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News Release Information

23-496-KAN
Tuesday, March 14, 2023

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

Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – February 2023

Area prices rose 0.5 percent in February, up 5.6 percent over the year.

Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.5 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The all items less food and energy index increased 0.6 percent, led by an increase in the index for owners’ equivalent rent of residences. Food prices increased 0.3 percent over the month. A decline in the index for energy (-1.0 percent) was almost entirely driven by falling natural gas service prices. (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 5.6 percent. (See chart 1.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 5.0 percent over the year, while food prices advanced 10.2 percent. Energy prices rose 2.8 percent over the same period. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.3 percent for the month of February. Prices for food at home (grocery store products) similarly rose 0.3 percent, while prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) advanced 0.4 percent for the same period. Within the food at home category, prices paid for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+1.6 percent) and other food at home (+0.7 percent) contributed most to the over-the-month increase. Declining prices for fruits and vegetables (-0.7 percent) somewhat moderated these increases.

Over the year, food prices advanced 10.2 percent. Prices for food at home rose 10.8 percent since a year ago, with all six major grocery store food group indexes contributing to the rise. The other food at home index (which includes sugar, sweets, fats, and oils) contributed the most to the rise at 14.0 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 9.3 percent over the same period.

Energy

The energy index fell 1.0 percent over the month. The decrease was almost entirely due to lower prices for natural gas service (-5.7 percent), but the index for electricity also declined (-0.1 percent). An increase in the index for gasoline (+0.2 percent) somewhat offset these decreases.

From February 2022 to February 2023, energy prices rose 2.8 percent, largely due to higher prices for electricity (+7.2 percent) and natural gas service (+6.6 percent). Partially offsetting the rise was a decrease in prices paid for gasoline (-1.2 percent) for the same period.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.6 percent in February. The over-the-month increase was most driven by higher prices for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.6 percent), household furnishings and operations (+1.8 percent), and apparel (+3.6 percent). Partially offsetting the rise were declining prices paid for used cars and trucks (-1.5 percent) and medical care services (-0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 5.0 percent. The largest component contributing to the increase was owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+6.7 percent), establishing a new series high. Increases to rent of primary residence (+7.2 percent), and household furnishings and operations (+7.3 percent) also made notable contributions. Partly offsetting these increases was a decline in prices paid for used cars and trucks (-13.7 percent).

Table A. Midwest region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month

January

0.2 0.8 0.4 2.5 0.5 1.2 0.8 7.9 0.8 6.0

February

0.7 1.3 0.3 2.1 0.8 1.7 0.9 8.0 0.5 5.6

March

0.6 1.7 -0.5 1.0 0.7 3.0 1.3 8.6

April

0.3 1.5 -1.1 -0.4 0.8 4.9 0.5 8.2

May

0.3 1.3 0.3 -0.4 1.0 5.6 1.5 8.8

June

0.0 1.2 0.8 0.4 1.0 5.8 1.6 9.5

July

0.2 1.5 0.5 0.7 0.6 5.9 -0.2 8.6

August

0.0 1.5 0.4 1.1 0.2 5.7 -0.2 8.1

September

0.0 1.4 0.2 1.3 0.2 5.7 0.2 8.1

October

0.2 1.5 -0.1 1.0 0.8 6.6 0.1 7.4

November

-0.2 1.9 -0.2 1.0 0.4 7.3 -0.2 6.8

December

0.0 2.3 0.1 1.1 0.3 7.5 -0.5 6.0

The March 2023 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.


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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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
Dec.
2022
Jan.
2023
Feb.
2023
Feb.
2022
Dec.
2022
Jan.
2023

All items

275.182 277.332 278.672 5.6 1.3 0.5

All items (December 1977 = 100)

447.736 451.235 453.415      

Food and beverages

304.158 306.450 307.292 10.1 1.0 0.3

Food

305.627 307.830 308.834 10.2 1.0 0.3

Food at home

283.100 285.715 286.503 10.8 1.2 0.3

Cereals and bakery products

326.939 331.269 331.724 15.4 1.5 0.1

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

312.238 313.911 313.694 6.5 0.5 -0.1

Dairy and related products

249.347 249.775 249.245 12.7 0.0 -0.2

Fruits and vegetables

318.399 321.859 319.760 4.8 0.4 -0.7

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

202.897 205.925 209.289 13.1 3.2 1.6

Other food at home

248.908 251.159 252.935 14.0 1.6 0.7

Food away from home

341.267 342.565 343.973 9.3 0.8 0.4

Alcoholic beverages

283.424 286.968 285.532 7.5 0.7 -0.5

Housing

270.680 272.146 273.757 6.8 1.1 0.6

Shelter

319.195 320.948 323.149 6.6 1.2 0.7

Rent of primary residence(1)

323.196 324.979 326.662 7.2 1.1 0.5

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

326.773 328.370 330.261 6.7 1.1 0.6

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

326.679 328.275 330.173 6.7 1.1 0.6

Fuels and utilities

277.057 277.374 273.308 6.8 -1.4 -1.5

Household energy

229.988 229.229 224.665 7.0 -2.3 -2.0

Energy services(1)

236.860 236.567 231.573 7.5 -2.2 -2.1

Electricity(1)

224.797 227.589 227.436 7.2 1.2 -0.1

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

239.812 233.952 220.580 6.6 -8.0 -5.7

Household furnishings and operations

138.380 139.561 142.037 7.3 2.6 1.8

Apparel

112.806 117.238 121.509 3.2 7.7 3.6

Transportation

247.495 252.011 252.532 3.1 2.0 0.2

Private transportation

245.121 249.961 249.921 2.4 2.0 0.0

New and used motor vehicles(3)

124.923 124.645 124.114 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4

New vehicles

169.594 170.275 170.870 6.7 0.8 0.3

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

           

New cars(4)

166.799 167.404 167.627   0.5 0.1

Used cars and trucks

188.271 185.529 182.823 -13.7 -2.9 -1.5

Motor fuel

278.775 297.443 297.681 -1.1 6.8 0.1

Gasoline (all types)

275.513 295.119 295.646 -1.2 7.3 0.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

267.733 287.352 287.707 -1.6 7.5 0.1

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

325.104 343.140 345.479 1.1 6.3 0.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

309.101 324.608 326.932 3.3 5.8 0.7

Medical care

546.667 546.299 545.075 2.6 -0.3 -0.2

Medical care commodities

379.713 382.279 383.580 2.3 1.0 0.3

Medical care services

602.040 600.669 598.585 2.7 -0.6 -0.3

Professional services

457.057 456.500 458.145 4.0 0.2 0.4

Recreation(3)

136.972 136.997 138.176 5.5 0.9 0.9

Education and communication(3)

142.374 143.206 143.295 0.5 0.6 0.1

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

1,265.198 1,268.532 1,268.715 3.4 0.3 0.0

Other goods and services

501.439 504.538 508.053 6.5 1.3 0.7

Commodity and service group

Commodities

211.678 214.174 215.388 4.0 1.8 0.6

Commodities less food and beverages

169.244 171.690 172.976 0.8 2.2 0.7

Nondurables less food and beverages

213.231 219.562 221.649 2.9 3.9 1.0

Durables

124.016 123.923 124.595 -1.2 0.5 0.5

Services

340.254 342.031 343.495 6.7 1.0 0.4

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

261.981 264.308 265.340 5.2 1.3 0.4

All items less medical care

262.410 264.679 266.139 5.9 1.4 0.6

Commodities less food

172.768 175.252 176.483 1.1 2.2 0.7

Nondurables

257.349 261.817 263.331 6.7 2.3 0.6

Nondurables less food

216.915 223.087 224.977 3.2 3.7 0.8

Services less rent of shelter(2)

372.453 374.327 374.876 6.7 0.7 0.1

Services less medical care services

320.853 322.861 324.586 7.3 1.2 0.5

Energy

253.118 260.465 257.853 2.8 1.9 -1.0

All items less energy

280.944 282.690 284.380 5.8 1.2 0.6

All items less food and energy

277.585 279.259 281.067 5.0 1.3 0.6

(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, March 14, 2023