocery groups. Groceries with lower prices in February included tomatoes, uncooked beef roasts, and carbonated drinks.

For the year ending in February 2019, the food index rose 2.3 percent. Food-away-from-home prices advanced 3.0 percent, and food-at-home prices increased 1.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 2.2 percent, marking the eighth consecutive month without an increase.  Lower prices for electricity (-3.2 percent) and natural gas (-3.1 percent) led to a 2.8-percent decline in household energy prices. Gasoline prices dropped 1.2 percent, after falling by more than 4.0 percent in each of the prior three months.

Over the year, the energy index was down 4.3 percent, primarily reflecting a 9.8-percent decline in gasoline prices. A 1.3-percent decline in electricity prices was in part offset by a 4.4-percent rise in natural gas prices, contributing to a 0.4-percent decline in household energy prices.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.5 percent for the second consecutive month.  Prices for apparel, often up in February, rose 5.1 percent, and a 0.4-percent advance in shelter prices included a 0.4-percent rise in residential rent. Higher prices were reported for new and used motor vehicles (1.2 percent), airline fares, recreation (0.5 percent), motor vehicle insurance (0.6 percent), and other goods and services (0.6 percent).

From February 2018 to February 2019, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.6 percent. A 2.2-percent rise in shelter prices included a 2.5-percent rise in residential rent and a 2.2-percent increase in owners’ equivalent rent. Other expenditure categories posting increases of at least 2.0 percent included medical care (3.5 percent); tuition, other school fees, and childcare (3.3 percent); and motor vehicle insurance (2.5 percent). In contrast, prices were down 2.3 percent for apparel.

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

Month	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	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	0.9	1.9	0.1	-0.5	0.2	0.8	0.6	2.5	0.4	1.4	0.5	1.6
February	-0.2	1.1	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.6	0.3	2.6	0.5	1.7	0.2	1.3
March	0.4	1.3	0.2	-0.1	0.2	0.7	0.0	2.3	0.0	1.7
April	0.0	1.6	0.1	0.0	0.4	1.0	0.1	2.0	0.3	1.9
May	0.5	1.9	0.4	-0.1	0.3	0.9	0.1	1.8	0.4	2.2
June	0.0	1.7	0.2	0.1	0.2(R)	0.9(R)	0.2	1.8	0.1	2.0
July	0.1	1.6	-0.1	-0.1	-0.1	1.0	-0.2	1.6	0.0	2.2
August	-0.2	1.3	0.1	0.1	0.2	1.1	0.2	1.7	0.1	2.2
September	0.0	1.0	0.2	0.3	0.2	1.0	0.5	2.1	0.4	2.0
October	-0.2	1.3	-0.1	0.4	0.1	1.2	-0.2	1.8	-0.1	2.0
November	-0.4	0.8	-0.2	0.6	0.2	1.6	-0.1	1.6	-0.2	1.9
December	-0.5	0.3	-0.4	0.7	0.1	2.1	0.1	1.6	-0.2	1.6
Footnotes: (R) = revised.

CPI-WIn February, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 270.250, up 0.2 percent over the month. The CPI-W rose 1.2 percent over the year.

The March 2019 Consumer Price Index for New York-Newark-Jersey City is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, 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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 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-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., Core Based Statistical Area includes Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties in New York; Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties in New Jersey; 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-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, not seasonally adjusted
(1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Dec. 2018	Jan. 2019	Feb. 2019	Feb. 2018	Dec. 2018	Jan. 2019
Expenditure category
All items	273.836	275.144	275.823	1.3	0.7	0.2
All items (1967=100)	791.621	795.404	797.367
Food and beverages	268.413	269.800	269.907	2.3	0.6	0.0
Food	268.381	269.865	270.046	2.3	0.6	0.1
Food at home	257.467	259.288	258.689	1.7	0.5	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products	299.450	298.472	305.249	1.5	1.9	2.3
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	254.975	252.938	251.255	0.7	-1.5	-0.7
Dairy and related products	224.573	228.319	224.142	-0.5	-0.2	-1.8
Fruits and vegetables	336.830	337.497	333.452	3.8	-1.0	-1.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	246.390	258.466	256.656	0.8	4.2	-0.7
Other food at home	225.145	226.663	228.020	2.6	1.3	0.6
Food away from home	291.130	292.168	293.474	3.0	0.8	0.4
Alcoholic beverages	264.326	264.364	263.448	2.2	-0.3	-0.3
Housing	299.249	301.140	301.233	2.0	0.7	0.0
Shelter	379.546	380.188	381.584	2.2	0.5	0.4
Rent of primary residence	392.999	394.041	395.438	2.5	0.6	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)	388.356	388.442	388.611	2.2	0.1	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)	387.875	387.961	388.130	2.2	0.1	0.0
Fuels and utilities	193.771	200.021	195.193	0.1	0.7	-2.4
Household energy	184.852	191.719	186.384	-0.4	0.8	-2.8
Energy services	176.312	183.767	177.937	0.9	0.9	-3.2
Electricity	171.536	179.787	173.987	-1.3	1.4	-3.2
Utility (piped) gas service	173.498	179.292	173.755	4.4	0.1	-3.1
Household furnishings and operations	108.368	111.667	110.693	1.4	2.1	-0.9
Apparel	117.528	121.501	127.683	-2.3	8.6	5.1
Transportation	216.186	214.294	215.269	-2.0	-0.4	0.5
Private transportation	204.137	201.636	202.076	-2.1	-1.0	0.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)	89.426	90.020	91.099	-1.1	1.9	1.2
New vehicles(1)	201.708	203.109	204.632	1.0	1.4	0.7
Used cars and trucks(1)	264.360	266.225	267.583	1.4	1.2	0.5
Motor fuel	210.915	199.239	196.935	-9.7	-6.6	-1.2
Gasoline (all types)	209.860	198.224	195.926	-9.8	-6.6	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	208.405	196.469	194.232	-10.2	-6.8	-1.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	220.941	210.273	207.486	-7.5	-6.1	-1.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	222.012	212.662	209.920	-6.8	-5.4	-1.3
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	756.993	757.926	762.731	2.5	0.8	0.6
Medical care	497.055	501.396	501.561	3.5	0.9	0.0
Recreation(3)	124.279	124.605	125.201	-0.1	0.7	0.5
Education and communication(3)	142.726	143.331	143.119	1.0	0.3	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,197.848	1,200.430	1,204.954	3.3	0.6	0.4
Other goods and services	432.511	432.522	435.245	1.9	0.6	0.6
Commodity and service group
All items	273.836	275.144	275.823	1.3	0.7	0.2
Commodities	188.586	189.572	189.976	-0.5	0.7	0.2
Commodities less food and beverages	140.883	141.627	142.143	-2.8	0.9	0.4
Nondurables less food and beverages	179.128	178.573	180.271	-4.3	0.6	1.0
Durables	92.459	94.605	93.793	0.4	1.4	-0.9
Services	345.596	347.191	348.090	2.0	0.7	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	264.143	265.321	266.022	1.2	0.7	0.3
All items less shelter	231.888	233.510	233.886	0.7	0.9	0.2
Commodities less food	145.461	146.188	146.664	-2.6	0.8	0.3
Nondurables	225.014	225.360	226.347	-0.7	0.6	0.4
Nondurables less food	184.263	183.739	185.298	-3.8	0.6	0.8
Services less rent of shelter(2)	319.746	322.447	322.814	1.8	1.0	0.1
Services less medical care services	332.933	334.186	335.097	1.8	0.6	0.3
Energy	197.330	197.187	192.940	-4.3	-2.2	-2.2
All items less energy	283.194	284.654	285.825	1.7	0.9	0.4
All items less food and energy	287.724	289.192	290.525	1.6	1.0	0.5
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 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.