Prices in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged in March after increasing 0.5 percent in February and 0.4 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Chief Regional Economist Martin Kohli explained that declining prices for energy and food prices were offset by prices increases for other expenditures. (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 1.7 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 ticked down 0.1 percent after advancing 0.3 percent in February. Prices for food at home declined 0.4 percent, with lower prices reported for five of the six food categories, including nonalcoholic beverages, dairy products, and fruits and vegetables. Prices for food away from home rose 0.3 percent for the second consecutive month.

Over the year, the food index increased 1.7 percent, with prices 2.4 percent higher for away-from-home food and 1.1 percent higher for at-home food.

Energy

After increasing for four months, the energy index retreated, declining 0.3 percent in March. Leading the decline was a 2.5-percent drop in gasoline prices. Natural gas (-1.3 percent) and fuel oil also declined, but a 4.1-percent jump in electricity prices led to a 1.3-percent rise in household energy prices.

From March 2017 to March 2018, energy prices rose 8.3 percent. Gasoline prices increased 11.3 percent, and household energy prices advanced 6.3 percent. Within household energy, natural gas prices were up 6.9 percent, and electricity prices, 4.0 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in March. Shelter prices rose 0.4 percent, with higher prices for residential rent (0.3 percent), owners’ equivalent rent (0.2 percent), and lodging away from home. Prices jumped 1.9 percent for used cars and trucks. Medical care prices edged up 0.2 percent, reflecting higher prices for nonprescription drugs and for eyeglasses and eye care. These increases were offset by price reductions for recreation (-1.5 percent), apparel (-1.1 percent), and household furnishings and operations (-0.8 percent).

For the year ended in March 2018, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent. Shelter prices increased 2.4 percent, with residential rent rising 2.2 percent. Prices rose 2.0 percent for medical care and 1.9 percent for other goods and services. In contrast, prices for apparel were down 2.8 percent, and prices for household furnishings and operations were down 1.9 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
May	0.1	1.4	0.5	1.9	0.4	-0.1	0.3	0.9	0.1	1.8
June	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	2.1	0.1	1.6	-0.1	-0.1	-0.1	1.0	-0.2	1.6
August	0.1	1.7	-0.2	1.3	0.1	0.1	0.2	1.1	0.2	1.7
September	0.3	1.6	0.0	1.0	0.2	0.3	0.2	1.0	0.5	2.1
October	-0.6	1.1	-0.2	1.3	-0.1	0.4	0.1	1.2	-0.2	1.8
November	0.1	1.2	-0.4	0.8	-0.2	0.6	0.2	1.6	-0.1	1.6
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-W

In March, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 267.077, unchanged over the month. The CPI-W rose 1.9 percent over the year.

The April 2018 Consumer Price Index for New York-Newark-Jersey City is scheduled to be released Friday, May 11, 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 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-
	Jan. 2018	Feb. 2018	March 2018	March 2017	Jan. 2018	Feb. 2018
Expenditure category
All items	270.771	272.214	272.196	1.7	0.5	0.0
All items (1967=100)	782.762	786.934	786.880
Food and beverages	263.111	263.903	263.637	1.6	0.2	-0.1
Food	263.302	264.022	263.802	1.7	0.2	-0.1
Food at home	253.655	254.308	253.350	1.1	-0.1	-0.4
Cereals and bakery products	292.946	300.689	300.000		2.4	-0.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	253.174	249.423	253.558		0.2	1.7
Dairy and related products	224.221	225.287	221.533		-1.2	-1.7
Fruits and vegetables	325.573	321.201	317.788		-2.4	-1.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	249.631	254.564	248.601		-0.4	-2.3
Other food at home	219.943	222.146	221.633		0.8	-0.2
Food away from home	284.097	284.932	285.765	2.4	0.6	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	256.039	257.818	256.930	1.2	0.3	-0.3
Housing	294.441	295.424	296.511	2.4	0.7	0.4
Shelter	373.008	373.327	374.763	2.4	0.5	0.4
Rent of primary residence(2)	385.646	385.822	386.926	2.2	0.3	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(2)(3)	380.330	380.101	380.745	2.4	0.1	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(2)(3)	379.859	379.631	380.273	2.4	0.1	0.2
Fuels and utilities	191.088	194.936	197.098	5.7	3.1	1.1
Household energy	182.982	187.073	189.430	6.3	3.5	1.3
Energy services(2)	172.198	176.391	179.936	5.0	4.5	2.0
Electricity(2)	179.634	176.228	183.366	4.0	2.1	4.1
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	150.751	166.446	164.234	6.9	8.9	-1.3
Household furnishings and operations	107.887	109.215	108.345	-1.9	0.4	-0.8
Apparel	124.274	130.676	129.303	-2.8	4.0	-1.1
Transportation	217.367	219.772	218.434	3.1	0.5	-0.6
Private transportation	205.115	206.512	205.830	4.0	0.3	-0.3
New and used motor vehicles(4)	91.715	92.153	92.746		1.1	0.6
New vehicles(1)	203.592	202.626	201.228		-1.2	-0.7
Used cars and trucks(1)	261.664	263.913	269.033		2.8	1.9
Motor fuel	213.141	218.170	212.773	11.3	-0.2	-2.5
Gasoline (all types)	212.127	217.138	211.761	11.3	-0.2	-2.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	211.171	216.253	210.760	11.8	-0.2	-2.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	220.049	224.374	219.574	8.4	-0.2	-2.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	220.711	225.310	220.729	8.0	0.0	-2.0
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	744.437	744.437	743.892		-0.1	-0.1
Medical care	483.364	484.758	485.756	2.0	0.5	0.2
Recreation(4)	124.808	125.324	123.479	0.2	-1.1	-1.5
Education and communication(4)	142.116	141.632	141.485	-0.8	-0.4	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)	1,165.939	1,165.927	1,165.931		0.0	0.0
Other goods and services	422.261	427.330	426.646	1.9	1.0	-0.2
Commodity and service group
All items	270.771	272.214	272.196	1.7	0.5	0.0
Commodities	188.865	190.987	190.012	1.0	0.6	-0.5
Commodities less food and beverages	143.694	146.296	145.056	0.4	0.9	-0.8
Nondurables less food and beverages	183.595	188.317	185.792	1.2	1.2	-1.3
Durables	93.317	93.461	93.696	-1.3	0.4	0.3
Services	340.099	341.151	341.783	2.1	0.5	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	261.539	262.985	262.922	1.7	0.5	0.0
All items less shelter	230.297	232.256	231.599	1.3	0.6	-0.3
Commodities less food	147.953	150.546	149.309	0.5	0.9	-0.8
Nondurables	224.987	227.966	226.448	1.5	0.6	-0.7
Nondurables less food	188.043	192.617	190.175	1.2	1.1	-1.3
Services less rent of shelter(3)	315.263	317.163	316.911	1.6	0.5	-0.1
Services less medical care services	328.255	329.308	329.918	2.0	0.5	0.2
Energy	197.004	201.510	200.928	8.3	2.0	-0.3
All items less energy	279.838	280.988	281.025	1.3	0.4	0.0
All items less food and energy	284.608	285.833	285.910	1.2	0.5	0.0
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (6) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.