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News Release Information

19-182-CHI
Wednesday, February 13, 2019

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

Consumer Price Index, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington — January 2019

Local prices increased 1.4 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area rose 0.4 percent from November to January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the food index rose 0.7 percent and the energy index fell 2.0 percent over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.5 percent from November to January. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher shelter, recreation, and apparel, but lower for new and used motor vehicles. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the past 12 months, the Minneapolis all items CPI-U increased 1.4 percent. (See table A.) The food index rose 2.0 percent while the energy index fell 9.2 percent from January 2018 to January 2019. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.2 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.7 percent from November to January. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) rose 1.4 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged over the bi-monthly period.

Over the year, food prices in the Minneapolis area were up 2.0 percent. Prices for groceries increased 1.4 percent, while food away from home prices rose 2.7 percent from January 2018.

Energy

The energy index for Minneapolis was 2.0 percent lower from November to January. Gasoline prices fell 19.1 percent for the bi-monthly period. Utility (piped) gas service costs were up 121.1 percent and electricity costs were up 1.8 percent, during the same period.

From January 2018 to January 2019, overall energy prices fell 9.2 percent. Gasoline prices decreased 17.0 percent and utility (piped) gas service costs declined 0.4 percent over the year. Electricity costs increased 2.8 percent from January 2018.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.5 percent from November to January. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (0.9 percent), recreation (1.2 percent), and apparel (2.7 percent); but lower for new and used motor vehicles (-2.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.2 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (3.8 percent), medical care (3.2 percent), and apparel (9.3 percent) were contributing factors.

Table A. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20182019
2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

0.30.41.4

March

0.5

May

1.0

July

0.3

September

0.3

November

-1.21.3

The March 2019 Consumer Price Index for Minneapolis is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 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 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 5,000 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis., Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, LeSueur, Mille Lacs, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, 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 and percent changes for selected periods
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

IndexesPercent change from-
Nov.
2018
Dec.
2018
Jan.
2019
Jan.
2018
Nov.
2018
Dec.
2018

Expenditure category

All items

244.235-245.2001.40.4-

All items (1967=100)

767.515-770.548---

Food and beverages

279.861-281.5781.80.6-

Food

268.756-270.7652.00.7-

Food at home

243.689243.804247.0501.41.41.3

Cereals and bakery products

279.419-270.9951.2-3.0-

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

259.080-259.1440.50.0-

Dairy and related products

260.486-273.9551.65.2-

Fruits and vegetables

334.831-348.041-0.53.9-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

150.281-154.0314.42.5-

Other food at home

195.102-197.1022.31.0-

Food away from home

304.570-304.5962.70.0-

Alcoholic beverages

378.206-374.837-0.4-0.9-

Housing

227.943-232.9333.32.2-

Shelter

272.548274.511275.0883.80.90.2

Rent of primary residence(2)

278.031280.351280.4543.80.90.0

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)

286.042288.075288.7233.90.90.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)

286.042288.075288.7233.90.90.2

Fuels and utilities

181.658-218.1631.420.1-

Household energy

154.171199.243195.7020.926.9-1.8

Energy services(2)

154.313202.709199.2521.529.1-1.7

Electricity(2)

260.090262.342264.7472.81.80.9

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

64.782151.555143.206-0.4121.1-5.5

Household furnishings and operations

118.844-117.9961.3-0.7-

Apparel

130.175-133.7249.32.7-

Transportation

202.307-191.845-4.0-5.2-

Private transportation

188.505-177.178-3.5-6.0-

New and used motor vehicles(4)

91.207-88.9350.6-2.5-

New vehicles(1)

156.700-149.6211.2-4.5-

Used cars and trucks(1)

273.192-274.8160.80.6-

Motor fuel

215.907192.417174.891-16.8-19.0-9.1

Gasoline (all types)

216.281192.611174.974-17.0-19.1-9.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

216.392192.550174.570-17.4-19.3-9.3

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

223.123198.439181.195-15.1-18.8-8.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

269.920243.255225.893-12.1-16.3-7.1

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

505.467-507.5940.00.4-

Medical care

541.437-545.1863.20.7-

Recreation(4)

126.743-128.252-2.01.2-

Education and communication(4)

139.235-139.4850.60.2-

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,130.940-1,130.9400.30.0-

Other goods and services

370.340-371.1500.00.2-

Commodity and service group

All items

244.235-245.2001.40.4-

Commodities

185.907-182.078-0.5-2.1-

Commodities less food and beverages

144.245-139.069-1.8-3.6-

Nondurables less food and beverages

189.719-180.732-3.6-4.7-

Durables

105.009-102.6710.4-2.2-

Services

296.081-301.3852.51.8-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

230.860-231.6991.20.4-

All items less shelter

233.158-233.4390.20.1-

Commodities less food

152.497-147.208-1.7-3.5-

Nondurables

232.105-227.484-0.8-2.0-

Nondurables less food

202.414-193.444-3.3-4.4-

Services less rent of shelter(3)

335.573-344.7390.92.7-

Services less medical care services

273.858-279.2162.22.0-

Energy

190.027197.516186.177-9.2-2.0-5.7

All items less energy

253.434-254.8432.20.6-

All items less food and energy

251.267-252.5922.20.5-

Footnotes
(1) Index on an April 1978=100 base.
(2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(3) Index on a December 1982=100 base.
(4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(6) Index on a December 1993=100 base.

- Data not available.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2019