Prices in the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged down 0.2 percent in October after advancing 0.5 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli attributed the downturn to lower energy 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 1.8 percent. The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.2 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 increased 0.4 percent after inching up 0.1 percent in September. At-home food prices advanced 0.5 percent, with cheese and sugar and artificial sweeteners among the groceries recording price increases. Away-from-home food prices rose 0.3 percent.

From October 2016 to October 2017, the food index increased 2.1 percent. Prices rose 2.1 percent for food at home, and for food away home, 2.2 percent.

Energy

The energy index fell 5.0 percent after jumping 5.7 percent in September. The decline, the largest since January 2015, was partly attributable to a 6.6-percent drop in gasoline prices, which had climbed 12.8 percent one month earlier. Household energy prices (-3.8 percent) also experienced a downturn in October, primarily due to a seasonal decline in energy services—prices for electricity decreased 6.5 percent, and prices for natural gas declined -0.5 percent.

Over the year, energy prices increased 10.1 percent, with gasoline prices rising 18.5 percent. A 4.7-percent rise in household energy prices included an 11.3-percent advance in natural gas charges, along with a 0.5-percent increase in electricity prices.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy ticked up 0.1 percent, after edging up 0.2 percent in September. Shelter prices inched up 0.1 percent. Within shelter, residential rent increased 0.2 percent. Higher prices were reported for medical care (0.7 percent), household furnishings and operations (0.7 percent), and airline fares. These increases were largely offset by lower prices for apparel and recreation.

For the year ended October 2017, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.2 percent. Shelter prices increased 2.1 percent, with residential rent up 2.5 percent. Prices for medical care and for other goods and services each rose 1.9 percent, and prices for recreation increased 1.3 percent.

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

Month	2012		2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	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	0.4	2.8	0.5	2.2	0.9	1.9	0.1	-0.5	0.2	0.8	0.6	2.5
February	0.4	2.6	0.6	2.4	-0.2	1.1	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.6	0.3	2.6
March	0.6	2.6	0.1	1.9	0.4	1.3	0.2	-0.1	0.2	0.7	0.0	2.3
April	0.2	2.4	-0.2	1.4	0.0	1.6	0.1	0.0	0.4	1.0	0.1	2.0
May	0.1	1.8	0.1	1.4	0.5	1.9	0.4	-0.1	0.3	0.9	0.1	1.8
June	-0.1	1.6	0.3	1.8	0.0	1.7	0.2	0.1	0.2(R)	0.9(R)	0.2	1.8
July	-0.2	1.1	0.2	2.1	0.1	1.6	-0.1	-0.1	-0.1	1.0	-0.2	1.6
August	0.6	1.4	0.1	1.7	-0.2	1.3	0.1	0.1	0.2	1.1	0.2	1.7
September	0.4	1.6	0.3	1.6	0.0	1.0	0.2	0.3	0.2	1.0	0.5	2.1
October	-0.1	1.7	-0.6	1.1	-0.2	1.3	-0.1	0.4	0.1	1.2	-0.2	1.8
November	0.0	2.0	0.1	1.2	-0.4	0.8	-0.2	0.6	0.2	1.6
December	-0.3	2.1	0.0	1.5	-0.5	0.3	-0.4	0.7	0.1	2.1
Footnotes: (R) = revised.

CPI-W

In October, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 264.578, down 0.3 percent over the month. The CPI-W rose 2.2 percent over the year.

The November 2017 Consumer Price Index for New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island is scheduled to be released Wednesday, December 13, 2017, 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-
	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017	Oct. 2017	Oct. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017
Expenditure category
All items	268.657	270.059	269.575	1.8	0.3	-0.2
All items (1967=100)	776.650	780.704	779.305
Food and beverages	260.948	261.175	262.271	2.0	0.5	0.4
Food	261.084	261.243	262.309	2.1	0.5	0.4
Food at home	252.606	252.197	253.405	2.1	0.3	0.5
Food away from home	280.119	281.109	281.995	2.2	0.7	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	254.669	255.792	257.289	0.8	1.0	0.6
Housing	292.898	292.867	292.432	2.1	-0.2	-0.1
Shelter	370.744	370.662	371.091	2.1	0.1	0.1
Rent of primary residence(1)	383.150	383.268	384.111	2.5	0.3	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	376.331	376.922	377.790	2.1	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	375.867	376.459	377.324	2.1	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities	189.107	190.718	184.521	4.3	-2.4	-3.2
Household energy	181.001	182.804	175.806	4.7	-2.9	-3.8
Energy services(1)	175.878	176.600	168.407	3.8	-4.2	-4.6
Electricity(1)	185.424	186.545	174.350	0.5	-6.0	-6.5
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	149.533	149.520	148.749	11.3	-0.5	-0.5
Household furnishings and operations	109.195	108.094	108.872	-0.9	-0.3	0.7
Apparel	128.373	132.011	130.854	0.1	1.9	-0.9
Transportation	211.533	217.462	215.299	3.2	1.8	-1.0
Private transportation	199.166	204.868	201.485	3.7	1.2	-1.7
Motor fuel	199.087	224.555	209.807	18.5	5.4	-6.6
Gasoline (all types)	198.243	223.701	208.899	18.5	5.4	-6.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)	197.110	223.226	207.635	19.2	5.3	-7.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)	206.501	228.957	218.182	15.3	5.7	-4.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)	208.204	229.001	219.685	14.2	5.5	-4.1
Medical care	476.319	476.539	479.874	1.9	0.7	0.7
Recreation(5)	123.381	123.685	121.660	1.3	-1.4	-1.6
Education and communication(5)	141.397	142.094	142.227	-0.7	0.6	0.1
Other goods and services	420.290	422.606	424.127	1.9	0.9	0.4
Commodity and service group
All items	268.657	270.059	269.575	1.8	0.3	-0.2
Commodities	187.098	189.498	188.766	1.7	0.9	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages	142.224	145.492	143.956	1.4	1.2	-1.1
Nondurables less food and beverages	180.952	187.843	184.743	3.5	2.1	-1.7
Durables	93.246	92.697	92.819	-2.3	-0.5	0.1
Services	337.573	338.253	337.945	1.9	0.1	-0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	259.633	261.083	260.441	1.8	0.3	-0.2
All items less shelter	228.207	230.219	229.361	1.7	0.5	-0.4
Commodities less food	146.474	149.693	148.244	1.4	1.2	-1.0
Nondurables	222.470	226.274	225.138	2.7	1.2	-0.5
Nondurables less food	185.451	192.012	189.177	3.2	2.0	-1.5
Services less rent of shelter(2)	312.425	313.950	312.833	1.6	0.1	-0.4
Services less medical care services	326.062	326.694	326.174	1.7	0.0	-0.2
Energy	190.395	201.202	191.166	10.1	0.4	-5.0
All items less energy	278.132	278.666	279.072	1.3	0.3	0.1
All items less food and energy	282.983	283.583	283.881	1.2	0.3	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.