Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), were unchanged in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Food prices crept up 0.1 percent, but energy costs declined 2.3 percent over the month. Prices for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent. (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 for the Midwest increased 1.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices increased 1.6 percent. Energy prices decreased 4.1 percent, largely the result of lower prices for gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.1 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices crept up a slight 0.1 percent for the month of August. (See table 1.) Prices for food athome (0.1 percent) and prices for food away from home (0.1 percent) were also little changed.

Over the year, food prices increased 1.6 percent. Prices for food at home increased 0.5 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home advanced 3.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 2.3 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-4.6 percent). Prices for natural gas service advanced 1.0 percent, and prices for electricity increased 0.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices decreased 4.1 percent over the year led by lower prices for gasoline (-6.4 percent). Prices paid for electricity advanced 0.7 percent, while prices for natural gas service decreased 5.6 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent in August. Higher prices for apparel (2.2 percent) and medical care services (1.2 percent) had the largest upward impact on the index.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.1 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (3.3 percent) and medical care services (4.3 percent). Education and communication (-0.7 percent) and medical care commodities (-0.9 percent) were among the categories that registered lower prices over the year.

The Midwest Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) stood at 238.786 in August 2019. A typical market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in the 1982-84 base period cost $238.79 in August 2019.

CPI-W 

In August, the Midwest Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 232.977. The CPI-W was unchanged in August and advanced 1.4 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	0.3	1.3
June	0.5	-0.7	0.6	0.8	0.0	0.9	0.2	2.5	0.0	1.2
July	0.0	-0.5	-0.5	0.4	0.0	1.3	0.0	2.4	0.2	1.5
August	0.0	-0.3	0.1	0.6	0.3	1.5	0.0	2.1	0.0	1.5
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 September 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on October 10, 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 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 (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
	Jun. 2019	Jul. 2019	Aug. 2019	Aug. 2018	Jun. 2019	Jul. 2019
All items	238.288	238.760	238.786	1.5	0.2	0.0
All items (December 1977 = 100)	387.709	388.476	388.517
Food and beverages	247.960	247.594	247.801	1.7	-0.1	0.1
Food	247.346	246.889	247.123	1.6	-0.1	0.1
Food at home	227.950	226.822	227.101	0.5	-0.4	0.1
Cereals and bakery products	262.143	260.334	256.555	-0.9	-2.1	-1.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	247.922	247.967	247.869	-0.2	0.0	0.0
Dairy and related products	195.142	195.282	196.724	1.0	0.8	0.7
Fruits and vegetables	270.639	266.628	269.983	0.7	-0.2	1.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	161.891	163.567	162.877	2.9	0.6	-0.4
Other food at home	199.528	197.460	198.077	0.6	-0.7	0.3
Food away from home	279.497	280.046	280.215	3.0	0.3	0.1
Alcoholic beverages	254.268	255.142	254.981	2.4	0.3	-0.1
Housing	233.655	234.158	234.214	2.5	0.2	0.0
Shelter	280.235	280.794	280.599	3.3	0.1	-0.1
Rent of primary residence(1)	278.668	278.982	279.525	3.0	0.3	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	284.189	284.697	285.356	3.2	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	284.155	284.655	285.303	3.2	0.4	0.2
Fuels and utilities	225.255	225.592	226.326	-0.6	0.5	0.3
Household energy	182.522	182.804	183.546	-1.4	0.6	0.4
Energy services(1)	189.738	190.036	190.910	-1.2	0.6	0.5
Electricity(1)	212.048	214.893	215.444	0.7	1.6	0.3
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	141.773	137.967	139.303	-5.6	-1.7	1.0
Household furnishings and operations	114.497	114.949	115.338	0.9	0.7	0.3
Apparel	114.069	113.802	116.262	2.8	1.9	2.2
Transportation	206.242	207.344	205.050	-1.0	-0.6	-1.1
Private transportation	200.922	202.530	200.426	-1.1	-0.2	-1.0
New and used motor vehicles(3)	97.834	98.447	98.717	0.7	0.9	0.3
New vehicles	137.458	137.566	137.052	-0.1	-0.3	-0.4
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	97.178	97.242	96.876	-0.1	-0.3	-0.4
New cars(4)	133.982	133.884	133.327	-0.3	-0.5	-0.4
Used cars and trucks	140.351	142.013	143.379	2.3	2.2	1.0
Motor fuel	244.784	249.836	238.369	-6.4	-2.6	-4.6
Gasoline (all types)	243.457	248.612	237.091	-6.4	-2.6	-4.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	237.244	242.197	230.701	-6.5	-2.8	-4.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	279.181	287.529	273.710	-6.3	-2.0	-4.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	265.543	271.368	262.530	-4.6	-1.1	-3.3
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	734.564	731.670	732.101	0.6	-0.3	0.1
Medical care	493.894	495.492	500.589	3.2	1.4	1.0
Medical care commodities	390.713	388.785	390.388	-0.9	-0.1	0.4
Medical care services	528.484	531.278	537.556	4.3	1.7	1.2
Professional services	421.252	421.410	421.643	0.9	0.1	0.1
Recreation(3)	120.979	121.251	121.262	0.4	0.2	0.0
Education and communication(3)	137.330	137.018	137.387	-0.7	0.0	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,202.214	1,194.919	1,201.106	0.7	-0.1	0.5
Other goods and services	433.359	435.996	436.230	2.3	0.7	0.1
Commodity and service group
Commodities	180.302	180.816	180.440	0.3	0.1	-0.2
Commodities less food and beverages	147.697	148.519	147.941	-0.6	0.2	-0.4
Nondurables less food and beverages	196.511	197.861	196.197	-1.3	-0.2	-0.8
Durables	101.554	101.940	102.161	0.4	0.6	0.2
Services	298.116	298.540	298.990	2.3	0.3	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	225.624	226.069	226.171	0.7	0.2	0.0
All items less medical care	226.189	226.607	226.391	1.3	0.1	-0.1
Commodities less food	151.007	151.833	151.263	-0.4	0.2	-0.4
Nondurables	221.917	222.474	221.673	0.3	-0.1	-0.4
Nondurables less food	199.556	200.878	199.300	-1.0	-0.1	-0.8
Services less rent of shelter(2)	326.395	326.679	327.840	1.3	0.4	0.4
Services less medical care services	280.935	281.182	281.195	2.0	0.1	0.0
Energy	210.885	213.389	208.437	-4.1	-1.2	-2.3
All items less energy	243.932	244.202	244.735	2.0	0.3	0.2
All items less food and energy	244.045	244.444	245.031	2.1	0.4	0.2
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.