The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Midwest rose 0.2 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The monthly advance was led by a 0.4-percent increase in the index for all items less food and energy. Food prices were 0.2 percent higher over the month and also contributed to the upward movement. Partially offsetting the increases was a 2.3-percent decline in energy costs. (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 rose 2.4 percent from February 2016 to February 2017, the largest over-the-year increase since March 2012. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index, which includes motor fuel and household fuels, was up 17.7 percent, but food prices decreased 0.2 percent. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U advanced 1.7 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.2 percent in February. Higher costs for food at home and for food away from home, each up 0.2 percent, contributed to the monthly advance.

From February 2016 to February 2017, the index for food decreased 0.2 percent. Prices for food at home registered their seventeenth consecutive over-the-year decrease, down 1.8 percent. Costs for food away from home rose 2.3 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index turned down 2.3 percent in February and had the largest downward impact on the all items index. Lower motor fuel prices, down 4.5 percent, led the decrease in the energy component. Also contributing to the decline, costs for electricity and utility (piped) gas service decreased 0.4 and 0.5 percent, respectively, over the month.

Despite the monthly decline, energy costs advanced 17.7 percent from February 2016 to February 2017. Motor fuel prices jumped 38.3 percent over the year, the largest 12-month gain since June 2011. Costs for utility (piped) gas service increased 11.8 percent and prices for electricity were up 0.5 percent 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 in February. Expenditure categories registering higher prices over the month included recreation (1.6 percent), apparel (2.7 percent), and shelter (0.2 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy was up 1.7 percent from February 2016 to February 2017. Higher costs for shelter (2.6 percent) and medical care services (3.9 percent) led the advance.

The Midwest Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) stood at 228.633 in February 2017. A typical market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in the 1982-84 base period cost $228.63 in February 2017.

CPI-W

In February, the Midwest Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 222.507, unchanged over the month. The CPI-W increased 2.5 percent over the year.

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

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.1	1.3	0.5	1.4	-0.6	-0.3	0.3	0.8	0.7	2.2
February	1.1	2.2	0.6	0.9	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.4	0.2	2.4
March	0.2	1.4	0.9	1.5	0.6	-0.9	0.6	0.5
April	-0.1	1.2	0.3	1.9	0.1	-1.1	0.4	0.8
May	0.5	1.8	0.2	1.6	0.4	-0.8	0.4	0.8
June	0.3	2.2	0.5	1.7	0.5	-0.7	0.6	0.8
July	-0.4	1.8	-0.3	1.8	0.0	-0.5	-0.5	0.4
August	0.1	1.2	-0.2	1.6	0.0	-0.3	0.1	0.6
September	0.1	1.0	0.1	1.6	-0.3	-0.8	0.2	1.1
October	-0.5	0.8	-0.5	1.6	-0.1	-0.3	-0.1	1.0
November	-0.2	1.0	-0.6	1.2	-0.5	-0.2	-0.3	1.2
December	-0.2	1.0	-0.7	0.7	-0.6	0.0	0.1	1.8

The March 2017 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest region is scheduled to be released on Friday, April 14, 2017.

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.

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

Midwest (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Dec. 2016	Jan. 2017	Feb. 2017	Feb. 2016	Dec. 2016	Jan. 2017
Expenditure category
All Items	226.794	228.279	228.633	2.4	0.8	0.2
All items (December 1977=100)	369.006	371.422	371.998
Food and beverages	239.494	240.077	240.532	-0.1	0.4	0.2
Food	238.923	239.464	240.000	-0.2	0.5	0.2
Food at home	224.151	225.083	225.558	-1.8	0.6	0.2
Food away from home	263.767	263.637	264.278	2.3	0.2	0.2
Alcoholic beverages	245.204	246.391	245.662	0.6	0.2	-0.3
Housing	217.867	219.369	219.711	2.4	0.8	0.2
Shelter	258.348	259.528	260.016	2.6	0.6	0.2
Rent of primary residence(1)	258.228	258.736	259.003	2.6	0.3	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	263.042	263.522	263.834	2.7	0.3	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	263.028	263.506	263.812	2.7	0.3	0.1
Fuels and utilities	214.249	218.703	218.321	4.4	1.9	-0.2
Household energy	175.144	179.422	178.854	4.4	2.1	-0.3
Energy services(1)	182.197	186.608	185.745	3.9	1.9	-0.5
Electricity(1)	196.059	198.684	197.811	0.5	0.9	-0.4
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	148.229	155.269	154.476	11.8	4.2	-0.5
Household furnishings and operations	113.109	113.896	114.268	-0.9	1.0	0.3
Apparel	113.436	113.754	116.785	-0.7	3.0	2.7
Transportation	192.164	195.395	193.850	6.4	0.9	-0.8
Private transportation	186.910	190.013	188.209	6.8	0.7	-0.9
New and used motor vehicles(3)	96.626	96.984	97.207	-1.9	0.6	0.2
New vehicles	138.938	140.162	140.337	-0.6	1.0	0.1
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	98.261	98.999	99.121	-0.8	0.9	0.1
New cars(4)	134.687	136.756	137.672	0.2	2.2	0.7
Used cars and trucks	138.152	138.051	138.424	-4.1	0.2	0.3
Motor fuel	199.912	212.034	202.461	38.3	1.3	-4.5
Gasoline (all types)	198.809	210.904	201.278	38.5	1.2	-4.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	192.964	204.966	195.197	39.6	1.2	-4.8
Gasoline, Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	232.281	246.015	237.973	36.0	2.5	-3.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	223.666	234.328	226.251	32.0	1.2	-3.4
Medical Care	477.476	479.115	480.573	3.8	0.6	0.3
Medical care commodities	382.672	386.773	388.355	3.5	1.5	0.4
Medical care services	509.346	510.100	511.508	3.9	0.4	0.3
Professional services	412.901	413.960	415.610	4.0	0.7	0.4
Recreation(3)	117.984	118.860	120.781	2.4	2.4	1.6
Education and communication(3)	140.552	140.444	140.076	-0.2	-0.3	-0.3
Other goods and services	412.612	412.612	412.232	1.6	-0.1	-0.1
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	226.794	228.279	228.633	2.4	0.8	0.2
Commodities	174.645	176.159	176.119	2.0	0.8	0.0
Commodities less food & beverages	143.331	145.170	144.935	3.4	1.1	-0.2
Nondurables less food & beverages	184.435	187.971	187.154	7.9	1.5	-0.4
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	230.989	236.605	233.321	11.0	1.0	-1.4
Durables	103.073	103.529	103.741	-2.1	0.6	0.2
Services	280.562	282.021	282.777	2.7	0.8	0.3
Rent of shelter(2)	265.482	266.708	267.212	2.6	0.7	0.2
Transportation services	300.775	302.297	303.383	2.6	0.9	0.4
Other services	334.126	335.288	337.388	2.0	1.0	0.6
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	214.926	216.404	216.705	2.3	0.8	0.1
All items less food	224.706	226.341	226.666	2.9	0.9	0.1
All items less shelter	217.663	219.271	219.580	2.4	0.9	0.1
Commodities less food	146.503	148.333	148.084	3.3	1.1	-0.2
Nondurables	211.481	213.626	213.412	3.5	0.9	-0.1
Nondurables less food	187.658	191.061	190.250	7.4	1.4	-0.4
Nondurables less food and apparel	230.886	236.083	233.040	10.0	0.9	-1.3
Services less rent of shelter(2)	313.347	315.145	316.220	2.8	0.9	0.3
Services less medical care services	263.516	265.024	265.732	2.6	0.8	0.3
Energy	186.581	194.261	189.806	17.7	1.7	-2.3
All items less energy	233.578	234.471	235.303	1.4	0.7	0.4
All items less food and energy	233.317	234.276	235.165	1.7	0.8	0.4
Commodities less food and energy commodities	143.124	143.776	144.568	-0.9	1.0	0.6
Energy commodities	199.799	211.647	202.786	37.1	1.5	-4.2
Services less energy services	293.096	294.254	295.187	2.7	0.7	0.3
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 December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
Regions defined as the four Census regions. Midwest includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.

Table 2. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods

Midwest (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Dec. 2016	Jan. 2017	Feb. 2017	Feb. 2016	Dec. 2016	Jan. 2017
Expenditure category
All Items	220.938	222.428	222.507	2.5	0.7	0.0
All items (December 1977=100)	357.306	359.715	359.843
Food and beverages	239.052	239.662	240.160	-0.3	0.5	0.2
Food	238.435	239.048	239.608	-0.4	0.5	0.2
Food at home	224.477	225.479	226.040	-1.9	0.7	0.2
Food away from home	264.918	264.722	265.274	2.3	0.1	0.2
Alcoholic beverages	247.365	247.930	247.413	0.8	0.0	-0.2
Housing	213.121	214.425	214.683	2.5	0.7	0.1
Shelter	247.677	248.484	248.857	2.6	0.5	0.2
Rent of primary residence(1)	258.864	259.386	259.662	2.6	0.3	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	245.159	245.616	245.864	2.6	0.3	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	245.154	245.613	245.859	2.6	0.3	0.1
Fuels and utilities	215.230	219.798	219.524	4.5	2.0	-0.1
Household energy	175.838	180.218	179.754	4.4	2.2	-0.3
Energy services(1)	181.470	185.951	185.175	3.9	2.0	-0.4
Electricity(1)	194.292	196.983	196.274	0.6	1.0	-0.4
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	149.344	156.744	155.892	12.0	4.4	-0.5
Household furnishings and operations	111.177	111.826	112.130	-1.3	0.9	0.3
Apparel	111.581	111.766	114.376	-0.8	2.5	2.3
Transportation	188.866	192.194	190.281	7.2	0.7	-1.0
Private transportation	185.507	188.762	186.740	7.4	0.7	-1.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)	95.890	96.086	96.353	-2.5	0.5	0.3
New vehicles	141.986	143.211	143.513	-0.7	1.1	0.2
Used cars and trucks	138.710	138.600	138.957	-4.2	0.2	0.3
Motor fuel	200.289	212.443	202.924	38.6	1.3	-4.5
Gasoline (all types)	199.100	211.212	201.654	38.8	1.3	-4.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	193.094	205.094	195.433	39.9	1.2	-4.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	232.155	245.895	237.786	36.2	2.4	-3.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	223.429	234.083	225.941	32.0	1.1	-3.5
Medical Care	482.922	484.842	486.218	3.8	0.7	0.3
Medical care commodities	374.113	378.327	380.004	3.0	1.6	0.4
Medical care services	516.854	517.937	519.192	4.0	0.5	0.2
Professional services	415.482	416.489	418.363	4.0	0.7	0.4
Recreation(3)	113.785	114.699	116.270	1.8	2.2	1.4
Education and communication(3)	132.022	132.040	131.596	-0.5	-0.3	-0.3
Other goods and services	460.687	460.918	459.798	1.7	-0.2	-0.2
Commodity and Service Group
All Items	220.938	222.428	222.507	2.5	0.7	0.0
Commodities	176.770	178.454	178.109	2.4	0.8	-0.2
Commodities less food & beverages	146.688	148.741	148.075	4.2	0.9	-0.4
Nondurables less food & beverages	191.593	195.810	194.004	9.9	1.3	-0.9
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel	240.701	247.231	242.974	13.1	0.9	-1.7
Durables	104.580	104.938	105.138	-2.6	0.5	0.2
Services	273.020	274.339	274.870	2.7	0.7	0.2
Rent of shelter(2)	246.088	246.898	247.271	2.6	0.5	0.2
Transportation services	303.158	304.157	304.810	2.7	0.5	0.2
Other services	308.316	309.487	310.890	1.5	0.8	0.5
Special aggregate indexes:
All items less medical care	210.897	212.369	212.399	2.4	0.7	0.0
All items less food	217.398	219.023	219.025	3.1	0.7	0.0
All items less shelter	213.810	215.559	215.535	2.5	0.8	0.0
Commodities less food	149.676	151.706	151.040	4.0	0.9	-0.4
Nondurables	215.492	218.012	217.296	4.3	0.8	-0.3
Nondurables less food	194.430	198.467	196.724	9.3	1.2	-0.9
Nondurables less food and apparel	239.670	245.708	241.761	12.0	0.9	-1.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)	277.067	278.810	279.462	2.7	0.9	0.2
Services less medical care services	256.947	258.273	258.758	2.5	0.7	0.2
Energy	186.445	194.410	189.751	18.9	1.8	-2.4
All items less energy	227.018	227.750	228.394	1.2	0.6	0.3
All items less food and energy	224.878	225.632	226.292	1.5	0.6	0.3
Commodities less food and energy commodities	145.844	146.357	146.977	-1.2	0.8	0.4
Energy commodities	200.280	212.152	203.338	37.2	1.5	-4.2
Services less energy services	285.116	286.055	286.747	2.6	0.6	0.2
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 December 1984=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
Regions defined as the four Census regions. Midwest includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.