U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFor release: Friday, May 13, 2011
NYLS -7486
Technical information: Martin Kohli (646) 264-3620 •
BLSInfoNY@bls.gov •
www.bls.gov/ro2
Media contact:
Michael L. Dolfman (212) 337-2500
Prices in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.4 percent in April, after rising 0.7 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Michael L. Dolfman attributed the April increase to higher prices for gasoline that were partly offset by lower prices for apparel and household energy. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)
For the 12 months ended in April 2011, the CPI-U advanced 2.5 percent, the highest rate posted since October 2008. (See table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.4 percent. (See chart 1.)
Food January February March April May June July August September October November December
The food index was unchanged for the second consecutive month. (See table 1.)
Grocery prices dropped 0.4 percent in April after not changing in March. Lower
prices for fresh vegetables, including lettuce, contributed to the downturn. In
contrast, prices for food away from home rose 0.5 percent, the largest
over-the-month increase since July 2008.
Over the year, food prices rose 2.1 percent, with food at home increasing 2.0
percent and food away from home, 2.2 percent.
Energy
In April, the energy index increased 3.1 percent. Gasoline prices rose 7.7
percent, after jumping 9.6 percent in March. Household energy, however,
decreased 1.1 percent. Electricity and natural gas posted declines of 1.8 and
2.5 percent, respectively, over the month.
From April 2010 to April 2011, energy prices advanced 13.9 percent, with
gasoline prices climbing 34.4 percent. Lower charges for energy
services—electricity (-9.0 percent) and natural gas (-3.6 percent)—pulled
household energy prices down 1.2 percent over the year.
All items less food and energy
The index for all items less food and energy ticked up 0.1 percent in April,
after rising 0.5 percent in March. Shelter prices edged up 0.2 percent, with
residential rent and owners’ equivalent rent each rising by 0.3 percent.
Additional April increases included medical care (0.3 percent) and other goods
and services (0.2 percent); recreation rose 1.0 percent, with price increases
recorded for toys. Higher prices were also reported for new vehicles and used
cars and trucks. These increases were partially offset by a 1.8-percent decrease
in apparel.
Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent.
Shelter prices advanced 1.2 percent with a 2.4-percent increase in residential
rent. Other index components with 12-month increases included medical care (2.7
percent) and apparel (1.1 percent). Recreation, however, was down 0.9 percent.
CPI-WMonth
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Monthly
Annual
Monthly
Annual
Monthly
Annual
Monthly
Annual
Monthly
Annual
Monthly
Annual
0.8
3.7
0.2
2.7
0.2
3.7
0.2
1.5
0.2
2.4
0.3
1.5
0.2
3.6
0.6
3.1
0.5
3.6
0.5
1.6
0.0
1.8
0.5
2.1
0.8
2.7
0.7
2.9
0.9
3.8
0.2
0.8
0.5
2.1
0.7
2.3
0.9
3.6
0.5
2.5
0.3
3.6
0.2
0.8
0.2
2.1
0.4
2.5
0.6
4.8
0.6
2.5
1.0
4.0
0.2
-0.1
0.2
2.2
0.5
5.6
0.5
2.5
1.0
4.5
0.5
-0.6
-0.1
1.5
0.2
5.0
0.2
2.5
0.7
5.1
0.2
-1.1
0.1
1.5
0.4
4.7
-0.1
1.9
0.1
5.4
0.3
-0.9
0.2
1.4
-0.5
3.3
0.0
2.4
-0.2
5.2
0.1
-0.6
0.0
1.2
-0.5
2.4
0.1
3.1
-0.7
4.3
-0.1
0.0
0.2
1.5
-0.4
2.6
0.4
3.9
-1.6
2.2
0.2
1.8
0.0
1.3
0.2
3.3
0.0
3.7
-0.6
1.6
-0.1
2.3
0.0
1.4
In April, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
(CPI-W) was 242.697, up 0.4 percent over the month. The CPI-W increased 2.9
percent over the year.
The May 2011 Consumer Price Index for New York-Northern New Jersey-Long
Island is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 8:30 a.m.
(EDT).
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 87 percent of the total population
and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers
32 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; TDD message referral phone
number: 1-800-877-8339.
For personal assistance or further information on Consumer Price Indexes, as
well as other Bureau products, contact the New York-New Jersey Information
Office at (646) 264-3600 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
ET.
| Item and Group | Indexes | Percent change from- | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 2011 |
March 2011 |
April 2011 |
April 2010 |
Feb. 2011 |
March 2011 |
|
Expenditure category |
||||||
All items |
243.832 | 245.617 | 246.489 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.4 |
All items (1967=100) |
704.884 | 710.044 | 712.565 | |||
Food and beverages |
234.360 | 234.456 | 234.501 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Food |
233.620 | 233.707 | 233.709 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Food at home |
233.844 | 233.763 | 232.804 | 2.0 | -0.4 | -0.4 |
Food away from home |
239.503 | 239.802 | 241.003 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
Alcoholic beverages |
241.180 | 241.396 | 242.067 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
Housing |
259.198 | 259.985 | 260.194 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
Shelter |
314.227 | 315.119 | 315.673 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
Rent of primary residence (1) |
316.629 | 318.089 | 318.941 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
| 322.049 | 322.657 | 323.641 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | |
| 321.957 | 322.572 | 323.545 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | |
Fuels and utilities |
204.436 | 205.191 | 203.060 | -0.1 | -0.7 | -1.0 |
Household energy |
202.536 | 203.567 | 201.378 | -1.2 | -0.6 | -1.1 |
Energy services (1) |
187.994 | 187.612 | 183.857 | -7.3 | -2.2 | -2.0 |
Electricity (1) |
180.498 | 181.699 | 178.480 | -9.0 | -1.1 | -1.8 |
Utility (piped) gas service (1) |
198.190 | 194.340 | 189.529 | -3.6 | -4.4 | -2.5 |
Household furnishings and operations |
120.768 | 121.270 | 121.965 | -1.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 |
Apparel |
119.822 | 124.689 | 122.438 | 1.1 | 2.2 | -1.8 |
Transportation |
213.435 | 219.405 | 224.287 | 10.9 | 5.1 | 2.2 |
Private transportation |
201.985 | 208.010 | 213.453 | 11.4 | 5.7 | 2.6 |
Motor fuel |
253.005 | 277.441 | 298.398 | 34.4 | 17.9 | 7.6 |
Gasoline (all types) |
251.975 | 276.239 | 297.447 | 34.4 | 18.0 | 7.7 |
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3) |
255.440 | 280.562 | 302.180 | 34.9 | 18.3 | 7.7 |
| 251.427 | 275.129 | 295.490 | 33.5 | 17.5 | 7.4 | |
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3) |
245.472 | 267.035 | 287.877 | 32.8 | 17.3 | 7.8 |
Medical care |
388.192 | 390.308 | 391.303 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 |
Recreation (5) |
114.035 | 113.540 | 114.657 | -0.9 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
Education and communication (5) |
135.592 | 135.650 | 135.584 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Other goods and services |
380.199 | 380.788 | 381.455 | 2.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
Commodity and service group |
||||||
All items |
243.832 | 245.617 | 246.489 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.4 |
Commodities |
185.490 | 188.510 | 190.342 | 5.1 | 2.6 | 1.0 |
Commodities less food and beverages |
152.701 | 156.943 | 159.522 | 7.4 | 4.5 | 1.6 |
Nondurables less food and beverages |
192.165 | 199.718 | 203.395 | 11.1 | 5.8 | 1.8 |
Durables |
102.116 | 102.327 | 103.540 | -0.6 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
Services |
293.836 | 294.625 | 294.719 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Special aggregate indexes |
||||||
All items less medical care |
237.323 | 239.085 | 239.947 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.4 |
All items less shelter |
216.340 | 218.515 | 219.528 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
Commodities less food |
156.323 | 160.470 | 163.007 | 7.1 | 4.3 | 1.6 |
Nondurables |
215.544 | 219.724 | 221.758 | 6.4 | 2.9 | 0.9 |
Nondurables less food |
195.423 | 202.608 | 206.136 | 10.5 | 5.5 | 1.7 |
Services less rent of shelter (2) |
281.877 | 282.571 | 282.115 | 1.0 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
Services less medical care services |
285.748 | 286.470 | 286.516 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Energy |
223.891 | 234.401 | 241.571 | 13.9 | 7.9 | 3.1 |
All items less energy |
247.519 | 248.488 | 248.768 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
All items less food and energy |
251.600 | 252.737 | 253.069 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
|
Footnotes |
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|
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. |
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Last Modified Date: June 15, 2011