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News Release Information

20-1157-CHI
Wednesday, June 10, 2020

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

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

Area prices edged down 0.1 percent over the past two months, unchanged from a year ago

Prices in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged down 0.1 percent for the two months ending in May 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.  Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that the energy index was lower over the two-month period, and food prices were higher from March-May. The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged over the past two months. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U was unchanged. (See table A.) Energy prices fell 21.2 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. Food prices rose 3.0 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 1.6 percent for the two months ending in May. Prices for food at home (groceries) rose 1.7 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) advanced 1.3 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.0 percent. Prices for food at home increased 2.3 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 3.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 6.4 percent for the two months ending in May. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-18.5 percent). Prices for utility (piped) gas service increased 8.8 percent, and prices for electricity rose 6.7 percent for the same period.

Energy prices fell 21.2 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-36.9 percent). Prices paid for electricity advanced 1.2 percent, while prices for utility (piped) gas service declined 4.0 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in the latest two-month period. Categories experiencing price increases included new and used motor vehicles (4.2 percent), shelter (0.6 percent), and household furnishings and operations (1.4 percent). Lower prices were noted in the categories for recreation (-3.1 percent), motor vehicle insurance (-20.2 percent), and apparel (-3.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.1 percent), medical care (2.5 percent), and other goods and services (4.4 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in apparel (-9.5 percent) and education and communication (-1.4 percent).

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

1.01.02.3-0.10.0

July

0.30.32.2

September

0.3-0.21.7

November

-1.21.3-0.22.8

The July 2020 Consumer Price Index for Minneapolis is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on May 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 May 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/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.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-
Mar.
2020
Apr.
2020
May
2020
May
2019
Mar.
2020
Apr.
2020

Expenditure category

All items

251.570-251.2430.0-0.1-

All items (1967=100)

790.566-789.537---

Food and beverages

288.660-293.6063.21.7-

Food

277.401-281.7643.01.6-

Food at home

249.456251.758253.7962.31.70.8

Cereals and bakery products

284.753-263.399-5.6-7.5-

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

261.749-288.0439.410.0-

Dairy and related products

281.786-286.0065.61.5-

Fruits and vegetables

338.523-342.796-0.71.3-

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

156.057-156.183-2.10.1-

Other food at home

199.201-199.8912.90.3-

Food away from home

317.028-321.2793.61.3-

Alcoholic beverages

386.841-399.1805.53.2-

Housing

241.643-244.1163.31.0-

Shelter

289.588290.059291.2574.10.60.4

Rent of primary residence(2)

297.317297.638298.5835.20.40.3

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

302.832304.386305.9904.81.00.5

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

302.832304.386305.9904.81.00.5

Fuels and utilities

201.338-211.5360.25.1-

Household energy

174.797174.582186.227-0.66.56.7

Energy services(2)

177.171178.179190.220-0.47.46.8

Electricity(2)

250.707256.975267.5091.26.74.1

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

113.276109.325123.195-4.08.812.7

Household furnishings and operations

120.400-122.1330.31.4-

Apparel

132.295-128.230-9.5-3.1-

Transportation

187.834-179.871-12.8-4.2-

Private transportation

176.687-170.072-10.9-3.7-

New and used motor vehicles(4)

88.959-92.7212.04.2-

New vehicles(1)

149.360-159.6512.76.9-

Used cars and trucks(1)

275.994-271.244-0.1-1.7-

Motor fuel

177.120136.476145.036-36.4-18.16.3

Gasoline (all types)

177.027135.350144.252-36.9-18.56.6

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

176.323133.528143.796-37.2-18.47.7

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

191.019166.258155.679-33.3-18.5-6.4

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

230.574191.497186.078-34.1-19.3-2.8

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

470.398-375.583-24.8-20.2-

Medical care

570.278-574.5642.50.8-

Recreation(4)

136.206-132.0281.2-3.1-

Education and communication(4)

137.046-137.299-1.40.2-

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,089.712-1,089.712-3.60.0-

Other goods and services

392.622-391.0174.4-0.4-

Commodity and service group

All items

251.570-251.2430.0-0.1-

Commodities

184.989-184.306-3.1-0.4-

Commodities less food and beverages

140.491-138.161-6.8-1.7-

Nondurables less food and beverages

184.326-175.045-12.4-5.0-

Durables

102.599-105.1450.52.5-

Services

310.989-311.0071.90.0-

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

237.211-236.698-0.2-0.2-

All items less shelter

236.337-235.161-2.0-0.5-

Commodities less food

148.887-146.787-6.2-1.4-

Nondurables

232.647-229.239-4.5-1.5-

Nondurables less food

197.537-189.039-10.9-4.3-

Services less rent of shelter(3)

347.911-345.662-0.6-0.6-

Services less medical care services

287.313-287.2641.70.0-

Energy

178.430156.803166.974-21.2-6.46.5

All items less energy

262.414-262.9551.50.2-

All items less food and energy

260.286-260.2761.20.0-

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: Wednesday, June 10, 2020