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News Release Information

19-1743-KAN
Thursday, October 10, 2019

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

Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – September 2019

Area prices were unchanged over the past month, but up 1.4 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Food prices increased 0.2 percent, while energy prices declined 1.8 percent over the month. Prices for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 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 advanced 1.4 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 advanced 1.6 percent. Energy prices decreased 5.9 percent, led by lower prices for gasoline.  Lower costs for household energy also contributed to the decline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices inched up 0.2 percent for the month of September. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 0.3 percent and prices for food away from home crept up 0.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 1.6 percent. Prices for food at home rose 0.6 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 2.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 1.8 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for electricity (-2.9 percent) and gasoline (-1.6 percent). Prices for natural gas service decreased 0.8 percent, for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 5.9 percent over the year, largely as a result of lower prices for gasoline (-8.3 percent). Prices paid for electricity declined 1.1 percent, and prices for natural gas service declined 6.7 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was up 0.2 percent in September. Higher prices for shelter (0.4 percent) and apparel (3.0 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for new and used motor vehicles (-2.0 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (3.5 percent) and medical care services (4.0 percent). Lower prices for education and communication (-0.2 percent) partly offset the increases.

The Midwest Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) stood at 238.847 in September 2019. A typical market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in the 1982-84 base period cost $238.85 in September 2019.

CPI-W 

In September, the Midwest Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 232.901. The CPI-W was unchanged in September 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
Month20152016201720182019
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

-0.6-0.30.30.80.72.20.61.60.20.8

February

0.3-0.50.00.40.22.40.21.70.71.3

March

0.6-0.90.60.50.11.90.21.80.61.7

April

0.1-1.10.40.80.41.80.41.80.31.5

May

0.4-0.80.40.80.01.40.52.30.31.3

June

0.5-0.70.60.80.00.90.22.50.01.2

July

0.0-0.5-0.50.40.01.30.02.40.21.5

August

0.0-0.30.10.60.31.50.02.10.01.5

September

-0.3-0.80.21.10.31.50.11.90.01.4

October

-0.1-0.3-0.11.0-0.21.50.12.2

November

-0.5-0.2-0.31.20.21.9-0.61.4

December

-0.60.00.11.8-0.21.7-0.41.3

The October 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on November 13, 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 categoryIndexesPercent change from
Jul.
2019
Aug.
2019
Sep.
2019
Sep.
2018
Jul.
2019
Aug.
2019

All items

238.760238.786238.8471.40.00.0

All items (December 1977 = 100)

388.476388.517388.618   

Food and beverages

247.594247.801248.2571.60.30.2

Food

246.889247.123247.6411.60.30.2

Food at home

226.822227.101227.6770.60.40.3

Cereals and bakery products

260.334256.555259.5370.2-0.31.2

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

247.967247.869247.3800.8-0.2-0.2

Dairy and related products

195.282196.724196.6660.50.70.0

Fruits and vegetables

266.628269.983268.4860.40.7-0.6

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

163.567162.877163.8070.90.10.6

Other food at home

197.460198.077199.4140.51.00.7

Food away from home

280.046280.215280.6532.90.20.2

Alcoholic beverages

255.142254.981254.5781.4-0.2-0.2

Housing

234.158234.214234.5932.60.20.2

Shelter

280.794280.599281.7233.50.30.4

Rent of primary residence(1)

278.982279.525280.6413.20.60.4

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

284.697285.356286.2033.40.50.3

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

284.655285.303286.1623.40.50.3

Fuels and utilities

225.592226.326222.517-1.9-1.4-1.7

Household energy

182.804183.546179.559-3.0-1.8-2.2

Energy services(1)

190.036190.910186.565-2.8-1.8-2.3

Electricity(1)

214.893215.444209.303-1.1-2.6-2.9

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

137.967139.303138.119-6.70.1-0.8

Household furnishings and operations

114.949115.338115.9671.50.90.5

Apparel

113.802116.262119.7900.85.33.0

Transportation

207.344205.050202.862-1.4-2.2-1.1

Private transportation

202.530200.426198.069-1.6-2.2-1.2

New and used motor vehicles(3)

98.44798.71796.7280.8-1.7-2.0

New vehicles

137.566137.052135.622-0.1-1.4-1.0

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

97.24296.87695.888-0.1-1.4-1.0

New cars(4)

133.884133.327131.698-0.8-1.6-1.2

Used cars and trucks

142.013143.379137.8853.1-2.9-3.8

Motor fuel

249.836238.369234.727-8.3-6.0-1.5

Gasoline (all types)

248.612237.091233.374-8.3-6.1-1.6

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

242.197230.701226.982-8.5-6.3-1.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

287.529273.710272.349-7.0-5.3-0.5

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

271.368262.530258.645-6.6-4.7-1.5

Motor vehicle insurance(6)

731.670732.101732.5600.10.10.1

Medical care

495.492500.589500.6253.01.00.0

Medical care commodities

388.785390.388391.207-0.90.60.2

Medical care services

531.278537.556537.3274.01.10.0

Professional services

421.410421.643421.3690.80.0-0.1

Recreation(3)

121.251121.262121.0850.4-0.1-0.1

Education and communication(3)

137.018137.387137.788-0.20.60.3

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

1,194.9191,201.1061,205.2151.30.90.3

Other goods and services

435.996436.230438.1312.60.50.4

Commodity and service group

Commodities

180.816180.440180.1710.0-0.4-0.1

Commodities less food and beverages

148.519147.941147.413-0.9-0.7-0.4

Nondurables less food and beverages

197.861196.197196.508-2.2-0.70.2

Durables

101.940102.161101.0980.8-0.8-1.0

Services

298.540298.990299.4002.30.30.1

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

226.069226.171225.8660.5-0.1-0.1

All items less medical care

226.607226.391226.4541.2-0.10.0

Commodities less food

151.833151.263150.736-0.8-0.7-0.3

Nondurables

222.474221.673222.054-0.3-0.20.2

Nondurables less food

200.878199.300199.570-2.0-0.70.1

Services less rent of shelter(2)

326.679327.840327.4641.20.2-0.1

Services less medical care services

281.182281.195281.6542.10.20.2

Energy

213.389208.437204.625-5.9-4.1-1.8

All items less energy

244.202244.735245.1922.10.40.2

All items less food and energy

244.444245.031245.4792.20.40.2

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: Thursday, October 10, 2019