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News Release Information

20-1202-KAN
Wednesday, June 10, 2020

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

Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – May 2020

Area prices were up 0.3 percent over the past month, down 0.4 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.3 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The May increase was most influenced by higher prices for gasoline and shelter. (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 decreased 0.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) . Energy prices fell 19.6 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. Food prices rose 3.3 percent. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.8 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.7 percent for the month of May. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 1.0 percent and prices for food away from home edged up 0.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.3 percent. Prices for food at home increased 4.8 percent since a year ago and prices for food away from home increased 1.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 6.7 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (13.9 percent). Prices for natural gas service increased 2.6 percent and prices for electricity rose 2.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices fell 19.6 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-35.3 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service declined 2.0 and prices for electricity were virtually unchanged (-0.1 percent) during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged down 0.2 percent in May. Lower prices for motor vehicle insurance (-10.5 percent) and apparel (-3.0 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for shelter (0.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care services (6.6 percent) and shelter (2.0 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in motor vehicle insurance (-16.8 percent) and apparel (-7.0 percent).

Table A. Midwest region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20162017201820192020
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

-0.30.80.72.20.41.6-0.20.80.42.5

February

0.20.40.82.40.91.70.91.30.32.1

March

0.60.50.21.90.41.81.31.7-0.51.0

April

1.10.80.51.80.61.80.91.5-1.1-0.4

May

0.80.80.41.40.92.30.61.30.3-0.4

June

1.00.80.00.90.72.50.31.2

July

0.10.40.11.30.12.40.21.5

August

-0.30.60.31.5-0.12.10.21.5

September

0.41.10.51.50.11.90.01.4

October

0.11.00.11.50.22.20.21.5

November

-0.41.20.01.9-0.51.40.01.9

December

-0.21.80.01.7-0.91.3-0.22.3

The June 2020 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on July 14, 2020.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on May 2020 Consumer Price Index Data

Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in May was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed. While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at https://www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.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 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
Mar.
2020
Apr.
2020
May
2020
May
2019
Mar.
2020
Apr.
2020

All items

239.163236.474237.291-0.4-0.80.3

All items (December 1977 = 100)

389.132384.756386.086   

Food and beverages

250.985253.602255.1633.11.70.6

Food

250.385253.291255.0093.31.80.7

Food at home

230.242236.431238.8814.83.81.0

Cereals and bakery products

263.897264.421262.6611.1-0.5-0.7

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

249.895263.699277.32011.211.05.2

Dairy and related products

205.106206.834205.9845.50.4-0.4

Fruits and vegetables

266.321269.304276.6531.33.92.7

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

168.120170.839168.8313.60.4-1.2

Other food at home

199.916207.573205.6514.02.9-0.9

Food away from home

283.705281.716282.3571.4-0.50.2

Alcoholic beverages

257.042256.055255.6471.0-0.5-0.2

Housing

236.274235.453236.7661.70.20.6

Shelter

285.236284.083285.2882.00.00.4

Rent of primary residence(1)

285.681286.272286.8333.10.40.2

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

290.829290.897291.6302.80.30.3

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

290.750290.824291.5552.80.30.3

Fuels and utilities

218.073215.939219.552-0.10.71.7

Household energy

173.522171.241174.911-1.20.82.1

Energy services(1)

179.976177.997182.028-0.71.12.3

Electricity(1)

197.286197.690201.876-0.12.32.1

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

140.717135.094138.616-2.0-1.52.6

Household furnishings and operations

115.925116.593117.0201.50.90.4

Apparel

114.500110.183106.846-7.0-6.7-3.0

Transportation

194.627182.380183.753-11.6-5.60.8

Private transportation

191.397179.598181.347-10.4-5.31.0

New and used motor vehicles(3)

98.05697.69497.5530.2-0.5-0.1

New vehicles

137.827137.771138.2480.40.30.3

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

97.42597.38697.7360.40.30.4

New cars(4)

136.092135.773135.3860.8-0.5-0.3

Used cars and trucks

139.694138.418137.421-0.5-1.6-0.7

Motor fuel

190.225145.750165.162-35.0-13.213.3

Gasoline (all types)

188.548143.600163.573-35.3-13.213.9

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

182.452137.731158.112-35.9-13.314.8

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

225.738179.633195.278-32.4-13.58.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

219.327182.078193.170-29.6-11.96.1

Motor vehicle insurance(6)

754.488679.858608.167-16.8-19.4-10.5

Medical care

513.815513.998515.5674.80.30.3

Medical care commodities

381.749380.061381.313-2.5-0.10.3

Medical care services

557.930558.708560.3846.60.40.3

Professional services

426.030426.252427.5481.70.40.3

Recreation(3)

123.663123.227123.0041.5-0.5-0.2

Education and communication(3)

138.982138.970138.8921.3-0.1-0.1

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

1,198.2381,199.0451,199.684-0.10.10.1

Other goods and services

445.981445.297444.5492.2-0.3-0.2

Commodity and service group

Commodities

177.355174.129175.525-3.1-1.00.8

Commodities less food and beverages

142.690137.496138.769-6.9-2.70.9

Nondurables less food and beverages

183.552171.227174.352-12.7-5.01.8

Durables

102.021101.659101.6860.2-0.30.0

Services

303.129301.099301.2521.4-0.60.1

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

225.101221.889222.583-1.4-1.10.3

All items less medical care

226.148223.313224.095-0.9-0.90.4

Commodities less food

146.181141.080142.313-6.6-2.60.9

Nondurables

216.446211.180213.574-4.4-1.31.1

Nondurables less food

187.575175.999178.893-11.7-4.61.6

Services less rent of shelter(2)

331.502328.499327.4160.8-1.2-0.3

Services less medical care services

284.076281.811281.8420.7-0.80.0

Energy

181.240159.976170.732-19.6-5.86.7

All items less energy

247.758246.750246.6601.2-0.40.0

All items less food and energy

248.021246.317245.9050.8-0.9-0.2

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: Wednesday, June 10, 2020