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News Release Information

22-630-NEW
Tuesday, April 12, 2022

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

Consumer Price Index, New York-Newark-Jersey City — March 2022

Area prices up 1.3 percent over the month and 6.1 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), advanced 1.3 percent in March, following a 0.3-percent increase in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli said that March increase—the largest in 17 years—was driven by higher prices for 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 6.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The 12-month percent increase was the highest since February 1991. The index for all items less food and energy increased 4.1 percent. Food prices rose 8.0 percent, and energy prices climbed 32.7 percent, led by higher prices for gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.3 percent in March, with prices for food at home increasing 0.6 percent. Four of the six grocery categories recorded increases, led by the other food at home group, which includes spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces, in addition to snacks. In contrast, prices for food away from home recorded its second consecutive decline, edging down 0.2 percent.

Over the year, food prices increased 8.0 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 9.4 percent—the largest over-the-year increase since June 1987. Prices for food away from home rose 6.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index jumped 12.9 percent in March following a 6.0-percent drop in February. Gasoline prices, up 17.8 percent, led the upturn. Household energy prices also advanced (9.2 percent), largely due to a 14.8-percent rise in electricity charges. In contrast, natural gas prices declined 3.1 percent.

Energy prices advanced 32.7 percent over the year, partially driven by a 47.5-percent jump in gasoline prices. Household energy prices were up 22.3 percent, with electricity and natural gas prices increasing 19.5 and 13.8 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent in March. Shelter prices increased 0.4 percent. Within shelter, owners’ equivalent rent edged up 0.2 percent, and residential rent ticked down 0.1 percent. Apparel prices were up 4.0 percent. In contrast, prices for education and communication were down 0.4 percent.

For the year ended in March 2022, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.1 percent. Shelter prices were up 2.1 percent, including increases of 2.4 percent for owners’ equivalent rise and 1.4 percent for residential rent. A 15.4-percent increase in prices for new and used motor vehicles, as well as an 8.3-percent advance in prices for recreation also contributed to the increase.

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
Month20182019202020212022
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.41.40.51.60.82.50.41.21.15.1

February

0.51.70.21.30.22.40.31.40.35.1

March

0.01.70.31.6-0.22.00.42.01.36.1

April

0.31.90.31.6-0.51.10.73.2

May

0.42.20.21.50.51.40.53.2

June

0.12.00.31.70.11.31.04.1

July

0.02.20.01.70.51.7-0.13.5

August

0.12.20.21.8-0.11.40.13.7

September

0.42.00.01.40.41.90.53.8

October

-0.12.00.01.5-0.21.70.34.3

November

-0.21.90.11.8-0.31.40.35.0

December

-0.21.60.12.20.41.6-0.24.4

The April 2022 Consumer Price Index for the New York-Newark-Jersey City area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. (ET).


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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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-
Jan.
2022
Feb.
2022
March
2022
March
2021
Jan.
2022
Feb.
2022

Expenditure category

All items

300.164301.151305.0246.11.61.3

All items (1967=100)

867.732870.587881.781   

Food and beverages

303.790305.776306.7917.71.00.3

Food

305.120307.079307.9408.00.90.3

Food at home

287.860291.811293.5489.42.00.6

Cereals and bakery products

332.357337.711338.71811.61.90.3

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

305.910307.037307.00314.10.40.0

Dairy and related products

251.814250.901249.5253.3-0.9-0.5

Fruits and vegetables

347.452359.267361.7934.54.10.7

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

279.959284.524286.3416.42.30.6

Other food at home

248.448251.589256.32111.43.21.9

Food away from home

337.654336.070335.3736.0-0.7-0.2

Alcoholic beverages

280.225282.572285.8213.02.01.1

Housing

321.255319.660323.2044.10.61.1

Shelter

398.680401.151402.6902.11.00.4

Rent of primary residence

412.105414.299414.0211.40.5-0.1

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)

409.451411.537412.1622.40.70.2

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)

408.944411.028411.6522.40.70.2

Fuels and utilities

241.143213.733230.78119.3-4.38.0

Household energy

233.771203.427222.20122.3-4.99.2

Energy services

223.665189.255204.71917.5-8.58.2

Electricity

227.366174.289200.12219.5-12.014.8

Utility (piped) gas service

200.786206.281199.83013.8-0.5-3.1

Household furnishings and operations

123.887125.140126.6099.42.21.2

Apparel

128.412129.746134.9365.15.14.0

Transportation

246.742251.934261.28014.75.93.7

Private transportation

246.527251.487261.30317.46.03.9

New and used motor vehicles(3)

112.077114.029114.71215.42.40.6

New vehicles(1)

241.217244.662242.97115.10.7-0.7

Used cars and trucks(1)

408.751413.170405.39537.0-0.8-1.9

Motor fuel

270.875285.025335.87147.524.017.8

Gasoline (all types)

270.016284.071334.59547.523.917.8

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

269.403283.876334.93248.524.318.0

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

278.186289.984339.30544.122.017.0

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

276.805288.244335.66940.521.316.5

Medical care

552.105552.255555.7684.00.70.6

Recreation(3)

139.592140.321141.3648.31.30.7

Education and communication(3)

155.078155.690154.9902.6-0.1-0.4

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

1,303.2211,303.1781,303.0452.40.00.0

Other goods and services

456.460468.478473.1315.23.71.0

Commodity and service group

All items

300.164301.151305.0246.11.61.3

Commodities

214.655217.392221.61311.93.21.9

Commodities less food and beverages

161.046163.869169.05415.35.03.2

Nondurables less food and beverages

198.110202.433216.38016.39.26.9

Durables

111.650113.062111.81015.90.1-1.1

Services

372.564371.976375.4853.60.80.9

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

289.230290.245294.1156.31.71.3

All items less shelter

261.036261.445266.2118.62.01.8

Commodities less food

165.648168.485173.67014.74.83.1

Nondurables

252.119255.344263.10411.24.43.0

Nondurables less food

203.080207.296220.65015.28.76.4

Services less rent of shelter(2)

355.756351.667357.5055.30.51.7

Services less medical care services

356.541355.939359.4403.50.81.0

Energy

251.912236.894267.55632.76.212.9

All items less energy

307.526309.836311.5584.61.30.6

All items less food and energy

310.174312.563314.4494.11.40.6

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: Tuesday, April 12, 2022