The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Midwest rose 0.3 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The May movement was influenced by higher prices for shelter, energy, medical care services, and food. Overall, energy costs were up 1.3 percent, and prices for food turned up 0.5 percent. The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.2 percent. (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 1.3 percent over the latest 12 months. (See chart 1 and table A.) Food prices increased 1.5 percent. The energy index, which includes motor fuel and household fuels, declined 1.7 percent. The index for all items less food and energy was up 1.6 percent from May 2018 to May 2019. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices in the Midwest turned up 0.5 percent following two consecutive months of lower prices.  The increase was due to a 0.6-percent increase in prices for food at home and a 0.5-percent increase in prices for food away from home.

From May 2018 to May 2019, the index for food advanced 1.5 percent. Costs for food away from home were up 2.5 percent and prices for food at home rose 0.7 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index continued to increase for the fourth month in a row, up 1.3 percent in May. The monthly gain reflected a 1.4-percent rise in prices for gasoline and a 2.2-percent increase in electricity costs. Lower prices for utility (piped) gas service (-0.2 percent) did little to moderate the increase. 

Energy costs declined 1.7 percent since May 2018 due to over-the-year decreases in the prices for gasoline (-1.6 percent), utility (piped) gas service (-4.1 percent) and electricity (-0.8 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy for the Midwest edged up 0.2 percent in May. Among the expenditure categories that registered higher costs were shelter (0.4 percent), and medical care services (1.4 percent). Decreases in prices for new and used motor vehicles (-0.8 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.8 percent) were among those that moderated the increase.

The index for all items less food and energy was up 1.6 percent from May 2018 to May 2019. Higher costs for shelter (3.5 percent) led the increase.

The Midwest Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) stood at 238.219 in May 2019. A typical market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in the 1982-84 base period cost $238.22 in May 2019.

CPI-W 

In May, the Midwest Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 232.396. The CPI-W rose 0.3 percent in May and advanced 1.3 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
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 June 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest region is scheduled to be released on Thursday, July 11, 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
	Mar. 2019	Apr. 2019	May 2019	May 2018	Mar. 2019	Apr. 2019
All items	236.793	237.510	238.219	1.3	0.6	0.3
All items (December 1977 = 100)	385.275	386.441	387.596
Food and beverages	246.618	246.391	247.517	1.5	0.4	0.5
Food	245.913	245.689	246.953	1.5	0.4	0.5
Food at home	227.372	226.719	228.000	0.7	0.3	0.6
Cereals and bakery products	259.057	257.264	259.730	0.1	0.3	1.0
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	246.636	246.965	249.425	0.1	1.1	1.0
Dairy and related products	195.000	194.063	195.331	-0.8	0.2	0.7
Fruits and vegetables	272.508	269.574	273.099	2.0	0.2	1.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	165.344	162.936	163.014	2.6	-1.4	0.0
Other food at home	196.992	198.321	197.784	0.2	0.4	-0.3
Food away from home	276.762	277.182	278.434	2.5	0.6	0.5
Alcoholic beverages	254.159	253.893	253.144	1.3	-0.4	-0.3
Housing	231.701	231.999	232.790	2.7	0.5	0.3
Shelter	278.067	278.535	279.672	3.5	0.6	0.4
Rent of primary residence(1)	276.931	277.399	278.085	3.4	0.4	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	282.211	282.449	283.587	3.6	0.5	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	282.178	282.416	283.553	3.6	0.5	0.4
Fuels and utilities	218.256	217.617	219.835	-0.7	0.7	1.0
Household energy	175.292	174.666	176.947	-1.8	0.9	1.3
Energy services(1)	181.432	180.802	183.384	-1.8	1.1	1.4
Electricity(1)	196.740	197.879	202.154	-0.8	2.8	2.2
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	145.228	141.802	141.504	-4.1	-2.6	-0.2
Household furnishings and operations	115.904	116.256	115.298	1.2	-0.5	-0.8
Apparel	117.625	115.838	114.920	-3.1	-2.3	-0.8
Transportation	203.171	207.665	207.945	0.2	2.3	0.1
Private transportation	198.350	202.644	202.413	0.1	2.0	-0.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)	98.225	98.142	97.347	0.8	-0.9	-0.8
New vehicles	138.817	138.861	137.761	0.1	-0.8	-0.8
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	98.129	98.155	97.388	0.1	-0.8	-0.8
New cars(4)	134.805	134.809	134.363	0.4	-0.3	-0.3
Used cars and trucks	139.498	139.697	138.123	0.3	-1.0	-1.1
Motor fuel	229.666	250.913	254.253	-1.7	10.7	1.3
Gasoline (all types)	228.058	249.602	252.987	-1.6	10.9	1.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	222.025	243.301	246.676	-1.6	11.1	1.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	263.142	286.308	288.763	-1.9	9.7	0.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	250.871	271.531	274.350	-1.3	9.4	1.0
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	744.816	737.005	731.394	0.1	-1.8	-0.8
Medical care	491.086	487.594	492.063	1.5	0.2	0.9
Medical care commodities	391.406	394.680	391.030	-1.3	-0.1	-0.9
Medical care services	524.491	518.705	525.925	2.3	0.3	1.4
Professional services	419.222	419.222	420.560	0.6	0.3	0.3
Recreation(3)	121.194	120.985	121.203	-0.9	0.0	0.2
Education and communication(3)	137.446	137.404	137.108	-0.3	-0.2	-0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,200.553	1,200.610	1,200.659	1.7	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services	431.444	432.934	434.887	2.3	0.8	0.5
Commodity and service group
Commodities	179.531	181.219	181.197	0.1	0.9	0.0
Commodities less food and beverages	147.172	149.505	149.055	-0.7	1.3	-0.3
Nondurables less food and beverages	194.239	199.681	199.757	-1.1	2.8	0.0
Durables	102.280	102.266	101.490	-0.2	-0.8	-0.8
Services	295.863	295.548	297.028	2.2	0.4	0.5
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	224.349	225.158	225.726	0.5	0.6	0.3
All items less medical care	224.755	225.673	226.204	1.3	0.6	0.2
Commodities less food	150.489	152.767	152.308	-0.6	1.2	-0.3
Nondurables	220.064	222.893	223.461	0.2	1.5	0.3
Nondurables less food	197.407	202.524	202.555	-0.9	2.6	0.0
Services less rent of shelter(2)	324.009	322.804	324.691	0.9	0.2	0.6
Services less medical care services	278.811	278.906	279.957	2.1	0.4	0.4
Energy	200.004	209.577	212.344	-1.7	6.2	1.3
All items less energy	243.374	243.197	243.706	1.6	0.1	0.2
All items less food and energy	243.640	243.471	243.848	1.6	0.1	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.