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News Release Information

23-1992-KAN
Wednesday, September 13, 2023

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

Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – August 2023

Area prices rose 0.2 percent in August, up 3.4 percent over the year

Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.2 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The energy index advanced 3.4 percent in August, with the index for gasoline driving almost all of the rise. The index for all items less food and energy and the index for food partially offset the rise in the two-month all items index, with both declining 0.1 percent over the same period. (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 3.4 percent. (See chart 1.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 4.5 percent over the year, while the index for food increased 3.9 percent. Partially offsetting the increase, the index for energy declined 6.6 percent, largely the result of a decrease in prices paid for natural gas service. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices declined 0.1 percent for the month of August. Prices for food at home (grocery store prices) decreased 0.2 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.2 percent over the same period. Within the food at home category, the index for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (-1.5 percent) contributed the most to the over-the-month decline. The decrease in food at home prices was somewhat offset by a decline in prices paid for other food at home (which includes sugars, sweets, fats, and oils), which rose 0.5 percent.

Over the year, food prices increased 3.9 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 5.8 percent, and prices for food at home rose 2.8 percent over the same period. Within the food at home category, prices paid for other food at home (+4.8 percent) and cereals and bakery products (+5.7 percent) contributed the most to the rise. 

Energy

The energy index advanced 3.4 percent over the month. The increase was almost entirely due to higher prices for gasoline (+6.7 percent). Partially offsetting the increase was a decline in prices paid for natural gas service (-0.5 percent) and electricity (-0.1 percent).

Energy prices declined 6.6 percent over the year. A decrease in the index for natural gas service (-28.6 percent) contributed the most to the decline. Prices for gasoline also contributed to the decrease in the index, falling 3.4 percent over the year.  An increase in the index for electricity (+3.3 percent) slightly offset the decline.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy fell 0.1 percent in August, led by declines in the indexes for lodging away from home, used cars and trucks (-1.7 percent), and recreation (-0.5 percent). The largest index increasing contributors included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.4 percent), medical care (+1.0 percent), and apparel (+2.0 percent), which largely offset the declines.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 4.5 percent. Components contributing most to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+6.9 percent), rent of primary residences (+7.0 percent), and recreation (+4.3 percent). Partly offsetting these increases were falling prices for used cars and trucks (-6.4 percent) and public transportation.

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 0.6 4.9

April

0.3 1.5 -1.1 -0.4 0.8 4.9 0.5 8.2 0.6 4.9

May

0.3 1.3 0.3 -0.4 1.0 5.6 1.5 8.8 0.3 3.7

June

0.0 1.2 0.8 0.4 1.0 5.8 1.6 9.5 0.4 2.4

July

0.2 1.5 0.5 0.7 0.6 5.9 -0.2 8.6 0.3 2.9

August

0.0 1.5 0.4 1.1 0.2 5.7 -0.2 8.1 0.2 3.4

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 September 2023 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 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
Jun.
2023
Jul.
2023
Aug.
2023
Aug.
2022
Jun.
2023
Jul.
2023

All items

283.741 284.640 285.122 3.4 0.5 0.2

All items (December 1977 = 100)

461.662 463.125 463.909      

Food and beverages

309.988 311.057 310.889 4.0 0.3 -0.1

Food

311.335 312.521 312.308 3.9 0.3 -0.1

Food at home

287.256 288.763 288.105 2.8 0.3 -0.2

Cereals and bakery products

336.589 337.887 337.235 5.7 0.2 -0.2

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

309.011 312.524 311.863 0.0 0.9 -0.2

Dairy and related products

246.428 246.411 245.246 -0.8 -0.5 -0.5

Fruits and vegetables

323.560 323.733 322.481 2.6 -0.3 -0.4

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

207.328 210.028 206.853 2.9 -0.2 -1.5

Other food at home

256.373 257.083 258.328 4.8 0.8 0.5

Food away from home

349.927 350.428 351.118 5.8 0.3 0.2

Alcoholic beverages

290.964 290.384 290.864 5.6 0.0 0.2

Housing

279.500 281.647 280.606 4.6 0.4 -0.4

Shelter

332.532 336.212 334.737 7.2 0.7 -0.4

Rent of primary residence(1)

333.488 334.650 336.969 7.0 1.0 0.7

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

337.075 339.456 340.867 6.9 1.1 0.4

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

336.996 339.389 340.783 6.9 1.1 0.4

Fuels and utilities

271.734 270.657 270.858 -6.5 -0.3 0.1

Household energy

222.123 221.023 220.673 -9.2 -0.7 -0.2

Energy services(1)

230.203 229.048 228.585 -9.0 -0.7 -0.2

Electricity(1)

245.219 242.256 242.096 3.3 -1.3 -0.1

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

184.603 186.817 185.844 -28.6 0.7 -0.5

Household furnishings and operations

141.955 141.726 141.249 2.6 -0.5 -0.3

Apparel

119.426 119.044 121.385 3.9 1.6 2.0

Transportation

265.462 263.901 267.378 2.5 0.7 1.3

Private transportation

263.507 262.991 266.875 3.4 1.3 1.5

New and used motor vehicles(3)

131.073 131.279 130.398 1.2 -0.5 -0.7

New vehicles

173.050 173.248 173.413 4.1 0.2 0.1

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

           

New cars(4)

169.206 168.966 168.891 3.3 -0.2 0.0

Used cars and trucks

201.968 202.115 198.623 -6.4 -1.7 -1.7

Motor fuel

320.668 313.708 335.259 -3.8 4.6 6.9

Gasoline (all types)

319.887 312.966 334.089 -3.4 4.4 6.7

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

311.629 304.664 325.655 -3.5 4.5 6.9

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

371.812 365.609 387.149 -2.8 4.1 5.9

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

349.879 344.859 363.187 -1.3 3.8 5.3

Medical care

541.011 542.590 548.062 0.0 1.3 1.0

Medical care commodities

387.866 390.431 395.603 4.2 2.0 1.3

Medical care services

591.678 592.915 598.472 -0.9 1.1 0.9

Professional services

460.297 464.126 465.210 3.2 1.1 0.2

Recreation(3)

140.272 140.044 139.395 4.3 -0.6 -0.5

Education and communication(3)

142.413 142.500 142.765 1.2 0.2 0.2

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

1,272.583 1,273.108 1,287.398 3.0 1.2 1.1

Other goods and services

517.201 521.522 521.671 6.1 0.9 0.0

Commodity and service group

Commodities

218.831 218.432 219.962 1.3 0.5 0.7

Commodities less food and beverages

176.513 175.622 177.670 -0.1 0.7 1.2

Nondurables less food and beverages

226.375 224.592 230.171 0.4 1.7 2.5

Durables

127.030 126.760 126.521 -1.0 -0.4 -0.2

Services

350.241 352.496 351.876 4.9 0.5 -0.2

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

268.844 268.706 269.932 1.7 0.4 0.5

All items less medical care

271.637 272.505 272.751 3.7 0.4 0.1

Commodities less food

180.082 179.194 181.217 0.0 0.6 1.1

Nondurables

267.130 266.679 269.587 2.3 0.9 1.1

Nondurables less food

229.737 228.023 233.314 0.7 1.6 2.3

Services less rent of shelter(2)

378.393 378.882 379.384 2.5 0.3 0.1

Services less medical care services

332.333 334.662 333.588 5.7 0.4 -0.3

Energy

265.945 262.385 271.180 -6.6 2.0 3.4

All items less energy

289.267 290.553 290.345 4.4 0.4 -0.1

All items less food and energy

286.359 287.664 287.457 4.5 0.4 -0.1

(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, September 13, 2023