Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.8 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Increases in the indexes for food at home, new and used motor vehicles, household furnishings and operations, and apparel were the largest contributors to the all items increase. The energy index rose 0.1 percent in January as increases in the indexes for electricity and gasoline more than offset a decline in the natural gas service index. (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 rose 7.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 6.4 percent over the year. Energy prices rose 25.0 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. Food prices rose 8.0 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index advanced 1.1 percent for the month of January. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 1.9 percent, and prices for food away from home declined 0.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 8.0 percent. Prices for food at home increased 8.5 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 7.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 0.1 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for electricity (1.5 percent) and to a lesser extent, a 0.2 percent increase in gasoline prices. Costs for natural gas service declined 1.9 percent in January.

Energy prices increased 25.0 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (37.2 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service rose 31.1 percent, and prices for electricity increased 4.4 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent in January. Higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (1.3 percent), household furnishings and operations (1.7 percent), and apparel (3.3 percent) were major contributors.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 6.4 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used motor vehicles (24.8 percent), shelter (4.6 percent) and household furnishings and operations (11.6 percent).

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

Month	2018		2019		2020		2021		2022
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.6	1.6	0.2	0.8	0.4	2.5	0.5	1.2	0.8	7.9
February	0.2	1.7	0.7	1.3	0.3	2.1	0.8	1.7
March	0.2	1.8	0.6	1.7	-0.5	1.0	0.7	3.0
April	0.4	1.8	0.3	1.5	-1.1	-0.4	0.8	4.9
May	0.5	2.3	0.3	1.3	0.3	-0.4	1.0	5.6
June	0.2	2.5	0.0	1.2	0.8	0.4	1.0	5.8
July	0.0	2.4	0.2	1.5	0.5	0.7	0.6	5.9
August	0.0	2.1	0.0	1.5	0.4	1.1	0.2	5.7
September	0.1	1.9	0.0	1.4	0.2	1.3	0.2	5.7
October	0.1	2.2	0.2	1.5	-0.1	1.0	0.8	6.6
November	-0.6	1.4	-0.2	1.9	-0.2	1.0	0.4	7.3
December	-0.4	1.3	0.0	2.3	0.1	1.1	0.3	7.5

The February 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Thursday, March 10, 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
	Nov. 2021	Dec. 2021	Jan. 2022	Jan. 2021	Nov. 2021	Dec. 2021
All items	258.911	259.609	261.657	7.9	1.1	0.8
All items (December 1977 = 100)	421.262	422.397	425.730
Food and beverages	272.279	273.898	276.579	7.5	1.6	1.0
Food	272.824	274.453	277.344	8.0	1.7	1.1
Food at home	249.142	250.622	255.381	8.5	2.5	1.9
Cereals and bakery products	276.763	280.192	284.106	6.2	2.7	1.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	288.855	289.510	291.358	13.3	0.9	0.6
Dairy and related products	214.270	213.581	218.356	5.0	1.9	2.2
Fruits and vegetables	285.533	290.090	297.794	7.7	4.3	2.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	177.167	179.750	183.907	7.3	3.8	2.3
Other food at home	214.685	214.591	219.725	8.1	2.3	2.4
Food away from home	311.731	313.604	312.702	7.1	0.3	-0.3
Alcoholic beverages	263.968	265.448	265.339	1.2	0.5	0.0
Housing	253.207	253.832	254.763	6.2	0.6	0.4
Shelter	300.638	301.055	301.535	4.6	0.3	0.2
Rent of primary residence(1)	301.403	302.039	303.356	4.2	0.6	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	306.554	307.251	308.162	4.3	0.5	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	306.458	307.156	308.064	4.3	0.5	0.3
Fuels and utilities	251.448	251.445	252.086	11.2	0.3	0.3
Household energy	206.161	206.067	206.070	13.7	0.0	0.0
Energy services(1)	212.021	211.704	211.911	13.1	-0.1	0.1
Electricity(1)	205.495	205.980	209.008	4.4	1.7	1.5
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	208.374	206.809	202.801	31.1	-2.7	-1.9
Household furnishings and operations	128.187	129.614	131.851	11.6	2.9	1.7
Apparel	111.784	110.516	114.139	3.1	2.1	3.3
Transportation	238.028	238.179	240.942	22.0	1.2	1.2
Private transportation	237.102	237.489	240.330	22.6	1.4	1.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)	120.995	123.421	125.058	24.8	3.4	1.3
New vehicles	156.811	159.150	160.448	13.8	2.3	0.8
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	110.826	112.491	113.414	13.8	2.3	0.8
New cars(4)	154.160		157.140	12.3	1.9
Used cars and trucks	199.847	207.038	210.187	40.8	5.2	1.5
Motor fuel	293.355	282.043	282.651	37.1	-3.6	0.2
Gasoline (all types)	291.916	280.384	280.991	37.2	-3.7	0.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	285.061	273.494	274.131	37.8	-3.8	0.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	334.716	324.063	324.003	33.8	-3.2	0.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	309.998	301.188	301.345	30.9	-2.8	0.1
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	737.669	736.357
Medical care	524.390	527.708	531.401	1.6	1.3	0.7
Medical care commodities	369.497	370.093	371.027	-1.8	0.4	0.3
Medical care services	575.798	579.994	584.598	2.3	1.5	0.8
Professional services	437.309	439.930	439.930	1.9	0.6	0.0
Recreation(3)	127.123	128.253	129.701	4.4	2.0	1.1
Education and communication(3)	141.904	141.707	142.020	0.8	0.1	0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,226.444	1,224.927	1,225.720	0.5	-0.1	0.1
Other goods and services	465.276	465.205	473.538	6.0	1.8	1.8
Commodity and service group
Commodities	200.972	201.727	204.162	12.6	1.6	1.2
Commodities less food and beverages	166.079	166.486	168.699	15.8	1.6	1.3
Nondurables less food and beverages	208.651	205.916	208.555	11.9	0.0	1.3
Durables	121.706	123.932	125.630	19.9	3.2	1.4
Services	318.113	318.732	320.305	4.8	0.7	0.5
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	246.386	247.181	249.783	9.3	1.4	1.1
All items less medical care	246.379	246.950	248.923	8.6	1.0	0.8
Commodities less food	169.216	169.653	171.827	15.1	1.5	1.3
Nondurables	239.844	239.169	241.843	9.4	0.8	1.1
Nondurables less food	211.458	208.995	211.470	11.0	0.0	1.2
Services less rent of shelter(2)	346.078	346.946	349.817	4.9	1.1	0.8
Services less medical care services	298.896	299.232	300.564	5.2	0.6	0.4
Energy	245.627	240.486	240.746	25.0	-2.0	0.1
All items less energy	263.643	264.891	267.130	6.7	1.3	0.8
All items less food and energy	262.791	263.975	266.113	6.4	1.3	0.8
(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.