The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), was unchanged for the two months ending in September 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the energy index declined 4.3 percent and the food index rose 0.4 percent from July to September. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.3 percent over the past two months. Within the all items less food and energy category, price increases were noted for shelter and apparel, while the index for recreation declined. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 1.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.4 percent over the year. Food prices advanced 2.5 percent. Energy prices declined 6.0 percent. (See table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, September 2021–September 2024

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Sep 2021	5.4	3.7
Nov 2021	6.9	5.0
Jan 2022	7.2	5.7
Mar 2022	8.2	6.6
May 2022	8.7	5.8
Jul 2022	8.2	5.0
Sep 2022	7.4	5.3
Nov 2022	5.3	3.7
Jan 2023	5.1	3.8
Mar 2023	3.4	3.0
May 2023	1.8	2.4
Jul 2023	1.0	2.4
Sep 2023	2.2	3.2
Nov 2023	2.8	3.7
Jan 2024	2.6	3.5
Mar 2024	2.7	3.2
May 2024	2.6	3.0
Jul 2024	3.5	3.8
Sep 2024	1.9	2.4

Food prices advanced 0.4 percent for the two months ending in September. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home (groceries) increased 0.1 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.8 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 2.5 percent. Prices for food at home increased 1.0 percent since a year ago. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes were higher over the year. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs was up 3.3 percent; the index for cereals and bakery products rose 3.0 percent; and the dairy and related products index increased 3.6 percent. The index for fruits and vegetables was down 1.2 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 4.8 percent over the year.

The energy index fell 4.3 percent for the two months ending in September. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-8.1 percent). Prices for utility (piped) gas service rose 1.8 percent, while prices for electricity fell 2.1 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 6.0 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-19.7 percent). Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service rose 13.0 percent, and prices for electricity increased 8.8 percent during the past year.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.3 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for shelter (+0.6 percent) and apparel (+5.3 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for recreation (-5.6 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.4 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+4.1 percent) and recreation (+2.3 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in new and used motor vehicles (-4.3 percent) and apparel (-0.3 percent).

The November 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

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 Consumer Price Index for Minneapolis is published bi-monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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 includes Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Le Sueur, Mille Lacs, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Washington, and Wright Counties in Minnesota and Pierce and St. Croix Counties in Wisconsin.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

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.