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News Release Information

20-1389-KAN
Tuesday, July 14, 2020

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

Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – June 2020

Area prices were up 0.8 percent over the past month, up 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 0.8 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The June increase was mainly influenced by higher prices for gasoline. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U increased 0.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) . The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.2 percent over the year. Food prices rose 3.5 percent. Energy prices dropped 12.9 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

  Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Midwest region, June 2017-June 2020
Food

Food prices increased 0.4 percent for the month of June. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home were 0.8 percent higher during the period, while prices for food at home were unchanged.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.5 percent. Prices for food at home increased 4.8 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 1.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 7.6 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (13.9 percent). Prices for electricity rose 4.7 percent, while prices for natural gas service decreased 0.6 percent for the same period.

Energy prices dropped 12.9 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-23.5 percent). Prices paid for electricity decreased 0.3 percent, and prices for natural gas service declined 2.8 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent in June. Higher prices for motor vehicle insurance (8.7 percent) and shelter (0.3 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for used cars and trucks (-1.1 percent) and apparel (-0.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (2.1 percent) and medical care services (6.5 percent). Lower prices for apparel (-7.1 percent) partly offset the increases.

Table A. Midwest region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month

January

-0.3 0.8 0.7 2.2 0.4 1.6 -0.2 0.8 0.4 2.5

February

0.2 0.4 0.8 2.4 0.9 1.7 0.9 1.3 0.3 2.1

March

0.6 0.5 0.2 1.9 0.4 1.8 1.3 1.7 -0.5 1.0

April

1.1 0.8 0.5 1.8 0.6 1.8 0.9 1.5 -1.1 -0.4

May

0.8 0.8 0.4 1.4 0.9 2.3 0.6 1.3 0.3 -0.4

June

1.0 0.8 0.0 0.9 0.7 2.5 0.3 1.2 0.8 0.4

July

0.1 0.4 0.1 1.3 0.1 2.4 0.2 1.5

August

-0.3 0.6 0.3 1.5 -0.1 2.1 0.2 1.5

September

0.4 1.1 0.5 1.5 0.1 1.9 0.0 1.4

October

0.1 1.0 0.1 1.5 0.2 2.2 0.2 1.5

November

-0.4 1.2 0.0 1.9 -0.5 1.4 0.0 1.9

December

-0.2 1.8 0.0 1.7 -0.9 1.3 -0.2 2.3

The July 2020 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on June 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 June 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 category Indexes Percent change from
Apr.
2020
May
2020
Jun.
2020
Jun.
2019
Apr.
2020
May
2020

All items

236.474 237.291 239.259 0.4 1.2 0.8

All items (December 1977 = 100)

384.756 386.086 389.287      

Food and beverages

253.602 255.163 256.156 3.3 1.0 0.4

Food

253.291 255.009 255.935 3.5 1.0 0.4

Food at home

236.431 238.881 238.991 4.8 1.1 0.0

Cereals and bakery products

264.421 262.661 263.866 0.7 -0.2 0.5

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

263.699 277.320 284.075 14.6 7.7 2.4

Dairy and related products

206.834 205.984 205.087 5.1 -0.8 -0.4

Fruits and vegetables

269.304 276.653 270.590 0.0 0.5 -2.2

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

170.839 168.831 168.144 3.9 -1.6 -0.4

Other food at home

207.573 205.651 204.792 2.6 -1.3 -0.4

Food away from home

281.716 282.357 284.520 1.8 1.0 0.8

Alcoholic beverages

256.055 255.647 257.467 1.3 0.6 0.7

Housing

235.453 236.766 237.990 1.9 1.1 0.5

Shelter

284.083 285.288 286.137 2.1 0.7 0.3

Rent of primary residence(1)

286.272 286.833 287.804 3.3 0.5 0.3

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

290.897 291.630 292.443 2.9 0.5 0.3

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

290.824 291.555 292.368 2.9 0.5 0.3

Fuels and utilities

215.939 219.552 224.767 -0.2 4.1 2.4

Household energy

171.241 174.911 180.265 -1.2 5.3 3.1

Energy services(1)

177.997 182.028 187.706 -1.1 5.5 3.1

Electricity(1)

197.690 201.876 211.431 -0.3 7.0 4.7

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

135.094 138.616 137.785 -2.8 2.0 -0.6

Household furnishings and operations

116.593 117.020 117.208 2.4 0.5 0.2

Apparel

110.183 106.846 105.982 -7.1 -3.8 -0.8

Transportation

182.380 183.753 189.894 -7.9 4.1 3.3

Private transportation

179.598 181.347 187.562 -6.6 4.4 3.4

New and used motor vehicles(3)

97.694 97.553 97.565 -0.3 -0.1 0.0

New vehicles

137.771 138.248 138.803 1.0 0.7 0.4

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

97.386 97.736 98.126 1.0 0.8 0.4

New cars(4)

135.773 135.386 136.532 1.9 0.6 0.8

Used cars and trucks

138.418 137.421 135.976 -3.1 -1.8 -1.1

Motor fuel

145.750 165.162 187.467 -23.4 28.6 13.5

Gasoline (all types)

143.600 163.573 186.295 -23.5 29.7 13.9

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

137.731 158.112 180.505 -23.9 31.1 14.2

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

179.633 195.278 222.849 -20.2 24.1 14.1

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

182.078 193.170 214.002 -19.4 17.5 10.8

Motor vehicle insurance(6)

679.858 608.167 661.029 -10.0 -2.8 8.7

Medical care

513.998 515.567 517.940 4.9 0.8 0.5

Medical care commodities

380.061 381.313 382.917 -2.0 0.8 0.4

Medical care services

558.708 560.384 563.012 6.5 0.8 0.5

Professional services

426.252 427.548 428.816 1.8 0.6 0.3

Recreation(3)

123.227 123.004 123.040 1.7 -0.2 0.0

Education and communication(3)

138.970 138.892 139.006 1.2 0.0 0.1

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

1,199.045 1,199.684 1,203.348 0.1 0.4 0.3

Other goods and services

445.297 444.549 447.885 3.4 0.6 0.8

Commodity and service group

Commodities

174.129 175.525 177.371 -1.6 1.9 1.1

Commodities less food and beverages

137.496 138.769 140.840 -4.6 2.4 1.5

Nondurables less food and beverages

171.227 174.352 179.304 -8.8 4.7 2.8

Durables

101.659 101.686 101.808 0.3 0.1 0.1

Services

301.099 301.252 303.312 1.7 0.7 0.7

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

221.889 222.583 224.930 -0.3 1.4 1.1

All items less medical care

223.313 224.095 226.046 -0.1 1.2 0.9

Commodities less food

141.080 142.313 144.385 -4.4 2.3 1.5

Nondurables

211.180 213.574 216.663 -2.4 2.6 1.4

Nondurables less food

175.999 178.893 183.633 -8.0 4.3 2.6

Services less rent of shelter(2)

328.499 327.416 330.832 1.4 0.7 1.0

Services less medical care services

281.811 281.842 283.866 1.0 0.7 0.7

Energy

159.976 170.732 183.717 -12.9 14.8 7.6

All items less energy

246.750 246.660 247.634 1.5 0.4 0.4

All items less food and energy

246.317 245.905 246.892 1.2 0.2 0.4

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: Tuesday, July 14, 2020