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News Release Information

17-1653-NEW
Wednesday, December 13, 2017

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

Consumer Price Index, New York-Northern New Jersey – November 2017

Area prices down 0.1 percent over the month and up 1.6 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), ticked down 0.1 percent in November after decreasing 0.2 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli attributed the index movement to a seasonal decline in apparel prices. (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 rose 1.6 percent. The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.1 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 was unchanged after increasing 0.4 percent in October. Prices for food away from home rose 0.3 percent for the second consecutive month, but this increase was offset by a 0.3-percent drop in prices for food at home. Turkey, potatoes, flour, and sugar were among the groceries that had lower prices in November.

For the year ended in November 2017, the food index increased 2.1 percent. Prices rose 2.2 percent for food away from home, while prices for food at home increased 1.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 0.7 percent after falling 5.0 percent in October. Household energy prices increased 0.9 percent, primarily because of a 5.8-percent jump in prices for natural gas, the largest increase since March 2016. Prices for fuel oil also rose. In contrast, electricity prices declined 2.2 percent. In addition to the increase in household energy prices, prices for gasoline rose 0.5 percent.

From November 2016 to November 2017, energy prices increased 8.0 percent, with gasoline prices rising 12.4 percent. Household energy prices advanced 5.0 percent, led by a 14.4-percent rise in natural gas prices. Electricity prices were down 1.6 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy inched down 0.1 percent, after rising 0.1 percent in October. Usually lower at this time of year, apparel prices fell 5.8 percent, the largest price reduction since December 2008. Prices were also down for other intercity transportation, household furnishings and operations, and other goods and services. Partially offsetting these declines were rising shelter prices, which inched up 0.1 percent for the second consecutive month. Within shelter, residential rent increased 0.1 percent. Price increases were also reported for medical care (0.2 percent) and for recreation (0.9 percent), due in part to higher admissions fees.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.1 percent. Shelter prices increased 1.7 percent, with residential rent up 2.4 percent. Prices for medical care increased 2.1 percent and for other goods and services, 1.7 percent. Apparel prices, on the other hand, were down 1.0 percent.

Table A. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)
Month201220132014201520162017
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.42.80.52.20.91.90.1-0.50.20.80.62.5

February

0.42.60.62.4-0.21.10.30.10.20.60.32.6

March

0.62.60.11.90.41.30.2-0.10.20.70.02.3

April

0.22.4-0.21.40.01.60.10.00.41.00.12.0

May

0.11.80.11.40.51.90.4-0.10.30.90.11.8

June

-0.11.60.31.80.01.70.20.10.2(R)0.9(R)0.21.8

July

-0.21.10.22.10.11.6-0.1-0.1-0.11.0-0.21.6

August

0.61.40.11.7-0.21.30.10.10.21.10.21.7

September

0.41.60.31.60.01.00.20.30.21.00.52.1

October

-0.11.7-0.61.1-0.21.3-0.10.40.11.2-0.21.8

November

0.02.00.11.2-0.40.8-0.20.60.21.6-0.11.6

December

-0.32.10.01.5-0.50.3-0.40.70.12.1  

Footnotes:
(R) = revised.
 

CPI-W

In November, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 264.185, down 0.1 percent over the month. The CPI-W rose 1.9 percent over the year.

The December 2017 Consumer Price Index for New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island is scheduled to be released Friday, January 12, 2018, 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-
Sept.
2017
Oct.
2017
Nov.
2017
Nov.
2016
Sept.
2017
Oct.
2017
 

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

270.059269.575269.3811.6-0.3-0.1

All items (1967=100)

780.704779.305778.742   
 

Food and beverages

261.175262.271262.1531.90.40.0

Food

261.243262.309262.2442.10.40.0

Food at home

252.197253.405252.7591.90.2-0.3

Food away from home

281.109281.995282.7742.20.60.3

Alcoholic beverages

255.792257.289256.4630.10.3-0.3
 

Housing

292.867292.432292.6991.8-0.10.1

Shelter

370.662371.091371.4031.70.20.1

Rent of primary residence(1)

383.268384.111384.6112.40.40.1

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

376.922377.790377.9511.80.30.0

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

376.459377.324377.4831.80.30.0

Fuels and utilities

190.718184.521185.9704.5-2.50.8

Household energy

182.804175.806177.4285.0-2.90.9

Energy services(1)

176.600168.407169.0833.4-4.30.4

Electricity(1)

186.545174.350170.429-1.6-8.6-2.2

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

149.520148.749157.39314.45.35.8

Household furnishings and operations

108.094108.872108.093-0.30.0-0.7
 

Apparel

132.011130.854123.214-1.0-6.7-5.8
 

Transportation

217.462215.299216.0992.3-0.60.4

Private transportation

204.868201.485202.8923.1-1.00.7

Motor fuel

224.555209.807210.83012.4-6.10.5

Gasoline (all types)

223.701208.899209.90012.4-6.20.5

Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)

223.226207.635208.89713.0-6.40.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

228.957218.182217.6439.6-4.9-0.2

Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)

229.001219.685219.0078.3-4.4-0.3
 

Medical care

476.539479.874480.6072.10.90.2
 

Recreation(5)

123.685121.660122.8021.4-0.70.9
 

Education and communication(5)

142.094142.227142.328-0.70.20.1
 

Other goods and services

422.606424.127422.1131.7-0.1-0.5
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

270.059269.575269.3811.6-0.3-0.1

Commodities

189.498188.766187.5201.4-1.0-0.7

Commodities less food and beverages

145.492143.956142.2601.0-2.2-1.2

Nondurables less food and beverages

187.843184.743181.5922.3-3.3-1.7

Durables

92.69792.81992.686-1.50.0-0.1

Services

338.253337.945338.5441.60.10.2
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

261.083260.441260.2081.5-0.3-0.1

All items less shelter

230.219229.361228.9601.5-0.5-0.2

Commodities less food

149.693148.244146.5660.9-2.1-1.1

Nondurables

226.274225.138223.3922.1-1.3-0.8

Nondurables less food

192.012189.177186.1592.2-3.0-1.6

Services less rent of shelter(2)

313.950312.833313.7331.5-0.10.3

Services less medical care services

326.694326.174326.7901.50.00.2

Energy

201.202191.166192.5838.0-4.30.7

All items less energy

278.666279.072278.7241.20.0-0.1

All items less food and energy

283.583283.881283.4831.10.0-0.1

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: Wednesday, December 13, 2017