The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Midwest was unchanged in July after rising 0.2 percent in June and 0.5 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Higher prices for shelter (0.3 percent) and lower prices for apparel (-3.1 percent) were among those with the most impact on the index in July. Food prices were little changed, up 0.1 percent, and prices for energy were 0.7 percent lower over the month. The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in July. (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 2.4 percent from July 2017 to July 2018. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index, which includes motor fuel and household fuels, rose 10.2 percent and food prices increased 1.5 percent. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U was up 1.8 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices in the Midwest registered little change (0.1 percent) in July after increasing 0.2 percent in the prior month. The index for food at home was unchanged over the month and the food away from home index was virtually unchanged (0.1 percent). The indexes were each up 0.2 percent in June.

From July 2017 to July 2018, the index for food was 1.5 percent higher. Prices for food away from home led the gain with an increase of 3.1 percent. Prices for food at home were up 0.4 percent and also contributed to the over-the-year increase. 

Energy

The energy index turned down 0.7 percent in July following gains of 1.5 percent in June and 5.0 percent in May. Prices for gasoline were 0.8 percent lower in July after registering little change in the prior month. Electricity prices declined 0.6 percent after rising 5.3 percent in June. Costs for utility (piped) gas service were 1.1 percent lower over the month following a decrease of 0.4 percent in the prior month.

Energy costs advanced 10.2 percent from July 2017 to July 2018 due largely to an increase of 25.4 percent in prices for gasoline. Costs for electricity and utility (piped) gas service were lower than in July 2017, decreasing 3.1 and 5.0 percent, respectively, over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy for the Midwest was unchanged for the second month in a row. Among the expenditure categories registering higher costs were shelter (0.3 percent) and used cars and trucks (1.2 percent). Apparel prices (-3.1 percent) were among those that declined in July.  

The index for all items less food and energy was up 1.8 percent from July 2017 to July 2018. Higher costs for shelter (3.2 percent) led the over-the-year increase.

The Midwest Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) stood at 235.346 in July 2018. A typical market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in the 1982-84 base period cost $235.35 in July 2018.

CPI-W

In July, the Midwest Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 229.717. The CPI-W was little changed (-0.1 percent) in July and rose 2.7 percent over the year.

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

Month	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.5	1.4	-0.6	-0.3	0.3	0.8	0.7	2.2	0.6	1.6
February	0.6	0.9	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.4	0.2	2.4	0.2	1.7
March	0.9	1.5	0.6	-0.9	0.6	0.5	0.1	1.9	0.2	1.8
April	0.3	1.9	0.1	-1.1	0.4	0.8	0.4	1.8	0.4	1.8
May	0.2	1.6	0.4	-0.8	0.4	0.8	0.0	1.4	0.5	2.3
June	0.5	1.7	0.5	-0.7	0.6	0.8	0.0	0.9	0.2	2.5
July	-0.3	1.8	0.0	-0.5	-0.5	0.4	0.0	1.3	0.0	2.4
August	-0.2	1.6	0.0	-0.3	0.1	0.6	0.3	1.5
September	0.1	1.6	-0.3	-0.8	0.2	1.1	0.3	1.5
October	-0.5	1.6	-0.1	-0.3	-0.1	1.0	-0.2	1.5
November	-0.6	1.2	-0.5	-0.2	-0.3	1.2	0.2	1.9
December	-0.7	0.7	-0.6	0.0	0.1	1.8	-0.2	1.7

The August 2018 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest region is scheduled to be released on Thursday, September 13, 2018.

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 population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 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 (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 Midwest region is comprised of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

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