Prices in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.5 percent for the two months ending in January 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the food index increased 1.2 percent, and the energy index declined 2.2 percent from November to January. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.6 percent over the past two months. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher over the two-month period for shelter and apparel, but lower for used cars and trucks and medical care. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 5.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.8 percent over the year. Food prices rose 12.2 percent. Energy prices were up 7.6 percent, largely the result of an increase in prices for utility (piped) gas service. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 1.2 percent for the two months ending in January. Prices for food at home (groceries) increased 1.9 percent, as all six major grocery store food group indexes advanced over the two-month period. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs advanced (3.2 percent) and fruits and vegetables rose (2.8 percent). Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.1 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 12.2 percent. Prices for food at home increased 13.8 percent since a year ago. All six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the year. The index for other food at home (includes sugar, sweets, fats, and oils, for example) was up 13.0 percent and the index for fruits and vegetables increased 14.4 percent over the year. Prices for food away from home increased 9.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index fell 2.2 percent for the two months ending in January. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-9.0 percent). Prices for utility (piped) gas service rose 15.4 percent, while electricity prices decreased 3.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 7.6 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for utility (piped) gas service (24.3 percent). Electricity prices increased 3.4 percent, and gasoline prices rose 2.6 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.6 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for shelter (0.7 percent) and apparel (8.1 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for used cars and trucks (-3.9 percent) and medical care (-0.6 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced by 3.8 percent. The shelter index contributed to the increase, up 4.1 percent during the past year.

Table A. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2019		2020		2021		2022		2023
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	0.4	1.4	0.6	3.0	0.4	1.6	0.7	7.2	0.5	5.1
March	1.4	2.3	-0.3	1.2	1.1	3.0	2.1	8.2
May	1.0	2.3	-0.1	0.0	1.4	4.6	1.9	8.7
July	0.3	2.2	-0.1	-0.3	1.7	6.5	1.2	8.2
September	-0.2	1.7	2.1	1.9	1.1	5.4	0.4	7.4
November	-0.2	2.8	-0.4	1.7	1.0	6.9	-1.0	5.3

The March 2023 Consumer Price Index for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 12, 2023.

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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods available on the internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.

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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, LeSueur, Mille Lacs, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Washington, and Wright Counties in Minnesota; and Pierce and St. Croix Counties in Wisconsin.

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.

Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Nov. 2022	Dec. 2022	Jan. 2023	Jan. 2022	Nov. 2022	Dec. 2022
Expenditure category
All items	287.396	-	288.761	5.1	0.5	-
All items (1967=100)	903.149	-	907.439	-	-	-
Food and beverages	350.534	-	354.712	11.6	1.2	-
Food	340.101	-	344.238	12.2	1.2	-
Food at home	306.756	308.792	312.589	13.8	1.9	1.2
Cereals and bakery products	334.864	-	342.716	17.0	2.3	-
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	337.288	-	348.186	12.6	3.2	-
Dairy and related products	331.493	-	332.717	15.7	0.4	-
Fruits and vegetables	413.019	-	424.726	14.4	2.8	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	186.232	-	187.457	11.6	0.7	-
Other food at home	247.454	-	250.168	13.0	1.1	-
Food away from home	386.517	-	386.933	9.8	0.1	-
Alcoholic beverages	424.950	-	428.855	4.7	0.9	-
Housing	269.722	-	273.063	4.9	1.2	-
Shelter	314.289	316.870	316.545	4.1	0.7	-0.1
Rent of primary residence(2)	324.725	326.814	328.521	5.2	1.2	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	333.232	334.747	336.060	4.1	0.8	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	333.232	334.747	336.060	4.1	0.8	0.4
Fuels and utilities	259.677	-	278.285	13.0	7.2	-
Household energy	234.736	253.294	248.586	12.9	5.9	-1.9
Energy services(2)	236.498	255.597	250.099	13.3	5.8	-2.2
Electricity(2)	288.380	283.816	279.539	3.4	-3.1	-1.5
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	197.309	235.045	227.624	24.3	15.4	-3.2
Household furnishings and operations	144.968	-	144.736	3.9	-0.2	-
Apparel	134.689	-	145.576	1.0	8.1	-
Transportation	249.469	-	244.098	4.4	-2.2	-
Private transportation	234.156	-	229.394	2.4	-2.0	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	114.628	-	113.314	-1.4	-1.1	-
New vehicles(1)	188.938	-	190.764	6.3	1.0	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	378.536	-	363.591	-12.4	-3.9	-
Motor fuel	291.266	253.937	264.869	3.0	-9.1	4.3
Gasoline (all types)	291.254	253.713	264.935	2.6	-9.0	4.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	292.178	253.923	265.631	2.5	-9.1	4.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	289.859	256.453	263.373	2.9	-9.1	2.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	355.289	317.812	326.117	4.0	-8.2	2.6
Medical care	630.371	-	626.483	3.2	-0.6	-
Recreation(4)	136.436	-	137.382	2.0	0.7	-
Education and communication(4)	142.685	-	141.653	1.0	-0.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,205.605	-	1,205.605	2.5	0.0	-
Other goods and services	456.327	-	466.274	8.6	2.2	-
Commodity and service group
All items	287.396	-	288.761	5.1	0.5	-
Commodities	222.253	-	221.635	4.6	-0.3	-
Commodities less food and beverages	167.740	-	165.744	0.6	-1.2	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	224.124	-	222.053	3.6	-0.9	-
Durables	120.646	-	118.631	-2.4	-1.7	-
Services	344.675	-	348.151	5.5	1.0	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	271.878	-	273.460	5.3	0.6	-
All items less shelter	276.882	-	278.044	5.7	0.4	-
Commodities less food	177.035	-	175.112	0.8	-1.1	-
Nondurables	283.132	-	283.869	7.9	0.3	-
Nondurables less food	238.006	-	236.255	3.7	-0.7	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	393.855	-	399.184	6.9	1.4	-
Services less medical care services	318.281	-	322.191	5.8	1.2	-
Energy	267.010	258.727	261.122	7.6	-2.2	0.9
All items less energy	294.847	-	296.803	5.0	0.7	-
All items less food and energy	288.264	-	289.914	3.8	0.6	-
Footnotes (1) Index on an April 1978=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) Index on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (6) Index on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.