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News Release Information

21-658-KAN
Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (816) 285-7000

Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – March 2021

Regional prices up 0.7 percent over the past month, up 3.0 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.7 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The March increase was most influenced by higher prices for energy, but an advance in the index for all items less food and energy was another major contributor. (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 3.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.8 percent over the year. Energy prices surged 17.5 percent, while food prices advanced 2.9 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices inched up 0.2 percent for the month of March. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 0.2 percent and prices for food away from home edged up 0.1 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 2.9 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 2.7 percent since a year ago and prices for food away from home rose 3.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 5.6 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (10.0 percent). Prices for natural gas service advanced 2.7 percent and prices for electricity increased 0.9 percent for the same period.

Energy prices climbed 17.5 percent over the year, the fastest rate of annual increase since February 2017. The largest contributor to the latest advance was higher prices for gasoline (29.8 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service jumped 14.8 percent and prices for electricity increased 2.4 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.4 percent in March. Higher prices for shelter (0.4 percent) and used cars and trucks (2.5 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for new vehicles (-1.5 percent) and apparel (-0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (1.8 percent) and used cars and trucks (9.9 percent). Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in apparel (-1.2 percent) and medical care commodities (-1.1 percent).

Table A. Midwest region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20172018201920202021
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.72.20.41.6-0.20.80.42.50.51.2

February

0.82.40.91.70.91.30.32.10.81.7

March

0.21.90.41.81.31.7-0.51.00.73.0

April

0.51.80.61.80.91.5-1.1-0.4

May

0.41.40.92.30.61.30.3-0.4

June

0.00.90.72.50.31.20.80.4

July

0.11.30.12.40.21.50.50.7

August

0.31.5-0.12.10.21.50.41.1

September

0.51.50.11.90.01.40.21.3

October

0.11.50.22.20.21.5-0.11.0

November

0.01.9-0.51.40.01.9-0.21.0

December

0.01.7-0.91.3-0.22.30.11.1

The April 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 12, 2021.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on March 2021 Consumer Price Index Data

Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in March 2021 was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed. While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.


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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods 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 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 individuals with sensory impairments 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 categoryIndexesPercent change from
Jan.
2021
Feb.
2021
Mar.
2021
Mar.
2020
Jan.
2021
Feb.
2021

All items

242.552244.477246.2463.01.50.7

All items (December 1977 = 100)

394.646397.778400.657   

Food and beverages

257.301257.637257.8392.70.20.1

Food

256.795257.124257.5222.90.30.2

Food at home

235.377235.863236.4212.70.40.2

Cereals and bakery products

267.438267.373266.8841.1-0.2-0.2

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

257.090256.395258.4633.40.50.8

Dairy and related products

207.921209.923208.6631.70.4-0.6

Fruits and vegetables

276.447275.627277.4364.20.40.7

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

171.316172.824172.6452.70.8-0.1

Other food at home

203.284204.089204.5342.30.60.2

Food away from home

292.106292.202292.3653.10.10.1

Alcoholic beverages

262.158262.583260.3421.3-0.7-0.9

Housing

239.842241.060242.2092.51.00.5

Shelter

288.325289.397290.4641.80.70.4

Rent of primary residence(1)

291.192291.968292.7772.50.50.3

Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)

295.569296.561297.5662.30.70.3

Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)

295.500296.488297.4872.30.70.3

Fuels and utilities

226.692228.685231.2076.02.01.1

Household energy

181.173183.021185.4156.92.31.3

Energy services(1)

187.310188.415191.2216.22.11.5

Electricity(1)

200.108200.245201.9862.40.90.9

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

154.708157.272161.57914.84.42.7

Household furnishings and operations

118.128119.297119.9503.51.50.5

Apparel

110.662113.360113.075-1.22.2-0.3

Transportation

197.506202.003208.0686.95.33.0

Private transportation

196.023200.386206.5867.95.43.1

New and used motor vehicles(3)

100.171100.404101.1703.21.00.8

New vehicles

140.973141.160139.0180.9-1.4-1.5

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

99.65699.78998.2910.9-1.4-1.5

New cars(4)

139.985139.773137.1040.7-2.1-1.9

Used cars and trucks

149.311149.743153.4839.92.82.5

Motor fuel

206.097223.779246.03529.319.49.9

Gasoline (all types)

204.864222.543244.69329.819.410.0

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

198.913216.461238.33130.619.810.1

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

242.235261.041284.38126.017.48.9

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

230.203245.420266.56621.515.88.6

Motor vehicle insurance(6)

713.866730.531742.993-1.54.11.7

Medical care

523.287525.867525.5932.30.4-0.1

Medical care commodities

377.966376.372374.872-1.8-0.8-0.4

Medical care services

571.651575.568575.6823.20.70.0

Professional services

431.850439.955440.3473.42.00.1

Recreation(3)

124.181125.616125.9741.91.40.3

Education and communication(3)

140.919141.211141.1411.60.20.0

Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)

1,219.6531,219.7621,220.9561.90.10.1

Other goods and services

446.740447.000451.9541.31.21.1

Commodity and service group

Commodities

181.384183.356185.1714.42.11.0

Commodities less food and beverages

145.709148.184150.5005.53.31.6

Nondurables less food and beverages

186.423191.771196.7987.25.62.6

Durables

104.780105.265105.7053.60.90.4

Services

305.728307.558309.2372.01.10.5

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

228.606230.823232.8343.41.80.9

All items less medical care

229.245231.141233.0143.01.60.8

Commodities less food

149.265151.695153.8995.33.11.5

Nondurables

220.970223.955226.7074.72.61.2

Nondurables less food

190.578195.601200.1576.75.02.3

Services less rent of shelter(2)

333.549336.234338.5792.11.50.7

Services less medical care services

285.794287.465289.2781.81.20.6

Energy

192.598201.571212.90217.510.55.6

All items less energy

250.456251.755252.6632.00.90.4

All items less food and energy

250.069251.544252.5461.81.00.4

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2021