Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), edged down 0.2 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The November decrease was most influenced by lower prices for energy, but food prices also fell. (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 increased 1.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.6 percent over the year and food prices rose 2.7 percent. In contrast, energy prices decreased 9.3 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices decreased 0.5 percent for the month of November. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home decreased 0.6 percent and prices for food away from home edged down 0.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 2.7 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 3.1 percent and prices for food at home rose 2.4 percent since a year ago.

Energy

The energy index decreased 1.8 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-4.1 percent), but prices for electricity also fell (-2.0 percent). Prices for natural gas service advanced 4.8 percent for the same period.

Over the year, energy prices decreased 9.3 percent due to lower prices for gasoline (-19.9 percent). In contrast, prices paid for natural gas service rose 5.8 percent and prices for electricity advanced 0.7 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in November. Higher prices for household furnishings and operations (1.1 percent) and motor vehicle insurance (2.8 percent) were balanced by lower prices for categories including apparel (-3.1 percent) and used cars and trucks (-1.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.6 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (2.0 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (6.7 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases for apparel (-6.4 percent) and motor vehicle insurance (-5.3 percent).

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	0.5	0.7
August	-0.3	0.6	0.3	1.5	-0.1	2.1	0.2	1.5	0.4	1.1
September	0.4	1.1	0.5	1.5	0.1	1.9	0.0	1.4	0.2	1.3
October	0.1	1.0	0.1	1.5	0.2	2.2	0.2	1.5	-0.1	1.0
November	-0.4	1.2	0.0	1.9	-0.5	1.4	0.0	1.9	-0.2	1.0
December	-0.2	1.8	0.0	1.7	-0.9	1.3	-0.2	2.3

The December 2020 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 13, 2021.

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
	Sep. 2020	Oct. 2020	Nov. 2020	Nov. 2019	Sep. 2020	Oct. 2020
All items	241.878	241.740	241.316	1.0	-0.2	-0.2
All items (December 1977 = 100)	393.550	393.324	392.634
Food and beverages	255.255	256.336	255.325	2.7	0.0	-0.4
Food	254.773	255.915	254.737	2.7	0.0	-0.5
Food at home	232.725	234.245	232.725	2.4	0.0	-0.6
Cereals and bakery products	265.766	265.042	265.472	3.1	-0.1	0.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	259.576	259.723	258.428	4.4	-0.4	-0.5
Dairy and related products	205.470	206.071	206.248	3.1	0.4	0.1
Fruits and vegetables	267.271	272.740	270.622	1.3	1.3	-0.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	165.299	166.397	164.546	0.6	-0.5	-1.1
Other food at home	202.170	203.941	201.587	1.5	-0.3	-1.2
Food away from home	291.003	291.593	290.913	3.1	0.0	-0.2
Alcoholic beverages	259.826	260.147	261.211	2.8	0.5	0.4
Housing	238.977	238.811	239.340	2.2	0.2	0.2
Shelter	286.953	287.428	287.663	2.0	0.2	0.1
Rent of primary residence(1)	289.072	289.897	290.772	3.0	0.6	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	293.778	294.451	294.774	2.4	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	293.701	294.372	294.697	2.4	0.3	0.1
Fuels and utilities	228.918	223.323	223.823	2.3	-2.2	0.2
Household energy	184.255	178.375	178.689	1.9	-3.0	0.2
Energy services(1)	192.147	185.740	185.929	2.3	-3.2	0.1
Electricity(1)	213.271	202.512	198.366	0.7	-7.0	-2.0
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	146.049	146.951	153.990	5.8	5.4	4.8
Household furnishings and operations	117.054	117.929	119.187	3.0	1.8	1.1
Apparel	110.971	112.418	108.941	-6.4	-1.8	-3.1
Transportation	197.449	196.665	195.565	-2.7	-1.0	-0.6
Private transportation	195.381	194.860	193.579	-1.4	-0.9	-0.7
New and used motor vehicles(3)	102.820	103.630	103.233	6.7	0.4	-0.4
New vehicles	140.250	140.731	140.923	2.8	0.5	0.1
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	99.128	99.469	99.601	2.7	0.5	0.1
New cars(4)	139.186	139.786	139.935	4.8	0.5	0.1
Used cars and trucks	152.937	154.432	152.256	11.9	-0.4	-1.4
Motor fuel	190.380	187.838	180.330	-19.9	-5.3	-4.0
Gasoline (all types)	189.403	186.878	179.169	-19.9	-5.4	-4.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	183.572	180.991	173.379	-20.2	-5.6	-4.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	225.632	223.528	214.101	-18.2	-5.1	-4.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	216.748	215.486	208.823	-16.4	-3.7	-3.1
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	705.868	682.429	701.290	-5.3	-0.6	2.8
Medical care	522.679	520.319	519.503	2.3	-0.6	-0.2
Medical care commodities	386.677	378.711	377.928	-2.6	-2.3	-0.2
Medical care services	568.082	567.491	566.662	3.5	-0.2	-0.1
Professional services	430.329	430.030	429.926	1.8	-0.1	0.0
Recreation(3)	123.799	123.656	124.170	1.1	0.3	0.4
Education and communication(3)	141.456	141.188	140.452	1.4	-0.7	-0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,218.868	1,219.259	1,217.797	1.2	-0.1	-0.1
Other goods and services	445.046	444.292	445.559	1.0	0.1	0.3
Commodity and service group
Commodities	179.758	180.172	179.009	0.0	-0.4	-0.6
Commodities less food and beverages	144.309	144.462	143.297	-1.7	-0.7	-0.8
Nondurables less food and beverages	182.319	181.590	178.840	-7.2	-1.9	-1.5
Durables	105.148	105.807	105.717	4.6	0.5	-0.1
Services	306.135	305.381	305.793	1.7	-0.1	0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	228.160	227.818	227.173	0.6	-0.4	-0.3
All items less medical care	228.567	228.537	228.131	0.9	-0.2	-0.2
Commodities less food	147.836	147.994	146.884	-1.5	-0.6	-0.8
Nondurables	217.827	217.957	216.022	-1.9	-0.8	-0.9
Nondurables less food	186.597	185.937	183.435	-6.4	-1.7	-1.3
Services less rent of shelter(2)	335.902	333.788	334.403	1.4	-0.4	0.2
Services less medical care services	286.522	285.751	286.265	1.5	-0.1	0.2
Energy	187.227	182.841	179.638	-9.3	-4.1	-1.8
All items less energy	250.207	250.459	250.287	1.8	0.0	-0.1
All items less food and energy	250.134	250.229	250.235	1.6	0.0	0.0
(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.