Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

20-553-CHI
Friday, April 10, 2020

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

Consumer Price Index, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington — March 2020

Local prices rose 1.2 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area decreased 0.3 percent from January to March, 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 was down 8.2 percent over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged from January to March. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were lower for household furnishings and operations and new and used motor vehicles, but were higher for shelter and recreation. (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 1.2 percent. (See table A.) The food index rose 2.0 percent while the energy index decreased 11.5 percent from March 2019 to March 2020. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.0 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.7 percent from January to March. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) rose 1.1 percent while prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) edged up 0.1 percent, over the bi-monthly period.

Over the year, food prices in the Minneapolis area were up 2.0 percent. Prices for groceries rose 0.3 percent, while food away from home prices rose 3.9 percent from March 2019.

Energy

The energy index for Minneapolis fell 8.2 percent from January to March. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for gasoline (-12.4 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (-9.2 percent), while electricity prices were unchanged.

From March 2019 to March 2020, overall energy prices decreased 11.5 percent. Over the year, the gasoline index and utility (piped) gas service indexes fell 15.4 percent and 12.1 percent respectively, while the electricity index declined 5.1 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged from January to March. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for household furnishings and operations (-1.2 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-0.7 percent), but were higher for shelter (0.9 percent) and recreation (1.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.0 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (4.5 percent), medical care (3.0 percent), and recreation (4.4 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
Month201820192020
2-month12-month2-month12-month2-month12-month

January

0.30.41.40.63.0

March

0.51.42.3-0.31.2

May

1.01.02.3

July

0.30.32.2

September

0.3-0.21.7

November

-1.21.3-0.22.8

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

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

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) program suspended data collection by personal visit on March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in March 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 being 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.

Specific information about the impact of COVID-19 on March 2020 CPI data collection is available at www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/covid19-statement-march-2020.htm


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, MN-WI, 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 in Minnesota; 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-
Jan.
2020
Feb.
2020
Mar.
2020
Mar.
2019
Jan.
2020
Feb.
2020

Expenditure category

All items

252.447-251.5701.2-0.3-

All items (1967=100)

793.322-790.566---

Food and beverages

286.941-288.6602.00.6-

Food

275.478-277.4012.00.7-

Food at home

246.746247.859249.4560.31.10.6

Cereals and bakery products

265.107-284.7534.47.4-

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

267.421-261.749-1.7-2.1-

Dairy and related products

278.613-281.7863.71.1-

Fruits and vegetables

333.591-338.523-0.91.5-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

159.442-156.057-1.6-2.1-

Other food at home

194.679-199.2010.62.3-

Food away from home

316.562-317.0283.90.1-

Alcoholic beverages

388.504-386.8412.6-0.4-

Housing

240.670-241.6433.20.4-

Shelter

286.922288.464289.5884.50.90.4

Rent of primary residence(2)

294.350295.686297.3175.41.00.6

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

300.118300.873302.8324.50.90.7

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

300.118300.873302.8324.50.90.7

Fuels and utilities

205.861-201.338-5.0-2.2-

Household energy

180.805182.229174.797-7.1-3.3-4.1

Energy services(2)

182.916184.433177.171-7.3-3.1-3.9

Electricity(2)

250.613253.634250.707-5.10.0-1.2

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

124.752124.893113.276-12.1-9.2-9.3

Household furnishings and operations

121.875-120.4000.1-1.2-

Apparel

133.575-132.295-3.7-1.0-

Transportation

198.113-187.834-7.3-5.2-

Private transportation

182.927-176.687-6.0-3.4-

New and used motor vehicles(4)

89.623-88.959-4.2-0.7-

New vehicles(1)

152.820-149.360-6.2-2.3-

Used cars and trucks(1)

266.786-275.994-0.33.5-

Motor fuel

201.743197.124177.120-15.1-12.2-10.1

Gasoline (all types)

202.063197.338177.027-15.4-12.4-10.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

202.031197.131176.323-15.8-12.7-10.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

208.501204.635191.019-11.2-8.4-6.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

254.197250.582230.574-11.2-9.3-8.0

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

469.793-470.398-5.80.1-

Medical care

570.310-570.2783.00.0-

Recreation(4)

133.881-136.2064.41.7-

Education and communication(4)

137.148-137.046-1.2-0.1-

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,089.712-1,089.712-3.60.0-

Other goods and services

390.171-392.6225.80.6-

Commodity and service group

All items

252.447-251.5701.2-0.3-

Commodities

187.330-184.989-1.4-1.2-

Commodities less food and beverages

143.886-140.491-3.4-2.4-

Nondurables less food and beverages

190.170-184.326-3.9-3.1-

Durables

104.130-102.599-2.8-1.5-

Services

310.451-310.9892.60.2-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

238.118-237.2110.9-0.4-

All items less shelter

238.722-236.337-0.5-1.0-

Commodities less food

152.334-148.887-3.1-2.3-

Nondurables

235.387-232.647-0.8-1.2-

Nondurables less food

203.317-197.537-3.4-2.8-

Services less rent of shelter(3)

350.163-347.9110.6-0.6-

Services less medical care services

286.869-287.3132.50.2-

Energy

194.379192.622178.430-11.5-8.2-7.4

All items less energy

262.124-262.4142.00.1-

All items less food and energy

260.232-260.2862.00.0-

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: Friday, April 10, 2020