The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Midwest was unchanged in February due to offsetting movements within the index, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A decline of 5.0 percent in prices for energy had the largest downward impact on the index. Food prices (-0.2 percent) were also lower over the month. Conversely, the all items less food and energy index recorded a broad-based increase of 0.4 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The CPI-U for the Midwest advanced 0.4 percent from February 2015 to February 2016. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index, which includes motor fuel and household fuels, fell 14.8 percent, but prices for food were up 0.6 percent. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U rose 1.9 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices in the Midwest were 0.2 percent lower in February following an increase of 0.4 percent in the prior month. The index for food at home led the decline with a 0.4-percent decrease while prices for food away from home (0.1 percent) changed little over the month.

From February 2015 to February 2016, the index for food advanced 0.6 percent. Rising costs for food away from home (2.3 percent) were responsible for the yearly advance. Prices for food at home registered their fifth consecutive over-the-year decline, down 0.4 percent since February 2015.

Energy

The energy index registered its eighth consecutive monthly decline, falling 5.0 percent in February, and had the greatest downward impact on the all items index. The decrease in energy costs was largely attributable to an 11.4-percent drop in motor fuel prices, though lower costs for electricity (-0.6 percent) also contributed to the decline. Prices for utility (piped) gas service were unchanged over the month.

Energy prices fell 14.8 percent from February 2015 to February 2016. Prices for motor fuel and utility (piped) gas service were down 26.9 and 13.8 percent, respectively. Costs for electricity were 0.5 percent higher over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy for the Midwest rose 0.4 percent for the second month in a row. Expenditure categories registering higher prices over the month included shelter (0.3 percent), recreation (0.8 percent), and medical care (0.5 percent). Apparel prices, which typically rise in February reflecting the introduction of spring-summer wear, rose 2.2 percent. A decline in costs for education and communication (-0.3 percent) moderated the overall increase.

The index for all items less food and energy was up 1.9 percent from February 2015 to February 2016. A 2.7-percent rise in shelter costs led the advance. Prices for medical care services had the next largest upward impact with a 3.7-percent increase. Costs for household furnishings and operations (-0.8 percent) were among those that were lower than a year ago.

The Midwest Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) stood at 223.196 in February 2016. A typical market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in the 1982-84 base period cost $223.20 in February 2016. Because regional CPI data are not adjusted for seasonal price variation, consumers and businesses should be cautious in drawing conclusions about long-term retail price trends from short-term changes in the regional indexes.

CPI-W

In February, the Midwest Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 217.002, down 0.2 percent over the month. The CPI-W was unchanged over the year.

Table A. Midwest region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2012		2013		2014		2015		2016
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.6	2.8	0.1	1.3	0.5	1.4	-0.6	-0.3	0.3	0.8
February	0.2	2.7	1.1	2.2	0.6	0.9	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.4
March	1.0	2.8	0.2	1.4	0.9	1.5	0.6	-0.9
April	0.2	2.3	-0.1	1.2	0.3	1.9	0.1	-1.1
May	-0.1	1.5	0.5	1.8	0.2	1.6	0.4	-0.8
June	-0.1	1.4	0.3	2.2	0.5	1.7	0.5	-0.7
July	0.0	1.3	-0.4	1.8	-0.3	1.8	0.0	-0.5
August	0.7	1.8	0.1	1.2	-0.2	1.6	0.0	-0.3
September	0.3	1.9	0.1	1.0	0.1	1.6	-0.3	-0.8
October	-0.3	2.2	-0.5	0.8	-0.5	1.6	-0.1	-0.3
November	-0.4	1.8	-0.2	1.0	-0.6	1.2	-0.5	-0.2
December	-0.2	1.8	-0.2	1.0	-0.7	0.7	-0.6	0.0

The March 2016 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest region is scheduled to be released on Thursday, April 14, 2016.

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 approximately 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/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 areas; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

The Midwest region is comprised of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

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