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Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – April 2024

Area prices rose 0.5 percent in April, up 2.8 percent over the year

Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.5 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The April increase was led by a 0.5-percent rise in the all items less food and energy index, with higher prices for shelter contributing most to the rise. The energy index was up 1.7 percent, while the food index rose 0.1 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 increased 2.8 percent. (See chart 1.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.1 percent, and food prices advanced 2.0 percent over the year. The index for energy saw no change for the 12-months ending in April 2024. (See table 1.)

Food

The food index increased 0.1 percent for the month of April. Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.4 percent, while prices for food at home (grocery store prices) fell by 0.1 percent for the same period.

Over the year, the food index advanced 2.0 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.9 percent, and prices for food at home increased 0.9 percent for the same period.

Energy

The energy index rose 1.7 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (+4.0 percent). The index for electricity was up by 0.2 percent over the month. Partially offsetting the increase was a decline in prices for natural gas service, falling 3.0 percent for the month of April.

From April 2023 to April 2024, the energy index was unchanged. The index for electricity increased 3.3 percent over the year; this rise was entirely offset by falling prices for natural gas service (-4.7 percent) and gasoline (-1.6 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.5 percent in April. Higher prices for lodging away from home, owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.4 percent), and medical care services (+1.2 percent) drove most of the increase.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 3.1 percent. Components contributing most to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+6.4 percent), rent of primary residence (+6.2 percent), and other goods and services (+7.1 percent). Declining indexes included household furnishings and operations (-3.3 percent) and used cars and trucks (-6.4 percent).

Table A. Midwest region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20202021202220232024
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.42.50.51.20.87.90.86.00.32.7

February

0.32.10.81.70.98.00.55.60.62.8

March

-0.51.00.73.01.38.60.64.90.72.8

April

-1.1-0.40.84.90.58.20.64.90.52.8

May

0.3-0.41.05.61.58.80.33.7

June

0.80.41.05.81.69.50.42.4

July

0.50.70.65.9-0.28.60.32.9

August

0.41.10.25.7-0.28.10.23.4

September

0.21.30.25.70.28.10.13.2

October

-0.11.00.86.60.17.4-0.12.9

November

-0.21.00.47.3-0.26.8-0.22.9

December

0.11.10.37.5-0.56.0-0.23.2

The May 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.


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 categoryIndexesPercent change from
Feb.
2024
Mar.
2024
Apr.
2024
Apr.
2023
Feb.
2024
Mar.
2024

All items

286.346288.301289.7182.81.20.5

All items (December 1977 = 100)

465.901469.082471.388   

Food and beverages

314.206314.138314.3812.10.10.1

Food

315.489315.473315.7112.00.10.1

Food at home

289.635289.478289.1070.9-0.2-0.1

Cereals and bakery products

336.519334.874336.0741.0-0.10.4

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

311.498313.723312.414-0.10.3-0.4

Dairy and related products

246.450246.124244.727-1.0-0.7-0.6

Fruits and vegetables

321.875318.608317.758-0.1-1.3-0.3

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

217.489215.773215.6773.2-0.80.0

Other food at home

257.676259.087259.1851.80.60.0

Food away from home

357.532357.805359.2673.90.50.4

Alcoholic beverages

296.075295.291295.6042.8-0.20.1

Housing

285.516286.573287.9674.40.90.5

Shelter

343.183345.444347.6486.21.30.6

Rent of primary residence(1)

347.091349.587350.4386.21.00.2

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

351.796353.862355.2086.41.00.4

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

351.693353.753355.0916.41.00.4

Fuels and utilities

273.774270.701269.7532.0-1.5-0.4

Household energy

221.898218.431216.6790.8-2.4-0.8

Energy services(1)

229.193225.693223.9030.9-2.3-0.8

Electricity(1)

237.634237.990238.3703.30.30.2

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

195.591185.336179.731-4.7-8.1-3.0

Household furnishings and operations

138.309138.020138.318-3.30.00.2

Apparel

122.790122.959123.1161.30.30.1

Transportation

256.628263.908266.0411.03.70.8

Private transportation

255.467263.078264.8971.63.70.7

New and used motor vehicles(3)

124.653125.875125.558-2.80.7-0.3

New vehicles

173.019172.703172.8530.5-0.10.1

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

      

New cars(4)

167.707167.017167.114-0.9-0.40.1

Used cars and trucks

180.353181.796181.217-6.40.5-0.3

Motor fuel

281.879306.188318.113-1.912.93.9

Gasoline (all types)

280.811305.786317.962-1.613.24.0

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

272.809297.657309.707-1.713.54.0

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

332.368358.554371.949-0.611.93.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

317.262339.632351.183-0.110.73.4

Medical care

545.456548.135554.3092.11.61.1

Medical care commodities

390.993391.123394.5442.30.90.9

Medical care services

596.566600.115607.2152.01.81.2

Professional services

464.292465.078465.9221.40.40.2

Recreation(3)

141.543141.720141.5740.10.0-0.1

Education and communication(3)

143.203142.953143.219-0.20.00.2

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

1,313.9981,313.9981,313.3823.30.00.0

Other goods and services

539.349543.592548.7127.11.70.9

Commodity and service group

Commodities

215.667217.359218.294-0.11.20.4

Commodities less food and beverages

170.917173.121174.244-1.41.90.6

Nondurables less food and beverages

220.672226.603229.6840.84.11.4

Durables

121.916121.491121.237-4.2-0.6-0.2

Services

358.930361.162363.0714.71.20.5

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

268.447270.311271.4471.21.10.4

All items less medical care

274.190276.115277.2962.81.10.4

Commodities less food

174.701176.849177.960-1.31.90.6

Nondurables

266.182269.461271.2901.61.90.7

Nondurables less food

224.660230.241233.1771.03.81.3

Services less rent of shelter(2)

384.946387.185388.7283.11.00.4

Services less medical care services

341.331343.466344.9765.01.10.4

Energy

249.882258.778263.1140.05.31.7

All items less energy

293.437294.809295.9892.90.90.4

All items less food and energy

290.546292.138293.4693.11.00.5

(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, May 15, 2024