Prices in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.7 percent for the two months ending in January 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the food index increased 2.6 percent, and the energy index fell 1.2 percent from November to January. The all items less food and energy index rose 0.5 percent over the past two months. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for household furnishings and operations, used cars and trucks, and other goods and services. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 7.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 5.7 percent over the year. Energy prices increased 29.5 percent, largely the result of an increase in gasoline prices. Food prices rose 7.6 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices advanced 2.6 percent for the two months ending in January. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home (groceries) increased 3.0 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) advanced 1.9 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 7.6 percent. Prices for food at home increased 7.5 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 7.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 1.2 percent for the two months ending in January. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for utility (piped) gas service (-9.1 percent). Prices for electricity advanced 4.2 percent, while prices for gasoline decreased 0.6 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 29.5 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (40.8 percent). Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service advanced 39.8 percent, and prices for electricity rose 5.8 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.5 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for household furnishings and operations (2.7 percent), used cars and trucks (4.8 percent), and other goods and services (2.6 percent) were contributing factors.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 5.7 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.4 percent), new and used motor vehicles (23.7 percent), and household furnishings and operations (10.5 percent).

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

Month	2018		2019		2020		2021		2022
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	0.3		0.4	1.4	0.6	3.0	0.4	1.6	0.7	7.2
March	0.5		1.4	2.3	-0.3	1.2	1.1	3.0
May	1.0		1.0	2.3	-0.1	0.0	1.4	4.6
July	0.3		0.3	2.2	-0.1	-0.3	1.7	6.5
September	0.3		-0.2	1.7	2.1	1.9	1.1	5.4
November	-1.2	1.3	-0.2	2.8	-0.4	1.7	1.0	6.9

The March 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area is scheduled to be released on April 12, 2022.

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 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	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Nov. 2021	Dec. 2021	Jan. 2022	Jan. 2021	Nov. 2021	Dec. 2021
Expenditure category
All items	272.859	-	274.725	7.2	0.7	-
All items (1967=100)	857.466	-	863.331	-	-	-
Food and beverages	310.987	-	317.970	7.2	2.2	-
Food	299.023	-	306.752	7.6	2.6	-
Food at home	266.603	267.844	274.683	7.5	3.0	2.6
Cereals and bakery products	283.301	-	292.919	8.3	3.4	-
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	305.229	-	309.257	9.4	1.3	-
Dairy and related products	289.855	-	287.629	3.0	-0.8	-
Fruits and vegetables	358.194	-	371.374	7.3	3.7	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	163.248	-	168.033	5.3	2.9	-
Other food at home	210.239	-	221.360	8.0	5.3	-
Food away from home	345.797	-	352.512	7.7	1.9	-
Alcoholic beverages	414.342	-	409.633	2.8	-1.1	-
Housing	259.973	-	260.280	6.0	0.1	-
Shelter	305.134	303.419	304.187	4.4	-0.3	0.3
Rent of primary residence(2)	309.893	310.847	312.163	3.5	0.7	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	320.783	321.661	322.838	3.8	0.6	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	320.783	321.661	322.838	3.8	0.6	0.4
Fuels and utilities	246.222	-	246.182	15.5	0.0	-
Household energy	224.731	220.899	220.225	17.7	-2.0	-0.3
Energy services(2)	225.956	221.738	220.756	17.1	-2.3	-0.4
Electricity(2)	259.525	258.024	270.439	5.8	4.2	4.8
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	201.605	194.667	183.192	39.8	-9.1	-5.9
Household furnishings and operations	135.643	-	139.282	10.5	2.7	-
Apparel	143.230	-	144.088	3.9	0.6	-
Transportation	232.414	-	233.863	21.3	0.6	-
Private transportation	222.123	-	223.942	22.0	0.8	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	113.856	-	114.942	23.7	1.0	-
New vehicles(1)	179.760	-	179.482	12.2	-0.2	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	396.241	-	415.185	39.8	4.8	-
Motor fuel	258.572	254.435	257.215	40.6	-0.5	1.1
Gasoline (all types)	259.626	255.362	258.124	40.8	-0.6	1.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	260.612	256.168	259.038	41.0	-0.6	1.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	257.147	254.470	256.031	39.3	-0.4	0.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	314.722	311.500	313.614	39.3	-0.4	0.7
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	507.682	-	-	-	-	-
Medical care	603.032	-	607.275	2.8	0.7	-
Recreation(4)	133.459	-	134.681	2.3	0.9	-
Education and communication(4)	140.128	-	140.289	0.2	0.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,178.869	-	1,176.013	3.9	-0.2	-
Other goods and services	418.721	-	429.528	7.1	2.6	-
Commodity and service group
All items	272.859	-	274.725	7.2	0.7	-
Commodities	207.855	-	211.861	10.7	1.9	-
Commodities less food and beverages	161.877	-	164.702	12.9	1.7	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	211.653	-	214.269	12.3	1.2	-
Durables	118.716	-	121.517	13.7	2.4	-
Services	330.409	-	330.082	5.0	-0.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	257.914	-	259.684	7.6	0.7	-
All items less shelter	260.141	-	263.169	8.6	1.2	-
Commodities less food	170.933	-	173.673	12.4	1.6	-
Nondurables	258.410	-	262.972	9.6	1.8	-
Nondurables less food	225.464	-	227.718	11.4	1.0	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	372.699	-	373.413	5.8	0.2	-
Services less medical care services	305.052	-	304.521	5.3	-0.2	-
Energy	245.742	241.696	242.690	29.5	-1.2	0.4
All items less energy	280.516	-	282.804	5.9	0.8	-
All items less food and energy	277.882	-	279.370	5.7	0.5	-
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.