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News Release Information

14-1564-CHI
Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Consumer Price Index, Minneapolis-St. Paul – First Half 2014

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area rose 1.4 percent from the first half of 2013 to the first half of 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer stated that the energy index was 1.2 percent higher compared to its first half 2013 level, primarily due to increases in costs for utility (piped) gas service. The food index was unchanged compared to its first half 2013 level while the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.7 percent over the year. Among the categories within the all items less food and energy index, prices for shelter, medical care, and other goods and services were higher over the year.

Food

Food prices remained flat over the year as a 0.7 percent drop in the cost of groceries (the food at home index) offset a 1.6 percent increase in the cost of dining out (the food away from index). In the previous annual period (first half 2012 to first half 2013), food prices in the Minneapolis area rose 1.3 percent.

Energy

The energy index increased 1.2 percent from the first half of 2013 to the first half of 2014. Within the energy category, the index for utility (piped) gas service rose 17.4 percent and was responsible for most of this increase. Electricity costs were up 0.6 percent over the year while prices for gasoline in the first half of 2014 were 3.2 percent below their first half 2013 averages.

All items less food and energy

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.7 percent. Among the index’s components, higher costs were recorded for shelter (1.7 percent), medical care (4.0 percent), and other goods and services (8.8 percent).

The second half 2014 Consumer Price Index for Minneapolis-St. Paul is scheduled to be released in February 2015.


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 88 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 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/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 Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.-Wis. metropolitan are covered in this release is comprised of Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright Counties and Pierce and St. Croix Counties in 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 for annual averages and percent changes for selected periods

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Annual average indexes
 
Percent change
2012 to 2013
20122013

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

224.459228.8111.9

All items (1967=100)

705.368719.045-

Food and beverages

265.296266.9410.6

Food

253.797255.8010.8

Food at home

248.464249.4340.4

Food away from home

261.654264.5561.1

Alcoholic beverages

372.355369.338-0.8

Housing

195.945201.0742.6

Shelter

224.077228.9102.2

Rent of primary residence (1)

223.895228.2551.9

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

234.303239.6842.3

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

234.303239.6842.3

Fuels and utilities

181.027197.5129.1

Household energy

166.894185.08310.9

Energy services (1)

168.250187.76811.6

Electricity (1)

222.405246.93511.0

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

121.671136.96812.6

Household furnishings and operations

125.614124.550-0.8

Apparel

139.602142.1951.9

Transportation

215.088215.5140.2

Private transportation

200.370197.298-1.5

Motor fuel

286.706278.405-2.9

Gasoline (all types)

288.381279.927-2.9

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

294.169284.580-3.3

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

287.266280.603-2.3

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

328.489323.300-1.6

Medical care

447.033465.6484.2

Recreation (5)

122.659122.017-0.5

Education and communication (5)

136.701140.9533.1

Other goods and services

321.947339.4875.4
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

224.459228.8111.9

Commodities

193.784193.9760.1

Commodities less food & beverages

159.497159.095-0.3

Nondurables less food & beverages

210.926212.1950.6

Durables

113.625111.577-1.8

Services

251.540259.4573.1
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

214.421218.1701.7

All items less shelter

225.824229.9581.8

Commodities less food

167.565167.080-0.3

Nondurables

238.067239.5210.6

Nondurables less food

222.680223.7050.5

Services less rent of shelter (2)

296.195308.4964.2

Services less medical care services

234.925241.9143.0

Energy

230.409235.4412.2

All items less energy

227.487231.7701.9

All items less food and energy

223.594228.2592.1

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) Index is on a December 1982=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
 

- Data not available.
 

Table 2. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

 
Semiannual average indexes
 
Percent change to
1st half 2014 from-
1st half
2013
2nd half
2013
1st half
2014
1st half
2013
2nd half
2013

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

228.473229.149231.7641.41.1

All items (1967=100)

717.983720.107728.325--

Food and beverages

267.843266.038267.651-0.10.6

Food

256.643254.960256.5370.00.6

Food at home

251.769247.099249.914-0.71.1

Food away from home

263.717265.395267.8481.60.9

Alcoholic beverages

370.893367.783369.031-0.50.3

Housing

200.390201.758204.5282.11.4

Shelter

228.269229.552232.2571.71.2

Rent of primary residence (1)

227.272229.237234.0873.02.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

238.981240.387242.3551.40.8

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

238.981240.387242.3551.40.8

Fuels and utilities

195.838199.185210.9407.75.9

Household energy

183.355186.810196.9557.45.4

Energy services (1)

185.760189.776198.1916.74.4

Electricity (1)

242.009251.861243.5450.6-3.3

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

137.629136.307161.63917.418.6

Household furnishings and operations

124.458124.642122.610-1.5-1.6

Apparel

140.555143.836145.8133.71.4

Transportation

217.883213.145216.286-0.71.5

Private transportation

199.123195.472197.495-0.81.0

Motor fuel

288.135268.674279.861-2.94.2

Gasoline (all types)

289.963269.890280.630-3.24.0

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

295.391273.769285.040-3.54.1

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

289.782271.424282.313-2.64.0

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

331.737314.862324.487-2.23.1

Medical care

460.009471.287478.3234.01.5

Recreation (5)

121.010123.025123.7822.30.6

Education and communication (5)

142.335139.571138.836-2.5-0.5

Other goods and services

327.550351.425356.4528.81.4
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

228.473229.149231.7641.41.1

Commodities

194.360193.591194.8070.20.6

Commodities less food & beverages

159.257158.932159.8250.40.6

Nondurables less food & beverages

212.358212.031215.6281.51.7

Durables

111.732111.422110.378-1.2-0.9

Services

258.502260.412264.1912.21.5
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

218.052218.288220.7121.21.1

All items less shelter

229.781230.135232.7511.31.1

Commodities less food

167.285166.875167.8540.30.6

Nondurables

240.026239.016241.9110.81.2

Nondurables less food

223.952223.459227.1291.41.6

Services less rent of shelter (2)

307.120309.872315.4162.71.8

Services less medical care services

241.343242.485245.7621.81.4

Energy

239.503231.379242.2901.24.7

All items less energy

231.111232.429234.3051.40.8

All items less food and energy

227.353229.166231.1161.70.9

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) Index is on a December 1982=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
 

- Data not available.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, August 19, 2014