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 sixth consecutive month, up 0.3 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli attributed the increase primarily to higher prices for energy. (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 2.0 percent. (See chart 1.) Higher prices for shelter drove the 12-month change in both indexes. (See table 1.)

 

Food

The food index ticked up 0.1 percent, following a 0.5-percent decrease in May. Prices for food at home were unchanged. Price increases for fresh fish and seafood, apples, and baby food were offset by price declines for other groceries, including lettuce and cheese. Prices for food away from home edged up 0.2 percent.

Over the year, the food index rose 0.4 percent, reflecting a 3.2-percent increase for away-from-home food prices which was largely offset by a 1.6-percent decline in at-home food prices.

Energy

The energy index recorded its fourth consecutive increase, a rise of 4.2 percent. The June advance was primarily driven by a 5.5-percent increase in household energy prices. Electricity prices jumped 8.8 percent with seasonal surcharges. Higher prices were also recorded for natural gas (0.2 percent) and for fuel oil. Gasoline prices also rose (2.2 percent), but at a slower rate than each of the two prior months.

From June 2015 to June 2016, energy prices dropped 10.2 percent. Gasoline prices fell 16.0 percent. Household energy prices were down 6.0 percent, with lower charges for electricity (-4.9 percent) and for natural gas (-1.1 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in June. A 4.4-percent decline in prices for apparel, not uncommon at this time of year, along with lower prices for household furnishings and for new and used motor vehicles, were offset by price increases for shelter (0.3 percent) and for medical care (1.2 percent). Within shelter, prices rose 0.4 percent for owners’ equivalent rent and 0.1 percent for residential rent.

For the year ended in June 2016, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.0 percent. Shelter prices rose 3.1 percent, reflecting a 3.6-percent increase in residential rent and a 2.9-percent rise in owners’ equivalent rent. Medical care prices advanced 5.1 percent, and prices for other goods and services increased 2.7 percent. No other category recorded an increase exceeding 2.0 percent.

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	0.3	1.0
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 June, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 258.413, up 0.3 percent over the month. The CPI-W rose 0.8 percent over the year.

The July 2016 Consumer Price Index for New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island is scheduled to be released Tuesday, August 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 Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	April 2016	May 2016	June 2016	June 2015	April 2016	May 2016
Expenditure category
All items	262.619	263.310	264.022	1.0	0.5	0.3
All items (1967=100)	759.194	761.192	763.251
Food and beverages	258.167	256.937	256.971	0.4	-0.5	0.0
Food	258.132	256.749	256.950	0.4	-0.5	0.1
Food at home	253.019	250.536	250.577	-1.6	-1.0	0.0
Food away from home	272.192	272.376	272.814	3.2	0.2	0.2
Alcoholic beverages	254.243	255.087	252.875	0.7	-0.5	-0.9
Housing	282.662	283.325	285.090	1.9	0.9	0.6
Shelter	356.781	358.177	359.395	3.1	0.7	0.3
Rent of primary residence (1)	369.579	370.558	370.763	3.6	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)	363.322	364.215	365.735	2.9	0.7	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)	362.873	363.763	365.279	2.9	0.7	0.4
Fuels and utilities	178.408	175.645	183.803	-4.8	3.0	4.6
Household energy	169.618	166.526	175.657	-6.0	3.6	5.5
Energy services (1)	166.704	162.085	171.899	-3.9	3.1	6.1
Electricity (1)	177.479	170.876	185.830	-4.9	4.7	8.8
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	138.725	137.816	138.137	-1.1	-0.4	0.2
Household furnishings and operations	112.173	112.821	111.832	-3.0	-0.3	-0.9
Apparel	129.416	128.550	122.904	-2.6	-5.0	-4.4
Transportation	209.200	212.896	213.339	-3.7	2.0	0.2
Private transportation	193.835	196.689	196.811	-4.3	1.5	0.1
Motor fuel	169.326	181.596	185.700	-16.1	9.7	2.3
Gasoline (all types)	168.673	180.927	184.987	-16.0	9.7	2.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)	166.856	179.255	183.416	-16.8	9.9	2.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)	179.863	192.150	195.673	-12.9	8.8	1.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)	183.167	194.316	197.842	-11.8	8.0	1.8
Medical care	458.620	461.351	466.843	5.1	1.8	1.2
Recreation (5)	119.691	119.668	119.915	0.5	0.2	0.2
Education and communication (5)	143.269	142.858	142.978	1.6	-0.2	0.1
Other goods and services	413.099	414.242	414.894	2.7	0.4	0.2
Commodity and service group
All items	262.619	263.310	264.022	1.0	0.5	0.3
Commodities	185.710	186.401	185.732	-2.3	0.0	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages	141.561	143.100	142.144	-4.7	0.4	-0.7
Nondurables less food and beverages	175.003	177.930	177.189	-5.3	1.2	-0.4
Durables	97.843	97.898	96.803	-3.3	-1.1	-1.1
Services	327.844	328.553	330.333	2.5	0.8	0.5
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	254.089	254.694	255.206	0.7	0.4	0.2
All items less shelter	225.370	225.777	226.286	-0.5	0.4	0.2
Commodities less food	145.815	147.341	146.341	-4.4	0.4	-0.7
Nondurables	217.942	218.921	218.540	-2.1	0.3	-0.2
Nondurables less food	179.818	182.627	181.799	-4.9	1.1	-0.5
Services less rent of shelter (2)	307.055	307.033	309.468	1.6	0.8	0.8
Services less medical care services	317.330	317.912	319.635	2.3	0.7	0.5
Energy	171.881	174.573	181.925	-10.2	5.8	4.2
All items less energy	273.213	273.722	273.819	1.8	0.2	0.0
All items less food and energy	277.696	278.529	278.609	2.0	0.3	0.0
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.