Consumer Price Index, New York-Northern New Jersey – April 2013

Area prices down 0.2 percent over the month, up 1.4 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), declined 0.2 percent in April, following three consecutive increases beginning in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli attributed the slowdown to declining energy prices, which offset increases in food prices. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the year, the CPI-U increased 1.4 percent, and the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.9 percent. (See chart 1. and table A. ) Higher prices for shelter drove the 12-month change in both indexes.

Food

The food index increased 0.6 percent, after rising 0.1 percent in March. Grocery prices increased 0.7 percent in April. Higher prices were reported for butter and margarine, and soups, and lower prices were recorded for cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. Prices for food away from home grew 0.4 percent.

For the year ended in April 2013, the food index advanced 1.9 percent. Prices for food at home and for food away from home rose 2.1 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)

Energy

The energy index dropped 2.9 percent, following a 1.5-percent decline in March. The decline was primarily due to a 4.0-percent fall in gasoline prices. Electricity charges decreased 1.0 percent, and lower prices were reported for fuel oil. Natural gas prices dipped 0.9 percent.

From April 2012 to April 2013, energy prices dropped 3.3 percent. A 8.2-percent fall in gasoline charges helped pushed prices down; household energy prices, on the other hand, increased 1.7 percent as prices for electricity and natural gas rose 0.7 and 9.0 percent, respectively.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy ticked down 0.1 percent, as higher prices for medical care were offset by price declines for apparel. Residential rent dipped 0.1 percent, while the index for education and communication was unchanged in April.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.9 percent. Shelter prices rose 2.3 percent, after increasing by the same amount in the year ended in March. Prices for medical care rose 3.6 percent, and prices for apparel increased by 0.6 percent.

CPI-W

In April, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 252.024, down 0.3 percent over the month. The CPI-W increased 1.3 percent over the year.

The May 2013 Consumer Price Index for New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 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 88 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 29 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 4,000 housing units and approximately 25,000 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/homch17_a.htm.

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-
	Feb. 2013	March 2013	April 2013	April 2012	Feb. 2013	March 2013
Expenditure category
All items	256.234	256.589	255.967	1.4	-0.1	-0.2
All items (1967=100)	740.736	741.764	739.965
Food and beverages	245.825	245.958	247.261	1.9	0.6	0.5
Food	245.303	245.512	246.904	1.9	0.7	0.6
Food at home	245.888	246.008	247.665	2.1	0.7	0.7
Food away from home	251.087	251.418	252.502	1.7	0.6	0.4
Alcoholic beverages	249.352	248.424	248.445	2.0	-0.4	0.0
Housing	269.260	269.193	268.403	1.9	-0.3	-0.3
Shelter	328.725	329.511	329.241	2.3	0.2	-0.1
Rent of primary residence (1)	334.895	336.693	336.492	3.2	0.5	-0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences (1) (2)	335.482	335.681	335.846	2.0	0.1	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (1) (2)	335.296	335.496	335.659	2.0	0.1	0.0
Fuels and utilities	205.617	200.908	197.662	1.9	-3.9	-1.6
Household energy	202.576	197.259	193.682	1.7	-4.4	-1.8
Energy services (1)	184.545	179.428	177.711	3.3	-3.7	-1.0
Electricity (1)	186.245	178.022	176.276	0.7	-5.4	-1.0
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	175.515	176.733	175.127	9.0	-0.2	-0.9
Household furnishings and operations	121.346	121.899	121.067	-2.2	-0.2	-0.7
Apparel	128.008	129.082	128.179	0.6	0.1	-0.7
Transportation	231.853	233.541	230.865	-0.4	-0.4	-1.1
Private transportation	219.968	220.041	217.228	-1.7	-1.2	-1.3
Motor fuel	297.582	296.874	285.206	-8.1	-4.2	-3.9
Gasoline (all types)	296.391	295.737	283.984	-8.2	-4.2	-4.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)	299.398	298.555	286.048	-8.8	-4.5	-4.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)	297.958	298.062	286.709	-7.1	-3.8	-3.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)	291.882	291.419	282.633	-5.8	-3.2	-3.0
Medical care	423.298	423.763	424.875	3.6	0.4	0.3
Recreation (5)	119.331	119.304	119.167	0.5	-0.1	-0.1
Education and communication (5)	140.114	139.954	139.891	0.9	-0.2	0.0
Other goods and services	393.712	393.790	394.581	0.9	0.2	0.2
Commodity and service group
All items	256.234	256.589	255.967	1.4	-0.1	-0.2
Commodities	195.792	195.913	194.984	-0.4	-0.4	-0.5
Commodities less food and beverages	161.952	162.062	160.093	-2.1	-1.1	-1.2
Nondurables less food and beverages	207.365	207.684	204.367	-2.4	-1.4	-1.6
Durables	104.377	104.249	103.867	-1.5	-0.5	-0.4
Services	308.072	308.628	308.267	2.5	0.1	-0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	248.857	249.207	248.526	1.3	-0.1	-0.3
All items less shelter	227.946	228.132	227.371	0.9	-0.3	-0.3
Commodities less food	165.593	165.671	163.754	-1.9	-1.1	-1.2
Nondurables	229.154	229.389	228.247	-0.2	-0.4	-0.5
Nondurables less food	210.265	210.514	207.378	-2.1	-1.4	-1.5
Services less rent of shelter (2)	296.304	296.616	296.060	2.6	-0.1	-0.2
Services less medical care services	298.747	299.327	298.915	2.4	0.1	-0.1
Energy	241.822	238.293	231.477	-3.3	-4.3	-2.9
All items less energy	259.443	260.185	260.171	1.9	0.3	0.0
All items less food and energy	263.660	264.509	264.223	1.9	0.2	-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.