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News Release Information

21-1839-NEW
Wednesday, October 13, 2021

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

Consumer Price Index, New York-Newark-Jersey City – September 2021

Area prices up 0.5 percent over the month and 3.8 percent over the year

Prices in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.5 percent in September after inching up 0.1 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli noted that the September increase was led by higher prices for all items less food and energy. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the year, the CPI-U advanced 3.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.5 percent over the year. Energy prices jumped 22.2 percent, driven by an increase in the price of gasoline. Food prices rose 5.5 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 1.5 percent in September. Prices for food at home increased 1.3 percent, with five of the six grocery categories recording increases. Prices for food away from home rose 1.8 percent.

From September 2020 to September 2021, food prices rose 5.5 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 4.6 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 6.6 percent, the largest over-the-year increase since February 1987.

Energy

The energy index rose 0.6 percent over the month. Household energy rose 0.3 percent, including a 3.8 percent increase in natural gas prices and a 1.7 percent decrease in electricity prices. Prices for gasoline increased 1.0 percent over the month.

Energy prices climbed 22.2 percent over the year, largely due to a 42.7-percent jump in gasoline prices. Household energy prices advanced 10.7 percent, the fastest pace in over four years. Natural gas prices were 16.0 percent higher, and electricity prices were up 5.6 percent from one year earlier.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent in September. Higher prices for household furnishing and operations (2.9 percent) and new vehicles (5.0 percent) contributed to the increase.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.5 percent. Higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (13.0 percent) reflected increases in both the new vehicles (12.6 percent) and used cars and trucks (25.0 percent) components. Higher prices for shelter (1.2 percent) included an increase in owners’ equivalent rent (1.2 percent). Prices for household furnishings and operations were up 8.7 percent over the year.

Table A. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20172018201920202021
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.62.50.41.40.51.60.82.50.41.2

February

0.32.60.51.70.21.30.22.40.31.4

March

0.02.30.01.70.31.6-0.22.00.42.0

April

0.12.00.31.90.31.6-0.51.10.73.2

May

0.11.80.42.20.21.50.51.40.53.2

June

0.21.80.12.00.31.70.11.31.04.1

July

-0.21.60.02.20.01.70.51.7-0.13.5

August

0.21.70.12.20.21.8-0.11.40.13.7

September

0.52.10.42.00.01.40.41.90.53.8

October

-0.21.8-0.12.00.01.5-0.21.7

November

-0.11.6-0.21.90.11.8-0.31.4

December

0.11.6-0.21.60.12.20.41.6

The October 2021 Consumer Price Index for the New York-Newark-Jersey City area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on September 2021 Consumer Price Index Data

Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in September was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed.

While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at

https://www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measures 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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 6,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods 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-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-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 individuals with sensory impairments 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 GroupIndexesPercent change from-
July
2021
Aug.
2021
Sept.
2021
Sept.
2020
July
2021
Aug.
2021

Expenditure category

All items

293.553293.927295.4883.80.70.5

All items (1967=100)

848.622849.703854.214   

Food and beverages

291.148292.554296.7155.31.91.4

Food

291.792293.132297.6585.52.01.5

Food at home

275.851276.818280.4984.61.71.3

Cereals and bakery products

309.598315.580323.2525.14.42.4

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

291.533292.127291.2429.0-0.1-0.3

Dairy and related products

242.451241.019241.3850.9-0.40.2

Fruits and vegetables

338.818335.143348.4222.32.84.0

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

271.829272.953277.9404.32.21.8

Other food at home

238.153240.977242.6253.41.90.7

Food away from home

322.358324.261330.1076.62.41.8

Alcoholic beverages

277.395279.674278.7661.90.5-0.3

Housing

316.160316.056317.0572.40.30.3

Shelter

399.091397.863398.1911.2-0.20.1

Rent of primary residence

407.857408.408409.5290.00.40.3

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)

404.717405.850406.4111.20.40.1

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)

404.215405.347405.9081.20.40.1

Fuels and utilities

208.162213.418213.8989.92.80.2

Household energy

197.404203.222203.75310.73.20.3

Energy services

190.860197.662197.5548.73.5-0.1

Electricity

191.781201.043197.5785.63.0-1.7

Utility (piped) gas service

175.819177.202183.85616.04.63.8

Household furnishings and operations

118.429118.660122.1178.73.12.9

Apparel

122.740129.571130.4044.06.20.6

Transportation

241.099238.079238.28610.9-1.20.1

Private transportation

234.872235.474236.64415.20.80.5

New and used motor vehicles(3)

105.561105.235106.31513.00.71.0

New vehicles(1)

217.239221.170232.20112.66.95.0

Used cars and trucks(1)

387.326382.349369.21625.0-4.7-3.4

Motor fuel

251.368253.538256.12342.31.91.0

Gasoline (all types)

250.605252.776255.39442.71.91.0

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

249.818251.968254.59544.41.91.0

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

258.803261.302263.84234.71.91.0

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

258.270260.566263.17031.51.91.0

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

777.705784.458784.4583.90.90.0

Medical care

537.661537.734538.0340.40.10.1

Recreation(3)

136.024135.659137.3154.50.91.2

Education and communication(3)

152.707154.111154.7682.71.30.4

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)

1,282.9451,293.1881,299.4021.91.30.5

Other goods and services

454.453455.216462.3923.11.71.6

Commodity and service group

All items

293.553293.927295.4883.80.70.5

Commodities

204.398206.111208.8428.52.21.3

Commodities less food and beverages

152.579154.324156.24111.52.41.2

Nondurables less food and beverages

188.991192.318194.73010.93.01.3

Durables

104.561104.717105.99712.51.41.2

Services

368.615367.998368.7272.00.00.2

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

282.944283.330284.9414.10.70.6

All items less shelter

251.669252.679254.7285.61.20.8

Commodities less food

157.272159.044160.88811.02.31.2

Nondurables

241.187243.638246.9317.62.41.4

Nondurables less food

194.311197.581199.80210.12.81.1

Services less rent of shelter(2)

346.951346.958348.1152.90.30.3

Services less medical care services

353.479352.820353.6012.10.00.2

Energy

220.523225.060226.36922.22.70.6

All items less energy

302.881302.912304.5112.90.50.5

All items less food and energy

306.931306.748307.8792.50.30.4

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, October 13, 2021