The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the New York-Newark-Jersey City area was unchanged over the month in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that lower prices for apparel and other non-energy items were offset by higher prices for food and household energy. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the New York area all items CPI-U advanced 4.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A). The index for all items less food and energy increased 4.7 percent. Food prices rose 2.3 percent, and energy prices increased 3.4 percent. (See table 1.)

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, December 2021–December 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Dec 2021	4.4	3.0
Jan 2022	5.1	3.3
Feb 2022	5.1	4.0
Mar 2022	6.1	4.1
Apr 2022	6.3	4.4
May 2022	6.3	3.6
Jun 2022	6.7	4.1
Jul 2022	6.5	4.2
Aug 2022	6.6	4.6
Sep 2022	6.2	5.0
Oct 2022	6.0	4.9
Nov 2022	5.9	4.5
Dec 2022	6.3	5.4
Jan 2023	6.0	5.7
Feb 2023	6.0	5.6
Mar 2023	4.6	5.1
Apr 2023	3.7	4.4
May 2023	3.5	5.1
Jun 2023	2.5	3.8
Jul 2023	3.2	4.4
Aug 2023	3.5	4.5
Sep 2023	3.7	4.1
Oct 2023	3.5	4.0
Nov 2023	3.0	3.9
Dec 2023	2.9	3.4
Jan 2024	3.1	3.7
Feb 2024	2.9	3.4
Mar 2024	3.4	3.5
Apr 2024	3.8	3.9
May 2024	3.9	4.0
Jun 2024	4.2	4.4
Jul 2024	4.1	4.3
Aug 2024	3.7	4.4
Sep 2024	3.8	4.5
Oct 2024	4.0	4.7
Nov 2024	4.3	5.2
Dec 2024	4.3	4.7

Food prices rose 0.5 percent for the month of December. Prices for food away from home increased 0.6 percent, with higher prices recorded for limited service meals and snacks. Prices for food at home rose 0.4 percent, which included increases in five of the six grocery categories. Among the groceries with higher prices was bread.

From December 2023 to December 2024, the food index increased 2.3 percent. At-home food prices increased 2.0 percent, and away-from-home food prices advanced 2.7 percent.

The energy index was up 2.4 percent in December, led by an increase in prices for household energy (3.6 percent). Within household energy, higher prices were recorded for electricity (3.9 percent), natural gas (3.2 percent), and fuel oil. In contrast, gasoline prices were unchanged over the month following four consecutive monthly decreases.

For the year ended in December 2024, the New York area energy index advanced 3.4 percent. Over the year, an 11.4-percent rise in household energy prices outweighed an 8.9-percent decline in gasoline prices. Within household energy, electricity prices advanced 12.8 percent, and natural gas prices rose 15.3 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.2 percent over the month. Apparel prices—often down in December—declined 2.8 percent. Lower prices for recreation (-1.2 percent) and airline fares also contributed to the decrease. The declines were partially offset by higher prices for shelter (0.3 percent), which included increases in owners’ equivalent rent (0.3 percent), rent of primary residence (0.3 percent), and lodging away from home.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.7 percent. A 5.7-percent increase in shelter prices included increases of 6.2 percent for owners’ equivalent rent and 5.4 percent for rent of primary residence.

The Consumer Price Index for January 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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 Consumer Price Index for New York is published monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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, NY-NJ-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.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.