The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Midwest rose 0.3 percent in April following a gain of 0.6 percent in the prior month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The April movement was influenced by higher prices for gasoline and shelter.  Overall, energy costs were up 4.8 percent, while prices for food edged down 0.1 percent. The index for all items less food and energy turned down a slight 0.1 percent after rising in each of the prior three months. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The CPI-U for the Midwest rose 1.5 percent over the latest 12 months. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index, which includes motor fuel and household fuels, rose 1.8 percent. Food prices increased 0.8 percent.  The index for all items less food and energy was up 1.6 percent from April 2018 to April 2019. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices in the Midwest edged down for the second month in a row, down 0.1 percent in April, led by a 0.3-percent decrease in prices for food at home. Prices for food away from home rose a slight 0.2 percent over the month and moderated the decline.

From April 2018 to April 2019, the index for food advanced 0.8 percent. Costs for food away from home were up 2.5 percent and prices for food at home were down 0.5 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index continued to increase for the third month in a row up 4.8 percent in April. The monthly gain reflected a 9.4-percent rise in prices for gasoline. Lower prices for utility (piped) gas service (-2.4 percent) did little to moderate the increase. 

Energy costs rose 1.8 percent since April 2018 due to increases in the prices for gasoline, 4.5 percent.  Prices for utility (piped) gas service and electricity declined, 3.7 percent and 0.4 percent respectively, from a year ago.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy for the Midwest crept down 0.1 percent following three consecutive monthly increases. Among the expenditure categories that registered lower costs were medical care services (-1.1 percent) and apparel (-1.5 percent), while prices for shelter (0.2 percent) were among those that increased over the month.

The index for all items less food and energy was up 1.6 percent from April 2018 to April 2019. Higher costs for shelter (3.5 percent) were among those that contributed to the increase.

The Midwest Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) stood at 237.510 in April 2019. A typical market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in the 1982-84 base period cost $237.51 in April 2019.

CPI-W 

In April, the Midwest Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 231.726. The CPI-W rose 0.4 percent in April and advanced 1.6 percent over the year.

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

Month	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	-0.6	-0.3	0.3	0.8	0.7	2.2	0.6	1.6	0.2	0.8
February	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.4	0.2	2.4	0.2	1.7	0.7	1.3
March	0.6	-0.9	0.6	0.5	0.1	1.9	0.2	1.8	0.6	1.7
April	0.1	-1.1	0.4	0.8	0.4	1.8	0.4	1.8	0.3	1.5
May	0.4	-0.8	0.4	0.8	0.0	1.4	0.5	2.3
June	0.5	-0.7	0.6	0.8	0.0	0.9	0.2	2.5
July	0.0	-0.5	-0.5	0.4	0.0	1.3	0.0	2.4
August	0.0	-0.3	0.1	0.6	0.3	1.5	0.0	2.1
September	-0.3	-0.8	0.2	1.1	0.3	1.5	0.1	1.9
October	-0.1	-0.3	-0.1	1.0	-0.2	1.5	0.1	2.2
November	-0.5	-0.2	-0.3	1.2	0.2	1.9	-0.6	1.4
December	-0.6	0.0	0.1	1.8	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.3

The May 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 12, 2019.

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 5,000 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
	Feb. 2019	Mar. 2019	Apr. 2019	Apr. 2018	Feb. 2019	Mar. 2019
All items	235.444	236.793	237.510	1.5	0.9	0.3
All items (December 1977 = 100)	383.081	385.275	386.441
Food and beverages	247.108	246.618	246.391	0.8	-0.3	-0.1
Food	246.428	245.913	245.689	0.8	-0.3	-0.1
Food at home	228.347	227.372	226.719	-0.5	-0.7	-0.3
Cereals and bakery products	260.329	259.057	257.264	-0.9	-1.2	-0.7
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	246.053	246.636	246.965	-1.6	0.4	0.1
Dairy and related products	193.663	195.000	194.063	-1.8	0.2	-0.5
Fruits and vegetables	276.639	272.508	269.574	0.6	-2.6	-1.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	166.935	165.344	162.936	0.9	-2.4	-1.5
Other food at home	197.804	196.992	198.321	-0.3	0.3	0.7
Food away from home	276.590	276.762	277.182	2.5	0.2	0.2
Alcoholic beverages	254.311	254.159	253.893	1.1	-0.2	-0.1
Housing	230.869	231.701	231.999	2.8	0.5	0.1
Shelter	276.593	278.067	278.535	3.5	0.7	0.2
Rent of primary residence(1)	276.056	276.931	277.399	3.3	0.5	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	281.362	282.211	282.449	3.4	0.4	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	281.322	282.178	282.416	3.4	0.4	0.1
Fuels and utilities	219.218	218.256	217.617	-0.3	-0.7	-0.3
Household energy	176.604	175.292	174.666	-1.4	-1.1	-0.4
Energy services(1)	182.861	181.432	180.802	-1.4	-1.1	-0.3
Electricity(1)	197.345	196.740	197.879	-0.4	0.3	0.6
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	147.886	145.228	141.802	-3.7	-4.1	-2.4
Household furnishings and operations	115.854	115.904	116.256	1.4	0.3	0.3
Apparel	118.579	117.625	115.838	-3.3	-2.3	-1.5
Transportation	197.175	203.171	207.665	2.1	5.3	2.2
Private transportation	192.290	198.350	202.644	2.3	5.4	2.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)	97.417	98.225	98.142	1.5	0.7	-0.1
New vehicles	137.174	138.817	138.861	1.3	1.2	0.0
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	97.025	98.129	98.155	1.3	1.2	0.0
New cars(4)	133.619	134.805	134.809	1.1	0.9	0.0
Used cars and trucks	138.090	139.498	139.697	0.5	1.2	0.1
Motor fuel	205.451	229.666	250.913	4.5	22.1	9.3
Gasoline (all types)	203.708	228.058	249.602	4.5	22.5	9.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	197.880	222.025	243.301	4.5	23.0	9.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	236.046	263.142	286.308	5.0	21.3	8.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	229.206	250.871	271.531	4.2	18.5	8.2
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	746.614	744.816	737.005	0.5	-1.3	-1.0
Medical care	491.532	491.086	487.594	1.1	-0.8	-0.7
Medical care commodities	390.920	391.406	394.680	0.8	1.0	0.8
Medical care services	525.252	524.491	518.705	1.1	-1.2	-1.1
Professional services	421.478	419.222	419.222	0.4	-0.5	0.0
Recreation(3)	121.032	121.194	120.985	-1.1	0.0	-0.2
Education and communication(3)	137.823	137.446	137.404	0.0	-0.3	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,200.651	1,200.553	1,200.610	1.8	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services	431.938	431.444	432.934	1.6	0.2	0.3
Commodity and service group
Commodities	177.477	179.531	181.219	0.7	2.1	0.9
Commodities less food and beverages	144.252	147.172	149.505	0.7	3.6	1.6
Nondurables less food and beverages	188.364	194.239	199.681	1.0	6.0	2.8
Durables	101.650	102.280	102.266	0.2	0.6	0.0
Services	295.269	295.863	295.548	2.1	0.1	-0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	223.034	224.349	225.158	0.7	1.0	0.4
All items less medical care	223.321	224.755	225.673	1.6	1.1	0.4
Commodities less food	147.634	150.489	152.767	0.7	3.5	1.5
Nondurables	217.123	220.064	222.893	0.9	2.7	1.3
Nondurables less food	191.874	197.407	202.524	1.0	5.6	2.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)	324.391	324.009	322.804	0.7	-0.5	-0.4
Services less medical care services	278.116	278.811	278.906	2.2	0.3	0.0
Energy	189.411	200.004	209.577	1.8	10.6	4.8
All items less energy	242.951	243.374	243.197	1.5	0.1	-0.1
All items less food and energy	243.049	243.640	243.471	1.6	0.2	-0.1
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.