Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

errata
Incorrect prices for prescription drugs were used for the CPI-U and CPI-W indexes from May through August 2016 in a number of areas. Several indexes were affected, including the all items and medical care indexes. A list of the series affected can be found at www.bls.gov/bls/errata/cpi-price-corrections-10182016.htm, and the corrected data are available in the CPI database (www.bls.gov/cpi/data.htm).
News Release Information

16-1226-NEW
Thursday, June 16, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (646) 264-3623

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

Area prices up 0.3 percent over the month and 0.9 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 fifth consecutive month, up 0.3 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli attributed the increase primarily to higher prices for shelter and 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 0.9 percent. (See table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.9 percent. (See chart 1.) Higher prices for shelter drove the 12-month change in both indexes. (See table 1.)

 

Food

The food index declined 0.5 percent in May—the largest decrease in nearly two years—due to lower prices for food at home (-1.0 percent). Lower prices for tomatoes, ice cream and related products, and baby food contributed to the drop in grocery prices. Food away from home prices inched up 0.1 percent.

Over the year, the food index increased 0.4 percent as away-from-home food prices rose 3.1 percent. By contrast, at-home food prices declined 1.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 1.6 percent in May. Gasoline prices logged a third-consecutive monthly rise, up 7.3 percent. By contrast, household energy prices declined 1.8 percent with lower prices for electricity (-3.7 percent) and natural gas (-0.7 percent) partially offset by higher fuel oil prices.

For the year ended in May 2016, the energy index fell 10.9 percent. The decline was led by a 15.5-percent drop in gasoline prices, along with lower prices for electricity (-6.2 percent) and fuel oil.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent. Shelter prices climbed 0.4 percent, with higher prices for both residential rent (0.3 percent) and owners’ equivalent rent (0.2 percent). Household furnishings and operations prices rose 0.6 percent. Higher prices were also reported for medical care (0.6 percent), reflecting price increases for eyeglasses and eye care; other goods and services (0.3 percent); and public transportation. A 0.7-percent decline in prices for apparel along with a 0.3-percent decline in prices for education and communication helped to moderate the overall advance.

From May 2015 to May 2016, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.9 percent. Shelter prices were up 3.0 percent as prices rose for residential rent (3.8 percent) and owners’ equivalent rent (2.9 percent). Other categories with higher prices included other goods and services (2.6 percent), medical care (2.3 percent), education and communication (1.8 percent), and recreation (0.7 percent). By contrast, household furnishings and operations (-1.6 percent) and apparel (-1.1 percent) declined over the year.

Table A. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)
Month 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
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

0.3 1.5 0.4 2.8 0.5 2.2 0.9 1.9 0.1 -0.5 0.2 0.8

February

0.5 2.1 0.4 2.6 0.6 2.4 -0.2 1.1 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.6

March

0.7 2.3 0.6 2.6 0.1 1.9 0.4 1.3 0.2 -0.1 0.2 0.7

April

0.4 2.5 0.2 2.4 -0.2 1.4 0.0 1.6 0.1 0.0 0.4 1.0

May

0.6 2.9 0.1 1.8 0.1 1.4 0.5 1.9 0.4 -0.1 0.3 0.9

June

0.2 3.2 -0.1 1.6 0.3 1.8 0.0 1.7 0.2 0.1    

July

0.3 3.3 -0.2 1.1 0.2 2.1 0.1 1.6 -0.1 -0.1    

August

0.4 3.5 0.6 1.4 0.1 1.7 -0.2 1.3 0.1 0.1    

September

0.2 3.8 0.4 1.6 0.3 1.6 0.0 1.0 0.2 0.3    

October

-0.2 3.3 -0.1 1.7 -0.6 1.1 -0.2 1.3 -0.1 0.4    

November

-0.3 3.0 0.0 2.0 0.1 1.2 -0.4 0.8 -0.2 0.6    

December

-0.4 2.7 -0.3 2.1 0.0 1.5 -0.5 0.3 -0.4 0.7    
CPI-W

In May, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 257.715, up 0.2 percent over the month. The CPI-W rose 0.7 percent over the year.

The June 2016 Consumer Price Index for New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island is scheduled to be released Friday, July 15, 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-
March
2016
April
2016
May
2016
May
2015
March
2016
April
2016
 

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

261.508262.619263.3100.90.70.3

All items (1967=100)

755.983759.194761.192   
 

Food and beverages

256.386258.167256.9370.50.2-0.5

Food

256.258258.132256.7490.40.2-0.5

Food at home

250.602253.019250.536-1.50.0-1.0

Food away from home

271.062272.192272.3763.10.50.1

Alcoholic beverages

253.738254.243255.0871.80.50.3
 

Housing

282.322282.662283.3251.80.40.2

Shelter

356.133356.781358.1773.00.60.4

Rent of primary residence (1)

369.185369.579370.5583.80.40.3

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

362.714363.322364.2152.90.40.2

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

362.266362.873363.7632.90.40.2

Fuels and utilities

177.962178.408175.645-6.0-1.3-1.5

Household energy

169.118169.618166.526-7.4-1.5-1.8

Energy services (1)

166.466166.704162.085-4.6-2.6-2.8

Electricity (1)

177.430177.479170.876-6.2-3.7-3.7

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

138.168138.725137.816-1.7-0.3-0.7

Household furnishings and operations

113.012112.173112.821-1.6-0.20.6
 

Apparel

131.207129.416128.550-1.1-2.0-0.7
 

Transportation

204.036209.200212.896-3.24.31.8

Private transportation

188.566193.835196.689-3.64.31.5

Motor fuel

150.069169.326181.596-15.621.07.2

Gasoline (all types)

149.409168.673180.927-15.521.17.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

146.864166.856179.255-16.322.17.4

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

163.927179.863192.150-12.117.26.8

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

168.705183.167194.316-11.115.26.1
 

Medical care

457.077458.620461.3512.30.90.6
 

Recreation (5)

119.296119.691119.6680.70.30.0
 

Education and communication (5)

143.604143.269142.8581.8-0.5-0.3
 

Other goods and services

413.772413.099414.2422.60.10.3
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

261.508262.619263.3100.90.70.3

Commodities

184.251185.710186.401-2.11.20.4

Commodities less food and beverages

140.333141.561143.100-4.22.01.1

Nondurables less food and beverages

172.651175.003177.930-5.33.11.7

Durables

97.81897.84397.898-2.10.10.1

Services

326.969327.844328.5532.20.50.2
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

252.997254.089254.6940.70.70.2

All items less shelter

224.067225.370225.777-0.50.80.2

Commodities less food

144.604145.815147.341-4.01.91.0

Nondurables

215.825217.942218.921-2.11.40.4

Nondurables less food

177.572179.818182.627-4.82.81.6

Services less rent of shelter (2)

305.913307.055307.0331.20.40.0

Services less medical care services

316.650317.330317.9122.20.40.2

Energy

164.258171.881174.573-10.96.31.6

All items less energy

272.702273.213273.7221.70.40.2

All items less food and energy

277.412277.696278.5291.90.40.3

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: Thursday, June 16, 2016