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News Release Information

18-23-CHI
Friday, January 12, 2018

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

Consumer Price Index, Milwaukee-Racine — Second Half 2017

Local prices up 1.8 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Milwaukee-Racine area rose 1.8 percent from the second half of 2016 to the second half of 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the all items less food and energy index was 1.5 percent higher compared to its second half 2016 level as price increases were noted in the shelter index. Food prices rose 1.4 percent over the year, and the index for energy increased 5.9 percent. (See chart 1.)

Food

The 1.4-percent rise in food prices over the year was attributed to a 2.2-percent increase in costs for for food at home (grocery) and a 0.2-percent increase in prices for food eaten away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases). In the previous annual period (second half 2015 to second half 2016), food prices in the Milwaukee area rose 0.6 percent.

Energy

Gasoline prices were up 11.0 percent from their second half 2016 levels, contributing to the 5.9-percent rise in energy prices over the year. Costs also rose for utility (piped) gas service (3.0 percent) and electricity (0.5 percent). In the previous annual period, energy costs had fallen 5.4 percent.

All items less food and energy

The all items less food and energy index was 1.5 percent higher over the year. This was primarily due to a 3.0-percent increase in shelter costs.

Consumer Price Index Geographic Revision for 2018

In January 2018, BLS will introduce a new geographic area sample for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). As part of the new sample, the index for this area will be discontinued.  Additional information on the geographic revision is available at: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/geographic-revision-2018.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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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 Milwaukee-Racine, Wis., consolidated area covered in this release is comprised of Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Washington, and Waukesha 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 for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods
Milwaukee-Racine, WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group


 
Semiannual average
indexes
Percent change to
2nd half 2017 from-
2nd half
2016
1st half
2017
2nd half
2017
2nd half
2016
1st half
2017

Expenditure category

 
 

All Items

228.624 232.123 232.718 1.8 0.3

All items (1967=100)

706.129 716.938 718.775 - -

Food and beverages

250.323 252.286 253.618 1.3 0.5

Food

254.429 256.567 257.985 1.4 0.6

Food at home

241.687 245.679 247.055 2.2 0.6

Food away from home

276.054 275.003 276.491 0.2 0.5

Alcoholic beverages

211.536 211.738 212.207 0.3 0.2

Housing

218.560 222.684 223.844 2.4 0.5

Shelter

267.956 273.748 275.960 3.0 0.8

Rent of primary residence(1)

248.355 251.998 254.784 2.6 1.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)

285.330 290.615 294.123 3.1 1.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)

285.330 290.615 294.123 3.1 1.2

Fuels and utilities

210.836 211.663 213.703 1.4 1.0

Household energy

171.326 171.898 173.592 1.3 1.0

Energy services(1)

176.627 176.975 178.697 1.2 1.0

Electricity(1)

214.931 210.829 215.912 0.5 2.4

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

111.114 117.275 114.436 3.0 -2.4

Household furnishings and operations

97.677 99.166 97.221 -0.5 -2.0

Apparel

143.494 148.109 142.519 -0.7 -3.8

Transportation

179.366 184.930 185.358 3.3 0.2

Private transportation

171.670 175.972 177.990 3.7 1.1

Motor fuel

198.775 211.158 220.644 11.0 4.5

Gasoline (all types)

196.116 208.376 217.698 11.0 4.5

Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)

193.095 205.490 214.903 11.3 4.6

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)

217.447 228.455 237.893 9.4 4.1

Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)

198.170 208.105 215.101 8.5 3.4

Medical care

501.719 506.096 509.339 1.5 0.6

Recreation(5)

118.098 119.458 118.311 0.2 -1.0

Education and communication(5)

149.991 147.566 148.947 -0.7 0.9

Other goods and services

396.424 401.188 402.050 1.4 0.2
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All Items

228.624 232.123 232.718 1.8 0.3

Commodities

176.466 178.776 178.053 0.9 -0.4

Commodities less food & beverages

143.453 145.819 144.355 0.6 -1.0

Nondurables less food & beverages

197.039 202.268 203.077 3.1 0.4

Durables

95.803 96.058 93.195 -2.7 -3.0

Services

278.752 283.390 285.236 2.3 0.7
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

216.610 220.072 220.550 1.8 0.2

All items less shelter

216.266 218.945 218.940 1.2 0.0

Commodities less food

146.038 148.341 146.935 0.6 -0.9

Nondurables

224.313 228.051 229.116 2.1 0.5

Nondurables less food

197.877 202.736 203.520 2.9 0.4

Services less rent of shelter(2)

303.596 307.056 308.527 1.6 0.5

Services less medical care services

261.594 266.324 268.166 2.5 0.7

Energy

185.158 190.920 196.052 5.9 2.7

All items less energy

235.264 238.583 238.745 1.5 0.1

All items less food and energy

232.968 236.483 236.448 1.5 0.0

Footnotes
(1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(2) Index is on a November 1982=100 base.
(3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
(5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
 

- Data not available.
Note: Data not seasonally adjusted.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, January 12, 2018