Prices in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged down 0.2 percent in November, after ticking down 0.1 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli attributed the downturn to lower 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 increased 1.9 percent. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.6 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 dipped 0.1 percent in November, after a 0.5-percent drop in October. Prices for food at home declined 0.1 percent, with lower prices in three of the six grocery groups. Among the grocery items with lower prices were coffee, other beverage materials including tea, and sugar and artificial sweeteners. Prices for food away from home were unchanged, after ticking down 0.1 percent the previous month.

Over the year, the food index rose 2.1 percent. Food-away-from-home prices were 2.7 percent higher, and food-at-home prices were 1.6 percent higher.

Energy

Over the month, energy prices declined 2.8 percent, following a 1.1-percent decline in October. Gasoline prices dropped 4.4 percent, after remaining flat the previous month. Within household energy, prices for electricity dropped 5.7 percent, while prices for natural gas rose 6.2 percent.

For the year ended in November 2018, the energy index increased 5.5 percent. Gasoline prices were up 7.1 percent, and household energy prices, 4.2 percent. Natural gas prices were 4.4 percent higher, and electricity prices were 1.2 percent higher.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged for the second consecutive month in November. Seasonal price declines for apparel (-6.0 percent), as well as price declines for household furnishings and operations (-1.5 percent), offset price increases for shelter (0.2 percent), medical care (0.5 percent), and recreation (1.7 percent).

From November 2017 to November 2018, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.6 percent. Medical care prices increased 3.3 percent. Shelter prices rose 2.0 percent, including a 2.6-percent rise in owners’ equivalent rent and a 2.0-percent increase in residential rent. One other category was up by at least 1.0 percent—other goods and services (2.0 percent).

Table A. New York-Newark-Jersey City CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes (not seasonally adjusted)

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	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	0.5	2.2	0.9	1.9	0.1	-0.5	0.2	0.8	0.6	2.5	0.4	1.4
February	0.6	2.4	-0.2	1.1	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.6	0.3	2.6	0.5	1.7
March	0.1	1.9	0.4	1.3	0.2	-0.1	0.2	0.7	0.0	2.3	0.0	1.7
April	-0.2	1.4	0.0	1.6	0.1	0.0	0.4	1.0	0.1	2.0	0.3	1.9
May	0.1	1.4	0.5	1.9	0.4	-0.1	0.3	0.9	0.1	1.8	0.4	2.2
June	0.3	1.8	0.0	1.7	0.2	0.1	0.2(R)	0.9(R)	0.2	1.8	0.1	2.0
July	0.2	2.1	0.1	1.6	-0.1	-0.1	-0.1	1.0	-0.2	1.6	0.0	2.2
August	0.1	1.7	-0.2	1.3	0.1	0.1	0.2	1.1	0.2	1.7	0.1	2.2
September	0.3	1.6	0.0	1.0	0.2	0.3	0.2	1.0	0.5	2.1	0.4	2.0
October	-0.6	1.1	-0.2	1.3	-0.1	0.4	0.1	1.2	-0.2	1.8	-0.1	2.0
November	0.1	1.2	-0.4	0.8	-0.2	0.6	0.2	1.6	-0.1	1.6	-0.2	1.9
December	0.0	1.5	-0.5	0.3	-0.4	0.7	0.1	2.1	0.1	1.6
Footnotes: (R) = revised.

CPI-WIn November, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 269.154, down 0.3 percent over the month. The CPI-W rose 1.9 percent over the year.

The December 2018 Consumer Price Index for New York-Newark-Jersey City is scheduled to be released on Friday, January 11, 2019, 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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 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-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., Core Based Statistical Area includes Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties in New York; Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties in New Jersey; 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-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, not seasonally adjusted
(1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Sept. 2018	Oct. 2018	Nov. 2018	Nov. 2017	Sept. 2018	Oct. 2018
Expenditure category
All items	275.455	275.101	274.478	1.9	-0.4	-0.2
All items (1967=100)	796.303	795.280	793.479
Food and beverages	269.321	268.054	267.789	2.1	-0.6	-0.1
Food	269.323	267.978	267.775	2.1	-0.6	-0.1
Food at home	259.499	257.363	256.920	1.6	-1.0	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products	308.903	296.814	297.196		-3.8	0.1
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	253.060	254.372	254.660		0.6	0.1
Dairy and related products	225.880	228.127	226.092		0.1	-0.9
Fruits and vegetables	329.982	327.795	332.100		0.6	1.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	254.493	252.442	248.387		-2.4	-1.6
Other food at home	230.264	227.388	225.480		-2.1	-0.8
Food away from home	290.532	290.286	290.423	2.7	0.0	0.0
Alcoholic beverages	264.753	264.580	263.475	2.7	-0.5	-0.4
Housing	299.187	299.024	298.697	2.0	-0.2	-0.1
Shelter	378.195	378.368	378.954	2.0	0.2	0.2
Rent of primary residence	389.528	391.085	392.388	2.0	0.7	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)	385.570	386.618	387.794	2.6	0.6	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)	385.092	386.139	387.314	2.6	0.6	0.3
Fuels and utilities	199.839	196.518	193.428	4.0	-3.2	-1.6
Household energy	191.627	188.009	184.917	4.2	-3.5	-1.6
Energy services	180.701	175.830	173.185	2.4	-4.2	-1.5
Electricity	188.233	182.879	172.410	1.2	-8.4	-5.7
Utility (piped) gas service	158.616	154.772	164.370	4.4	3.6	6.2
Household furnishings and operations	108.445	109.369	107.772	-0.3	-0.6	-1.5
Apparel	131.878	129.684	121.875	-1.1	-7.6	-6.0
Transportation	222.138	223.267	221.386	2.4	-0.3	-0.8
Private transportation	210.363	210.526	207.861	2.4	-1.2	-1.3
New and used motor vehicles(3)	89.504	89.117	89.145		-0.4	0.0
New vehicles(1)	200.860	202.076	202.727		0.9	0.3
Used cars and trucks(1)	259.428	261.472	264.798		2.1	1.3
Motor fuel	236.359	236.304	225.903	7.1	-4.4	-4.4
Gasoline (all types)	235.281	235.198	224.810	7.1	-4.5	-4.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	234.643	234.450	223.756	7.1	-4.6	-4.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	242.175	242.481	233.920	7.5	-3.4	-3.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	241.653	242.405	234.106	6.9	-3.1	-3.4
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	749.008	757.522	756.979		1.1	-0.1
Medical care	491.881	494.226	496.557	3.3	1.0	0.5
Recreation(3)	122.709	121.709	123.800	0.8	0.9	1.7
Education and communication(3)	143.590	142.845	142.920	0.4	-0.5	0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,196.632	1,190.756	1,195.654		-0.1	0.4
Other goods and services	432.152	430.881	430.765	2.0	-0.3	0.0
Commodity and service group
All items	275.455	275.101	274.478	1.9	-0.4	-0.2
Commodities	193.490	193.314	190.751	1.7	-1.4	-1.3
Commodities less food and beverages	147.318	147.651	144.192	1.4	-2.1	-2.3
Nondurables less food and beverages	191.625	191.513	185.396	2.1	-3.3	-3.2
Durables	91.913	92.724	92.353	-0.4	0.5	-0.4
Services	345.056	344.563	345.233	2.0	0.1	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	266.057	265.586	264.835	1.8	-0.5	-0.3
All items less shelter	234.836	234.245	233.082	1.8	-0.7	-0.5
Commodities less food	151.753	152.073	148.664	1.4	-2.0	-2.2
Nondurables	232.339	231.681	228.181	2.1	-1.8	-1.5
Nondurables less food	196.132	196.016	190.158	2.1	-3.0	-3.0
Services less rent of shelter(2)	320.090	318.839	319.628	1.9	-0.1	0.2
Services less medical care services	332.635	332.007	332.629	1.8	0.0	0.2
Energy	211.348	209.046	203.113	5.5	-3.9	-2.8
All items less energy	283.598	283.435	283.332	1.7	-0.1	0.0
All items less food and energy	288.048	288.066	287.979	1.6	0.0	0.0
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.