Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.4 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Food prices were up 0.5 percent in November and energy costs rose 0.8 percent. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.4 percent in November due to advances in the categories for new and used motor vehicles 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 increased 7.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices advanced 7.1 percent due to increases in both the food at home index and the food away from home index. Energy prices jumped 36.7 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy increased 5.0 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.5 percent for the month of November. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home were unchanged, and prices for food away from home increased 1.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 7.1 percent. Prices for food at home rose 7.1 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home advanced 7.2 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 0.8 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (2.1 percent). Prices for natural gas service decreased 0.7 percent, and prices for electricity declined 0.8 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 36.7 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (62.9 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service jumped 35.3 percent, and prices for electricity rose 3.6 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent in November. Higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (2.0 percent) and shelter (0.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-2.7 percent) and education and communication (-0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 5.0 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used motor vehicles (17.2 percent), shelter (4.5 percent), and household furnishings and operations (7.6 percent).

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

Month	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.7	2.2	0.6	1.6	0.2	0.8	0.4	2.5	0.5	1.2
February	0.2	2.4	0.2	1.7	0.7	1.3	0.3	2.1	0.8	1.7
March	0.1	1.9	0.2	1.8	0.6	1.7	-0.5	1.0	0.7	3.0
April	0.4	1.8	0.4	1.8	0.3	1.5	-1.1	-0.4	0.8	4.9
May	0.0	1.4	0.5	2.3	0.3	1.3	0.3	-0.4	1.0	5.6
June	0.0	0.9	0.2	2.5	0.0	1.2	0.8	0.4	1.0	5.8
July	0.0	1.3	0.0	2.4	0.2	1.5	0.5	0.7	0.6	5.9
August	0.3	1.5	0.0	2.1	0.0	1.5	0.4	1.1	0.2	5.7
September	0.3	1.5	0.1	1.9	0.0	1.4	0.2	1.3	0.2	5.7
October	-0.2	1.5	0.1	2.2	0.2	1.5	-0.1	1.0	0.8	6.6
November	0.2	1.9	-0.6	1.4	-0.2	1.9	-0.2	1.0	0.4	7.3
December	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.3	0.0	2.3	0.1	1.1

The December 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 12, 2022.

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 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 individuals with sensory impairments 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
	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021	Nov. 2021	Nov. 2020	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021
All items	255.709	257.793	258.911	7.3	1.3	0.4
All items (December 1977 = 100)	416.052	419.443	421.262
Food and beverages	268.655	270.883	272.279	6.6	1.3	0.5
Food	268.772	271.335	272.824	7.1	1.5	0.5
Food at home	245.802	249.139	249.142	7.1	1.4	0.0
Cereals and bakery products	272.023	275.701	276.763	4.3	1.7	0.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	286.760	288.098	288.855	11.8	0.7	0.3
Dairy and related products	211.399	212.930	214.270	3.9	1.4	0.6
Fruits and vegetables	281.599	287.671	285.533	5.5	1.4	-0.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	177.459	178.911	177.167	7.7	-0.2	-1.0
Other food at home	209.631	214.122	214.685	6.5	2.4	0.3
Food away from home	306.560	307.993	311.731	7.2	1.7	1.2
Alcoholic beverages	265.691	263.730	263.968	1.1	-0.6	0.1
Housing	251.165	252.586	253.207	5.8	0.8	0.2
Shelter	297.995	299.370	300.638	4.5	0.9	0.4
Rent of primary residence(1)	299.054	300.024	301.403	3.7	0.8	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	303.666	305.161	306.554	4.0	1.0	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	303.582	305.072	306.458	4.0	0.9	0.5
Fuels and utilities	251.492	252.684	251.448	12.3	0.0	-0.5
Household energy	206.169	207.489	206.161	15.4	0.0	-0.6
Energy services(1)	213.068	213.649	212.021	14.0	-0.5	-0.8
Electricity(1)	215.015	207.141	205.495	3.6	-4.4	-0.8
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	195.943	209.867	208.374	35.3	6.3	-0.7
Household furnishings and operations	126.694	128.294	128.187	7.6	1.2	-0.1
Apparel	112.764	114.918	111.784	2.6	-0.9	-2.7
Transportation	230.233	233.869	238.028	21.7	3.4	1.8
Private transportation	229.930	233.468	237.102	22.5	3.1	1.6
New and used motor vehicles(3)	117.280	118.647	120.995	17.2	3.2	2.0
New vehicles	154.600	154.523	156.811	11.3	1.4	1.5
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	109.271	109.221	110.826	11.3	1.4	1.5
New cars(4)	151.698	151.004	154.160	10.2	1.6	2.1
Used cars and trucks	190.025	194.686	199.847	31.3	5.2	2.7
Motor fuel	277.264	287.353	293.355	62.7	5.8	2.1
Gasoline (all types)	276.092	286.005	291.916	62.9	5.7	2.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	269.348	279.256	285.061	64.4	5.8	2.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	318.098	327.821	334.716	56.3	5.2	2.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	296.253	304.170	309.998	48.5	4.6	1.9
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	741.585	736.807	737.669	5.2	-0.5	0.1
Medical care	521.982	523.379	524.390	0.9	0.5	0.2
Medical care commodities	370.263	369.884	369.497	-2.2	-0.2	-0.1
Medical care services	572.372	574.339	575.798	1.6	0.6	0.3
Professional services	437.914	437.642	437.309	1.7	-0.1	-0.1
Recreation(3)	125.820	126.909	127.123	2.4	1.0	0.2
Education and communication(3)	141.890	142.260	141.904	1.0	0.0	-0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,226.770	1,227.067	1,226.444	0.7	0.0	-0.1
Other goods and services	458.443	463.890	465.276	4.4	1.5	0.3
Commodity and service group
Commodities	197.314	199.863	200.972	12.3	1.9	0.6
Commodities less food and beverages	162.574	165.124	166.079	15.9	2.2	0.6
Nondurables less food and beverages	205.073	208.738	208.651	16.7	1.7	0.0
Durables	118.648	120.242	121.706	15.1	2.6	1.2
Services	315.491	317.009	318.113	4.0	0.8	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	242.983	245.313	246.386	8.5	1.4	0.4
All items less medical care	243.133	245.254	246.379	8.0	1.3	0.5
Commodities less food	165.837	168.277	169.216	15.2	2.0	0.6
Nondurables	236.228	239.224	239.844	11.0	1.5	0.3
Nondurables less food	208.223	211.524	211.458	15.3	1.6	0.0
Services less rent of shelter(2)	343.507	345.139	346.078	3.5	0.7	0.3
Services less medical care services	296.328	297.816	298.896	4.4	0.9	0.4
Energy	238.393	243.658	245.627	36.7	3.0	0.8
All items less energy	260.771	262.589	263.643	5.3	1.1	0.4
All items less food and energy	260.120	261.811	262.791	5.0	1.0	0.4
(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.