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News Release Information

19-2013-KAN
Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (816) 285-7000

Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – October 2019

Prices in the Midwest were up 0.2 percent over the past month, up 1.5 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), crept up 0.2 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The October advance was influenced by a 0.3-percent increase in the index for all items less food and energy. Food prices edged up a slight 0.1 percent over the month, while energy costs declined 1.6 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 1.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.2 percent over the year. Food prices rose 1.7 percent. Energy prices decreased 5.2 percent, largely the result of lower prices for gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices edged up 0.1 percent for the month of October. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home increased 0.3 percent, while prices for food at home were unchanged for the same period.

From October 2018 to October 2019, food prices rose 1.7 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 2.9 percent and prices for food at home advanced 0.7 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index decreased 1.6 percent over the month reflecting lower prices for electricity (-3.7 percent) and gasoline (-1.4 percent). Prices for natural gas service advanced 2.4 percent.

Energy prices were down 5.2 percent over the year, largely due to a 7.8-percent decrease in prices for gasoline. Lower prices for natural gas service also contributed to the decline (-5.0 percent). Prices paid for electricity were virtually unchanged from a year ago.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.3 percent in October. Higher prices for medical care services (2.0 percent) led the increase.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care services (6.0 percent) and shelter (3.0 percent). Among the expenditure categories that recorded price declines were apparel (-1.1 percent) and medical care commodities (-1.5 percent).

The Midwest Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) stood at 239.243 in October 2019. A typical market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in the 1982-84 base period cost $239.24 in October 2019.

CPI-W 

In October, the Midwest Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 233.174. The CPI-W edged up 0.1 percent in October and advanced 1.3 percent over the year.

Table A. Midwest region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month

January

-0.6 -0.3 0.3 0.8 0.7 2.2 0.6 1.6 0.2 0.8

February

0.3 -0.5 0.0 0.4 0.2 2.4 0.2 1.7 0.7 1.3

March

0.6 -0.9 0.6 0.5 0.1 1.9 0.2 1.8 0.6 1.7

April

0.1 -1.1 0.4 0.8 0.4 1.8 0.4 1.8 0.3 1.5

May

0.4 -0.8 0.4 0.8 0.0 1.4 0.5 2.3 0.3 1.3

June

0.5 -0.7 0.6 0.8 0.0 0.9 0.2 2.5 0.0 1.2

July

0.0 -0.5 -0.5 0.4 0.0 1.3 0.0 2.4 0.2 1.5

August

0.0 -0.3 0.1 0.6 0.3 1.5 0.0 2.1 0.0 1.5

September

-0.3 -0.8 0.2 1.1 0.3 1.5 0.1 1.9 0.0 1.4

October

-0.1 -0.3 -0.1 1.0 -0.2 1.5 0.1 2.2 0.2 1.5

November

-0.5 -0.2 -0.3 1.2 0.2 1.9 -0.6 1.4

December

-0.6 0.0 0.1 1.8 -0.2 1.7 -0.4 1.3

The November 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on December 11, 2019.


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 6,000 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 Midwest region is comprised of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

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, Midwest Region, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)
Expenditure category Indexes Percent change from
Aug.
2019
Sep.
2019
Oct.
2019
Oct.
2018
Aug.
2019
Sep.
2019

All items

238.786 238.847 239.243 1.5 0.2 0.2

All items (December 1977 = 100)

388.517 388.618 389.262      

Food and beverages

247.801 248.257 248.488 1.6 0.3 0.1

Food

247.123 247.641 247.914 1.7 0.3 0.1

Food at home

227.101 227.677 227.603 0.7 0.2 0.0

Cereals and bakery products

256.555 259.537 257.550 -1.4 0.4 -0.8

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

247.869 247.380 247.329 1.1 -0.2 0.0

Dairy and related products

196.724 196.666 197.387 1.8 0.3 0.4

Fruits and vegetables

269.983 268.486 269.741 -0.1 -0.1 0.5

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

162.877 163.807 163.292 0.9 0.3 -0.3

Other food at home

198.077 199.414 199.352 1.4 0.6 0.0

Food away from home

280.215 280.653 281.449 2.9 0.4 0.3

Alcoholic beverages

254.981 254.578 254.243 0.7 -0.3 -0.1

Housing

234.214 234.593 234.522 2.5 0.1 0.0

Shelter

280.599 281.723 281.992 3.0 0.5 0.1

Rent of primary residence(1)

279.525 280.641 281.400 3.0 0.7 0.3

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)

285.356 286.203 287.080 3.1 0.6 0.3

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)

285.303 286.162 287.017 3.1 0.6 0.3

Fuels and utilities

226.326 222.517 219.584 -1.0 -3.0 -1.3

Household energy

183.546 179.559 176.264 -1.9 -4.0 -1.8

Energy services(1)

190.910 186.565 182.938 -1.5 -4.2 -1.9

Electricity(1)

215.444 209.303 201.494 0.1 -6.5 -3.7

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

139.303 138.119 141.429 -5.0 1.5 2.4

Household furnishings and operations

115.338 115.967 116.537 2.2 1.0 0.5

Apparel

116.262 119.790 120.115 -1.1 3.3 0.3

Transportation

205.050 202.862 202.633 -1.2 -1.2 -0.1

Private transportation

200.426 198.069 197.746 -1.4 -1.3 -0.2

New and used motor vehicles(3)

98.717 96.728 96.739 1.1 -2.0 0.0

New vehicles

137.052 135.622 135.844 0.2 -0.9 0.2

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

96.876 95.888 96.048 0.2 -0.9 0.2

New cars(4)

133.327 131.698 132.311 -0.3 -0.8 0.5

Used cars and trucks

143.379 137.885 137.544 1.6 -4.1 -0.2

Motor fuel

238.369 234.727 231.591 -7.8 -2.8 -1.3

Gasoline (all types)

237.091 233.374 230.121 -7.8 -2.9 -1.4

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

230.701 226.982 223.747 -8.0 -3.0 -1.4

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

273.710 272.349 268.140 -6.6 -2.0 -1.5

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

262.530 258.645 256.188 -6.0 -2.4 -0.9

Motor vehicle insurance(6)

732.101 732.560 743.115 0.1 1.5 1.4

Medical care

500.589 500.625 508.101 4.5 1.5 1.5

Medical care commodities

390.388 391.207 389.667 -1.5 -0.2 -0.4

Medical care services

537.556 537.327 547.856 6.0 1.9 2.0

Professional services

421.643 421.369 421.441 1.3 0.0 0.0

Recreation(3)

121.262 121.085 121.512 1.2 0.2 0.4

Education and communication(3)

137.387 137.788 137.766 -0.4 0.3 0.0

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)

1,201.106 1,205.215 1,206.345 0.8 0.4 0.1

Other goods and services

436.230 438.131 439.682 2.8 0.8 0.4

Commodity and service group

Commodities

180.440 180.171 180.109 0.0 -0.2 0.0

Commodities less food and beverages

147.941 147.413 147.244 -1.0 -0.5 -0.1

Nondurables less food and beverages

196.197 196.508 196.026 -2.5 -0.1 -0.2

Durables

102.161 101.098 101.160 1.0 -1.0 0.1

Services

298.990 299.400 300.279 2.5 0.4 0.3

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

226.171 225.866 226.309 0.9 0.1 0.2

All items less medical care

226.391 226.454 226.514 1.2 0.1 0.0

Commodities less food

151.263 150.736 150.562 -1.0 -0.5 -0.1

Nondurables

221.673 222.054 221.902 -0.4 0.1 -0.1

Nondurables less food

199.300 199.570 199.097 -2.3 -0.1 -0.2

Services less rent of shelter(2)

327.840 327.464 329.041 2.0 0.4 0.5

Services less medical care services

281.195 281.654 281.810 2.0 0.2 0.1

Energy

208.437 204.625 201.417 -5.2 -3.4 -1.6

All items less energy

244.735 245.192 245.960 2.1 0.5 0.3

All items less food and energy

245.031 245.479 246.337 2.2 0.5 0.3

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) 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.
(6) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.

Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2019