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News Release Information

20-929-KAN
Tuesday, May 12, 2020

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

Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – April 2020

Area prices were down 1.1 percent over the past month, down 0.4 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), declined 1.1 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The April decrease was strongly influenced by lower prices for gasoline. (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 declined 0.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) . Energy prices fell 23.7 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. Food prices rose 3.1 percent. The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.2 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 1.2 percent for the month of April. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 2.7 percent, and prices for food away from home declined 0.7 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.1 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 4.3 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 1.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index fell 11.7 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-23.8 percent). Prices for natural gas service decreased 4.0 percent, while prices for electricity inched up 0.2 percent for the same period.

Energy prices fell 23.7 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline, which dropped 42.5 percent. Prices paid for natural gas service declined 4.7 percent, and prices for electricity were virtually unchanged (-0.1 percent) during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.7 percent in April. Lower prices for apparel (-3.8 percent) and shelter (-0.4 percent) were partially offset by higher prices for household furnishings and operations (0.6 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care services (7.7 percent) and shelter (2.0 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were lower prices for motor vehicle insurance (-7.8 percent) and apparel (-4.9 percent).

Table A. Midwest region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20162017201820192020
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

-0.30.80.72.20.41.6-0.20.80.42.5

February

0.20.40.82.40.91.70.91.30.32.1

March

0.60.50.21.90.41.81.31.7-0.51.0

April

1.10.80.51.80.61.80.91.5-1.1-0.4

May

0.80.80.41.40.92.30.61.3

June

1.00.80.00.90.72.50.31.2

July

0.10.40.11.30.12.40.21.5

August

-0.30.60.31.5-0.12.10.21.5

September

0.41.10.51.50.11.90.01.4

October

0.11.00.11.50.22.20.21.5

November

-0.41.20.01.9-0.51.40.01.9

December

-0.21.80.01.7-0.91.3-0.22.3

The May 2020 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday June 10, 2020.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Impact on April 2020 Consumer Price Index Data

Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in April was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed. While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/bls/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-bls-price-indexes.htm#CPI.


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 categoryIndexesPercent change from
Feb.
2020
Mar.
2020
Apr.
2020
Apr.
2019
Feb.
2020
Mar.
2020

All items

240.421239.163236.474-0.4-1.6-1.1

All items (December 1977 = 100)

391.178389.132384.756   

Food and beverages

250.546250.985253.6022.91.21.0

Food

249.998250.385253.2913.11.31.2

Food at home

229.829230.242236.4314.32.92.7

Cereals and bakery products

259.049263.897264.4212.82.10.2

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

250.342249.895263.6996.85.35.5

Dairy and related products

204.018205.106206.8346.61.40.8

Fruits and vegetables

270.704266.321269.304-0.1-0.51.1

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

165.660168.120170.8394.93.11.6

Other food at home

199.839199.916207.5734.73.93.8

Food away from home

283.349283.705281.7161.6-0.6-0.7

Alcoholic beverages

255.963257.042256.0550.90.0-0.4

Housing

236.473236.274235.4531.5-0.4-0.3

Shelter

285.087285.236284.0832.0-0.4-0.4

Rent of primary residence(1)

285.103285.681286.2723.20.40.2

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

290.183290.829290.8973.00.20.0

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

290.119290.750290.8243.00.20.0

Fuels and utilities

219.893218.073215.939-0.8-1.8-1.0

Household energy

175.612173.522171.241-2.0-2.5-1.3

Energy services(1)

181.800179.976177.997-1.6-2.1-1.1

Electricity(1)

197.750197.286197.690-0.10.00.2

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

144.572140.717135.094-4.7-6.6-4.0

Household furnishings and operations

116.200115.925116.5930.30.30.6

Apparel

115.759114.500110.183-4.9-4.8-3.8

Transportation

200.811194.627182.380-12.2-9.2-6.3

Private transportation

196.078191.397179.598-11.4-8.4-6.2

New and used motor vehicles(3)

97.54898.05697.694-0.50.1-0.4

New vehicles

138.832137.827137.771-0.8-0.80.0

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

98.13997.42597.386-0.8-0.80.0

New cars(4)

136.468136.092135.7730.7-0.5-0.2

Used cars and trucks

136.400139.694138.418-0.91.5-0.9

Motor fuel

216.693190.225145.750-41.9-32.7-23.4

Gasoline (all types)

215.217188.548143.600-42.5-33.3-23.8

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

209.022182.452137.731-43.4-34.1-24.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

251.190225.738179.633-37.3-28.5-20.4

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

242.390219.327182.078-32.9-24.9-17.0

Motor vehicle insurance(6)

749.097754.488679.858-7.8-9.2-9.9

Medical care

512.813513.815513.9985.40.20.0

Medical care commodities

382.459381.749380.061-3.7-0.6-0.4

Medical care services

556.381557.930558.7087.70.40.1

Professional services

425.728426.030426.2521.70.10.1

Recreation(3)

123.761123.663123.2271.9-0.4-0.4

Education and communication(3)

139.094138.982138.9701.1-0.10.0

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

1,200.4161,198.2381,199.045-0.1-0.10.1

Other goods and services

444.148445.981445.2972.90.3-0.2

Commodity and service group

Commodities

179.188177.355174.129-3.9-2.8-1.8

Commodities less food and beverages

145.262142.690137.496-8.0-5.3-3.6

Nondurables less food and beverages

190.834183.552171.227-14.2-10.3-6.7

Durables

101.500102.021101.659-0.60.2-0.4

Services

303.715303.129301.0991.9-0.9-0.7

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

226.830225.101221.889-1.5-2.2-1.4

All items less medical care

227.518226.148223.313-1.0-1.8-1.3

Commodities less food

148.666146.181141.080-7.7-5.1-3.5

Nondurables

220.085216.446211.180-5.3-4.0-2.4

Nondurables less food

194.311187.575175.999-13.1-9.4-6.2

Services less rent of shelter(2)

332.903331.502328.4991.8-1.3-0.9

Services less medical care services

284.835284.076281.8111.0-1.1-0.8

Energy

194.298181.240159.976-23.7-17.7-11.7

All items less energy

247.941247.758246.7501.5-0.5-0.4

All items less food and energy

248.306248.021246.3171.2-0.8-0.7

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2020