Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.8 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The June increase was mainly influenced by higher prices for gasoline. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the all items CPI-U increased 0.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) . The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.2 percent over the year. Food prices rose 3.5 percent. Energy prices dropped 12.9 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.4 percent for the month of June. (See table 1.) Prices for food away from home were 0.8 percent higher during the period, while prices for food at home were unchanged.

Over the year, food prices rose 3.5 percent. Prices for food at home increased 4.8 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 1.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 7.6 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (13.9 percent). Prices for electricity rose 4.7 percent, while prices for natural gas service decreased 0.6 percent for the same period.

Energy prices dropped 12.9 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-23.5 percent). Prices paid for electricity decreased 0.3 percent, and prices for natural gas service declined 2.8 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent in June. Higher prices for motor vehicle insurance (8.7 percent) and shelter (0.3 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for used cars and trucks (-1.1 percent) and apparel (-0.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (2.1 percent) and medical care services (6.5 percent). Lower prices for apparel (-7.1 percent) partly offset the increases.

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

Month	2016		2017		2018		2019		2020
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	-0.3	0.8	0.7	2.2	0.4	1.6	-0.2	0.8	0.4	2.5
February	0.2	0.4	0.8	2.4	0.9	1.7	0.9	1.3	0.3	2.1
March	0.6	0.5	0.2	1.9	0.4	1.8	1.3	1.7	-0.5	1.0
April	1.1	0.8	0.5	1.8	0.6	1.8	0.9	1.5	-1.1	-0.4
May	0.8	0.8	0.4	1.4	0.9	2.3	0.6	1.3	0.3	-0.4
June	1.0	0.8	0.0	0.9	0.7	2.5	0.3	1.2	0.8	0.4
July	0.1	0.4	0.1	1.3	0.1	2.4	0.2	1.5
August	-0.3	0.6	0.3	1.5	-0.1	2.1	0.2	1.5
September	0.4	1.1	0.5	1.5	0.1	1.9	0.0	1.4
October	0.1	1.0	0.1	1.5	0.2	2.2	0.2	1.5
November	-0.4	1.2	0.0	1.9	-0.5	1.4	0.0	1.9
December	-0.2	1.8	0.0	1.7	-0.9	1.3	-0.2	2.3

The July 2020 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

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
	Apr. 2020	May 2020	Jun. 2020	Jun. 2019	Apr. 2020	May 2020
All items	236.474	237.291	239.259	0.4	1.2	0.8
All items (December 1977 = 100)	384.756	386.086	389.287
Food and beverages	253.602	255.163	256.156	3.3	1.0	0.4
Food	253.291	255.009	255.935	3.5	1.0	0.4
Food at home	236.431	238.881	238.991	4.8	1.1	0.0
Cereals and bakery products	264.421	262.661	263.866	0.7	-0.2	0.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	263.699	277.320	284.075	14.6	7.7	2.4
Dairy and related products	206.834	205.984	205.087	5.1	-0.8	-0.4
Fruits and vegetables	269.304	276.653	270.590	0.0	0.5	-2.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	170.839	168.831	168.144	3.9	-1.6	-0.4
Other food at home	207.573	205.651	204.792	2.6	-1.3	-0.4
Food away from home	281.716	282.357	284.520	1.8	1.0	0.8
Alcoholic beverages	256.055	255.647	257.467	1.3	0.6	0.7
Housing	235.453	236.766	237.990	1.9	1.1	0.5
Shelter	284.083	285.288	286.137	2.1	0.7	0.3
Rent of primary residence(1)	286.272	286.833	287.804	3.3	0.5	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	290.897	291.630	292.443	2.9	0.5	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	290.824	291.555	292.368	2.9	0.5	0.3
Fuels and utilities	215.939	219.552	224.767	-0.2	4.1	2.4
Household energy	171.241	174.911	180.265	-1.2	5.3	3.1
Energy services(1)	177.997	182.028	187.706	-1.1	5.5	3.1
Electricity(1)	197.690	201.876	211.431	-0.3	7.0	4.7
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	135.094	138.616	137.785	-2.8	2.0	-0.6
Household furnishings and operations	116.593	117.020	117.208	2.4	0.5	0.2
Apparel	110.183	106.846	105.982	-7.1	-3.8	-0.8
Transportation	182.380	183.753	189.894	-7.9	4.1	3.3
Private transportation	179.598	181.347	187.562	-6.6	4.4	3.4
New and used motor vehicles(3)	97.694	97.553	97.565	-0.3	-0.1	0.0
New vehicles	137.771	138.248	138.803	1.0	0.7	0.4
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	97.386	97.736	98.126	1.0	0.8	0.4
New cars(4)	135.773	135.386	136.532	1.9	0.6	0.8
Used cars and trucks	138.418	137.421	135.976	-3.1	-1.8	-1.1
Motor fuel	145.750	165.162	187.467	-23.4	28.6	13.5
Gasoline (all types)	143.600	163.573	186.295	-23.5	29.7	13.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	137.731	158.112	180.505	-23.9	31.1	14.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	179.633	195.278	222.849	-20.2	24.1	14.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	182.078	193.170	214.002	-19.4	17.5	10.8
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	679.858	608.167	661.029	-10.0	-2.8	8.7
Medical care	513.998	515.567	517.940	4.9	0.8	0.5
Medical care commodities	380.061	381.313	382.917	-2.0	0.8	0.4
Medical care services	558.708	560.384	563.012	6.5	0.8	0.5
Professional services	426.252	427.548	428.816	1.8	0.6	0.3
Recreation(3)	123.227	123.004	123.040	1.7	-0.2	0.0
Education and communication(3)	138.970	138.892	139.006	1.2	0.0	0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,199.045	1,199.684	1,203.348	0.1	0.4	0.3
Other goods and services	445.297	444.549	447.885	3.4	0.6	0.8
Commodity and service group
Commodities	174.129	175.525	177.371	-1.6	1.9	1.1
Commodities less food and beverages	137.496	138.769	140.840	-4.6	2.4	1.5
Nondurables less food and beverages	171.227	174.352	179.304	-8.8	4.7	2.8
Durables	101.659	101.686	101.808	0.3	0.1	0.1
Services	301.099	301.252	303.312	1.7	0.7	0.7
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	221.889	222.583	224.930	-0.3	1.4	1.1
All items less medical care	223.313	224.095	226.046	-0.1	1.2	0.9
Commodities less food	141.080	142.313	144.385	-4.4	2.3	1.5
Nondurables	211.180	213.574	216.663	-2.4	2.6	1.4
Nondurables less food	175.999	178.893	183.633	-8.0	4.3	2.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)	328.499	327.416	330.832	1.4	0.7	1.0
Services less medical care services	281.811	281.842	283.866	1.0	0.7	0.7
Energy	159.976	170.732	183.717	-12.9	14.8	7.6
All items less energy	246.750	246.660	247.634	1.5	0.4	0.4
All items less food and energy	246.317	245.905	246.892	1.2	0.2	0.4
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.