Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), crept up 0.2 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The October advance was influenced by a 0.3-percent increase in the index for all items less food and energy. Food prices edged up a slight 0.1 percent over the month, while energy costs declined 1.6 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 1.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.2 percent over the year. Food prices rose 1.7 percent. Energy prices decreased 5.2 percent, largely the result of lower prices for gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices edged up 0.1 percent for the month of October. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home increased 0.3 percent, while prices for food at home were unchanged for the same period.

From October 2018 to October 2019, food prices rose 1.7 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 2.9 percent and prices for food at home advanced 0.7 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index decreased 1.6 percent over the month reflecting lower prices for electricity (-3.7 percent) and gasoline (-1.4 percent). Prices for natural gas service advanced 2.4 percent.

Energy prices were down 5.2 percent over the year, largely due to a 7.8-percent decrease in prices for gasoline. Lower prices for natural gas service also contributed to the decline (-5.0 percent). Prices paid for electricity were virtually unchanged from a year ago.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.3 percent in October. Higher prices for medical care services (2.0 percent) led the increase.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 2.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included medical care services (6.0 percent) and shelter (3.0 percent). Among the expenditure categories that recorded price declines were apparel (-1.1 percent) and medical care commodities (-1.5 percent).

The Midwest Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) stood at 239.243 in October 2019. A typical market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in the 1982-84 base period cost $239.24 in October 2019.

CPI-W 

In October, the Midwest Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was 233.174. The CPI-W edged up 0.1 percent in October and advanced 1.3 percent over the year.

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

Month	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	-0.6	-0.3	0.3	0.8	0.7	2.2	0.6	1.6	0.2	0.8
February	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.4	0.2	2.4	0.2	1.7	0.7	1.3
March	0.6	-0.9	0.6	0.5	0.1	1.9	0.2	1.8	0.6	1.7
April	0.1	-1.1	0.4	0.8	0.4	1.8	0.4	1.8	0.3	1.5
May	0.4	-0.8	0.4	0.8	0.0	1.4	0.5	2.3	0.3	1.3
June	0.5	-0.7	0.6	0.8	0.0	0.9	0.2	2.5	0.0	1.2
July	0.0	-0.5	-0.5	0.4	0.0	1.3	0.0	2.4	0.2	1.5
August	0.0	-0.3	0.1	0.6	0.3	1.5	0.0	2.1	0.0	1.5
September	-0.3	-0.8	0.2	1.1	0.3	1.5	0.1	1.9	0.0	1.4
October	-0.1	-0.3	-0.1	1.0	-0.2	1.5	0.1	2.2	0.2	1.5
November	-0.5	-0.2	-0.3	1.2	0.2	1.9	-0.6	1.4
December	-0.6	0.0	0.1	1.8	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.3

The November 2019 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on December 11, 2019.

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 6,000 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.

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 Region, (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted)

Expenditure category	Indexes			Percent change from
	Aug. 2019	Sep. 2019	Oct. 2019	Oct. 2018	Aug. 2019	Sep. 2019
All items	238.786	238.847	239.243	1.5	0.2	0.2
All items (December 1977 = 100)	388.517	388.618	389.262
Food and beverages	247.801	248.257	248.488	1.6	0.3	0.1
Food	247.123	247.641	247.914	1.7	0.3	0.1
Food at home	227.101	227.677	227.603	0.7	0.2	0.0
Cereals and bakery products	256.555	259.537	257.550	-1.4	0.4	-0.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	247.869	247.380	247.329	1.1	-0.2	0.0
Dairy and related products	196.724	196.666	197.387	1.8	0.3	0.4
Fruits and vegetables	269.983	268.486	269.741	-0.1	-0.1	0.5
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	162.877	163.807	163.292	0.9	0.3	-0.3
Other food at home	198.077	199.414	199.352	1.4	0.6	0.0
Food away from home	280.215	280.653	281.449	2.9	0.4	0.3
Alcoholic beverages	254.981	254.578	254.243	0.7	-0.3	-0.1
Housing	234.214	234.593	234.522	2.5	0.1	0.0
Shelter	280.599	281.723	281.992	3.0	0.5	0.1
Rent of primary residence(1)	279.525	280.641	281.400	3.0	0.7	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	285.356	286.203	287.080	3.1	0.6	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	285.303	286.162	287.017	3.1	0.6	0.3
Fuels and utilities	226.326	222.517	219.584	-1.0	-3.0	-1.3
Household energy	183.546	179.559	176.264	-1.9	-4.0	-1.8
Energy services(1)	190.910	186.565	182.938	-1.5	-4.2	-1.9
Electricity(1)	215.444	209.303	201.494	0.1	-6.5	-3.7
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	139.303	138.119	141.429	-5.0	1.5	2.4
Household furnishings and operations	115.338	115.967	116.537	2.2	1.0	0.5
Apparel	116.262	119.790	120.115	-1.1	3.3	0.3
Transportation	205.050	202.862	202.633	-1.2	-1.2	-0.1
Private transportation	200.426	198.069	197.746	-1.4	-1.3	-0.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)	98.717	96.728	96.739	1.1	-2.0	0.0
New vehicles	137.052	135.622	135.844	0.2	-0.9	0.2
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	96.876	95.888	96.048	0.2	-0.9	0.2
New cars(4)	133.327	131.698	132.311	-0.3	-0.8	0.5
Used cars and trucks	143.379	137.885	137.544	1.6	-4.1	-0.2
Motor fuel	238.369	234.727	231.591	-7.8	-2.8	-1.3
Gasoline (all types)	237.091	233.374	230.121	-7.8	-2.9	-1.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	230.701	226.982	223.747	-8.0	-3.0	-1.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	273.710	272.349	268.140	-6.6	-2.0	-1.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	262.530	258.645	256.188	-6.0	-2.4	-0.9
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	732.101	732.560	743.115	0.1	1.5	1.4
Medical care	500.589	500.625	508.101	4.5	1.5	1.5
Medical care commodities	390.388	391.207	389.667	-1.5	-0.2	-0.4
Medical care services	537.556	537.327	547.856	6.0	1.9	2.0
Professional services	421.643	421.369	421.441	1.3	0.0	0.0
Recreation(3)	121.262	121.085	121.512	1.2	0.2	0.4
Education and communication(3)	137.387	137.788	137.766	-0.4	0.3	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,201.106	1,205.215	1,206.345	0.8	0.4	0.1
Other goods and services	436.230	438.131	439.682	2.8	0.8	0.4
Commodity and service group
Commodities	180.440	180.171	180.109	0.0	-0.2	0.0
Commodities less food and beverages	147.941	147.413	147.244	-1.0	-0.5	-0.1
Nondurables less food and beverages	196.197	196.508	196.026	-2.5	-0.1	-0.2
Durables	102.161	101.098	101.160	1.0	-1.0	0.1
Services	298.990	299.400	300.279	2.5	0.4	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	226.171	225.866	226.309	0.9	0.1	0.2
All items less medical care	226.391	226.454	226.514	1.2	0.1	0.0
Commodities less food	151.263	150.736	150.562	-1.0	-0.5	-0.1
Nondurables	221.673	222.054	221.902	-0.4	0.1	-0.1
Nondurables less food	199.300	199.570	199.097	-2.3	-0.1	-0.2
Services less rent of shelter(2)	327.840	327.464	329.041	2.0	0.4	0.5
Services less medical care services	281.195	281.654	281.810	2.0	0.2	0.1
Energy	208.437	204.625	201.417	-5.2	-3.4	-1.6
All items less energy	244.735	245.192	245.960	2.1	0.5	0.3
All items less food and energy	245.031	245.479	246.337	2.2	0.5	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) Indexes 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. (6) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.