Prices in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.9 percent for the two months ending in May 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the food index increased 4.1 percent, and the energy index advanced 11.1 percent from March to May. The all items less food and energy index rose 0.8 percent over the past two months. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher over the two-month period for public transportation and lower for apparel and recreation. (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 8.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 5.8 percent over the year. Energy prices advanced 43.1 percent, largely the result of an increase in gasoline prices. Food prices were up 11.8 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 4.1 percent for the two months ending in May. Prices for food at home (groceries) advanced 6.1 percent as all six of the major grocery store food group indexes increased over the two-month period. Categories increasing included fruits and vegetables (10.5 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (5.7 percent). Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 1.0 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 11.8 percent. Prices for food at home were up 14.0 percent since a year ago. Among the grocery food categories, the index for fruits and vegetables was up 17.3 percent over the year and costs for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 13.5 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 8.5 percent compared to May 2021.

Energy

The energy index increased 11.1 percent for the two months ending in May. The increase was mainly due to higher utility (piped) gas service prices (38.1 percent). Gasoline prices rose 5.2 percent, and electricity prices increased 2.9 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 43.1 percent over the year, largely due to higher gasoline prices (46.2 percent). Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service were up 84.9 percent, and electricity prices rose 11.2 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for public transportation were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-4.4 percent) and recreation (-2.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (5.3 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (12.6 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	2.1	8.2
May	1.0		1.0	2.3	-0.1	0.0	1.4	4.6	1.9	8.7
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 July 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area is scheduled to be released on August 10, 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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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-
	Mar. 2022	Apr. 2022	May 2022	May 2021	Mar. 2022	Apr. 2022
Expenditure category
All items	280.388	-	285.784	8.7	1.9	-
All items (1967=100)	881.126	-	898.083	-	-	-
Food and beverages	321.134	-	333.120	11.3	3.7	-
Food	309.729	-	322.388	11.8	4.1	-
Food at home	277.230	286.111	294.168	14.0	6.1	2.8
Cereals and bakery products	300.356	-	307.880	12.2	2.5	-
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	309.042	-	326.760	13.5	5.7	-
Dairy and related products	293.418	-	318.902	10.7	8.7	-
Fruits and vegetables	374.421	-	413.716	17.3	10.5	-
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	168.951	-	174.567	8.0	3.3	-
Other food at home	223.110	-	234.803	16.6	5.2	-
Food away from home	356.167	-	359.769	8.5	1.0	-
Alcoholic beverages	414.734	-	415.084	6.0	0.1	-
Housing	264.052	-	268.242	8.4	1.6	-
Shelter	308.081	308.001	308.094	5.3	0.0	0.0
Rent of primary residence(2)	314.361	315.409	315.833	4.1	0.5	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	325.415	325.843	325.900	4.1	0.1	0.0
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	325.415	325.843	325.900	4.1	0.1	0.0
Fuels and utilities	252.217	-	287.609	32.3	14.0	-
Household energy	226.837	232.626	268.452	39.9	18.3	15.4
Energy services(2)	226.659	232.491	270.081	39.0	19.2	16.2
Electricity(2)	279.336	282.277	287.567	11.2	2.9	1.9
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	186.788	194.919	258.017	84.9	38.1	32.4
Household furnishings and operations	141.671	-	144.062	10.8	1.7	-
Apparel	150.023	-	143.468	1.8	-4.4	-
Transportation	246.351	-	258.885	18.9	5.1	-
Private transportation	235.366	-	239.709	17.0	1.8	-
New and used motor vehicles(4)	115.065	-	115.978	12.6	0.8	-
New vehicles(1)	179.482	-	182.248	8.2	1.5	-
Used cars and trucks(1)	408.827	-	409.123	15.0	0.1	-
Motor fuel	318.325	318.652	335.509	46.4	5.4	5.3
Gasoline (all types)	319.410	319.271	336.162	46.2	5.2	5.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	321.242	320.885	338.150	46.6	5.3	5.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	312.495	314.251	328.240	43.5	5.0	4.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	378.530	381.198	397.628	40.9	5.0	4.3
Medical care	626.559	-	630.970	4.8	0.7	-
Recreation(4)	134.571	-	131.748	-1.6	-2.1	-
Education and communication(4)	140.449	-	140.523	0.8	0.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,176.013	-	1,176.013	3.9	0.0	-
Other goods and services	433.522	-	442.013	8.0	2.0	-
Commodity and service group
All items	280.388	-	285.784	8.7	1.9	-
Commodities	218.234	-	221.998	11.8	1.7	-
Commodities less food and beverages	171.559	-	172.602	12.1	0.6	-
Nondurables less food and beverages	232.328	-	234.773	16.3	1.1	-
Durables	121.758	-	121.954	8.5	0.2	-
Services	334.846	-	341.734	6.8	2.1	-
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	264.738	-	270.170	9.1	2.1	-
All items less shelter	269.546	-	277.107	10.3	2.8	-
Commodities less food	180.658	-	181.712	11.8	0.6	-
Nondurables	274.512	-	281.269	13.6	2.5	-
Nondurables less food	245.353	-	247.723	15.3	1.0	-
Services less rent of shelter(3)	379.103	-	395.207	8.2	4.2	-
Services less medical care services	308.156	-	315.215	7.1	2.3	-
Energy	275.976	279.222	306.534	43.1	11.1	9.8
All items less energy	286.477	-	290.065	6.6	1.3	-
All items less food and energy	283.146	-	285.393	5.8	0.8	-
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.