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News Release Information

18-23-CHI
Friday, January 12, 2018

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Consumer Price Index, Milwaukee-Racine — Second Half 2017

Local prices up 1.8 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Milwaukee-Racine area rose 1.8 percent from the second half of 2016 to the second half of 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the all items less food and energy index was 1.5 percent higher compared to its second half 2016 level as price increases were noted in the shelter index. Food prices rose 1.4 percent over the year, and the index for energy increased 5.9 percent. (See chart 1.)

Food

The 1.4-percent rise in food prices over the year was attributed to a 2.2-percent increase in costs for for food at home (grocery) and a 0.2-percent increase in prices for food eaten away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases). In the previous annual period (second half 2015 to second half 2016), food prices in the Milwaukee area rose 0.6 percent.

Energy

Gasoline prices were up 11.0 percent from their second half 2016 levels, contributing to the 5.9-percent rise in energy prices over the year. Costs also rose for utility (piped) gas service (3.0 percent) and electricity (0.5 percent). In the previous annual period, energy costs had fallen 5.4 percent.

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index was 1.5 percent higher over the year. This was primarily due to a 3.0-percent increase in shelter costs.

Consumer Price Index Geographic Revision for 2018

In January 2018, BLS will introduce a new geographic area sample for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). As part of the new sample, the index for this area will be discontinued.  Additional information on the geographic revision is available at: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/geographic-revision-2018.htm.


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 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 Milwaukee-Racine, Wis., consolidated area covered in this release is comprised of Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Washington, and Waukesha Counties in 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 for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods
Milwaukee-Racine, WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group


 
Semiannual average
indexes
Percent change to
2nd half 2017 from-
2nd half
2016
1st half
2017
2nd half
2017
2nd half
2016
1st half
2017

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

228.624232.123232.7181.80.3

All items (1967=100)

706.129716.938718.775--

Food and beverages

250.323252.286253.6181.30.5

Food

254.429256.567257.9851.40.6

Food at home

241.687245.679247.0552.20.6

Food away from home

276.054275.003276.4910.20.5

Alcoholic beverages

211.536211.738212.2070.30.2

Housing

218.560222.684223.8442.40.5

Shelter

267.956273.748275.9603.00.8

Rent of primary residence(1)

248.355251.998254.7842.61.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)

285.330290.615294.1233.11.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)

285.330290.615294.1233.11.2

Fuels and utilities

210.836211.663213.7031.41.0

Household energy

171.326171.898173.5921.31.0

Energy services(1)

176.627176.975178.6971.21.0

Electricity(1)

214.931210.829215.9120.52.4

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

111.114117.275114.4363.0-2.4

Household furnishings and operations

97.67799.16697.221-0.5-2.0

Apparel

143.494148.109142.519-0.7-3.8

Transportation

179.366184.930185.3583.30.2

Private transportation

171.670175.972177.9903.71.1

Motor fuel

198.775211.158220.64411.04.5

Gasoline (all types)

196.116208.376217.69811.04.5

Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)

193.095205.490214.90311.34.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

217.447228.455237.8939.44.1

Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)

198.170208.105215.1018.53.4

Medical care

501.719506.096509.3391.50.6

Recreation(5)

118.098119.458118.3110.2-1.0

Education and communication(5)

149.991147.566148.947-0.70.9

Other goods and services

396.424401.188402.0501.40.2
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

228.624232.123232.7181.80.3

Commodities

176.466178.776178.0530.9-0.4

Commodities less food & beverages

143.453145.819144.3550.6-1.0

Nondurables less food & beverages

197.039202.268203.0773.10.4

Durables

95.80396.05893.195-2.7-3.0

Services

278.752283.390285.2362.30.7
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

216.610220.072220.5501.80.2

All items less shelter

216.266218.945218.9401.20.0

Commodities less food

146.038148.341146.9350.6-0.9

Nondurables

224.313228.051229.1162.10.5

Nondurables less food

197.877202.736203.5202.90.4

Services less rent of shelter(2)

303.596307.056308.5271.60.5

Services less medical care services

261.594266.324268.1662.50.7

Energy

185.158190.920196.0525.92.7

All items less energy

235.264238.583238.7451.50.1

All items less food and energy

232.968236.483236.4481.50.0

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 November 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.
 

- Data not available.
Note: Data not seasonally adjusted.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, January 12, 2018