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News Release Information

21-1673-KAN
Tuesday, September 14, 2021

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

Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – August 2021

Regional prices up 0.2 percent over the past month, up 5.7 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.2 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Food prices were up 0.6 percent in August and energy costs rose 0.1 percent. The all items less food and energy index also increased 0.1 percent in August. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for shelter and household furnishings and operations. (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 5.7 percent. (See chart 1.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 4.2 percent over the year. Energy prices jumped 26.9 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. Food prices rose 4.6 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.6 percent for the month of August. Prices for food at home rose 0.5 percent, and prices for food away from home advanced 0.7 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 4.6 percent. Prices for food at home rose 3.6 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home advanced 5.8 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 0.1 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for natural gas service (2.8 percent). Prices for gasoline declined 0.3 percent, and prices for electricity decreased 0.8 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 26.9 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (44.0 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service jumped 36.6 percent, and prices for electricity increased 1.3 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was up 0.1 percent in August. Higher prices for shelter (0.3 percent) and household furnishings and operations (1.0 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for used cars and trucks (-1.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used motor vehicles (16.8 percent) and shelter (3.4 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

0.51.80.61.80.91.5-1.1-0.40.84.9

May

0.41.40.92.30.61.30.3-0.41.05.6

June

0.00.90.72.50.31.20.80.41.05.8

July

0.11.30.12.40.21.50.50.70.65.9

August

0.31.5-0.12.10.21.50.41.10.25.7

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 September 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on August 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 August 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
Jun.
2021
Jul.
2021
Aug.
2021
Aug.
2020
Jun.
2021
Jul.
2021

All items

253.042254.671255.1425.70.80.2

All items (December 1977 = 100)

411.713414.364415.130   

Food and beverages

262.863264.662266.0484.31.20.5

Food

262.685264.563266.1004.61.30.6

Food at home

239.911241.889243.1483.61.30.5

Cereals and bakery products

266.483271.821271.0323.21.7-0.3

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

272.206278.787280.9237.23.20.8

Dairy and related products

210.380209.480210.4740.90.00.5

Fruits and vegetables

284.776281.328282.1403.9-0.90.3

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

170.493172.584174.9155.22.61.4

Other food at home

204.505205.596206.5761.01.00.5

Food away from home

300.104301.855303.8285.81.20.7

Alcoholic beverages

263.610264.404263.9071.60.1-0.2

Housing

246.977248.779249.7504.61.10.4

Shelter

294.263296.222297.0073.40.90.3

Rent of primary residence(1)

295.241296.658297.7153.00.80.4

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

300.291301.584302.3062.90.70.2

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

300.200301.495302.2182.90.70.2

Fuels and utilities

245.023246.840248.05110.11.20.5

Household energy

199.715201.594202.62412.31.50.5

Energy services(1)

206.985208.871209.79611.51.40.4

Electricity(1)

215.066217.039215.2811.30.1-0.8

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

180.551182.176187.28636.63.72.8

Household furnishings and operations

122.603123.950125.2396.42.21.0

Apparel

110.380109.230109.7932.3-0.50.5

Transportation

230.315233.423232.39317.30.9-0.4

Private transportation

227.777231.799231.55018.21.7-0.1

New and used motor vehicles(3)

116.619118.797118.73216.81.8-0.1

New vehicles

145.884150.440152.8439.44.81.6

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

103.129106.340108.0379.44.81.6

New cars(4)

143.119146.908149.9868.24.82.1

Used cars and trucks

198.907200.603197.79732.4-0.6-1.4

Motor fuel

271.925277.787277.00243.81.9-0.3

Gasoline (all types)

270.762276.714275.91244.01.9-0.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

264.197270.038269.19344.91.9-0.3

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

311.034317.948317.53739.62.1-0.1

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

290.072296.018295.86834.92.0-0.1

Motor vehicle insurance(6)

742.963742.623740.830-0.7-0.3-0.2

Medical care

522.287522.055523.7320.40.30.3

Medical care commodities

371.477371.192371.226-4.8-0.10.0

Medical care services

572.390572.174574.3791.50.30.4

Professional services

435.596436.969439.0472.20.80.5

Recreation(3)

126.562126.935126.7903.90.2-0.1

Education and communication(3)

141.600141.853141.3080.1-0.2-0.4

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

1,225.4001,228.3911,219.6720.6-0.5-0.7

Other goods and services

452.794455.936458.9563.41.40.7

Commodity and service group

Commodities

193.842195.708196.4619.61.40.4

Commodities less food and beverages

160.097161.904162.39313.01.40.3

Nondurables less food and beverages

201.313202.874203.47511.81.10.3

Durables

117.217118.962119.32914.21.80.3

Services

313.785315.114315.2583.20.50.0

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

240.656242.184242.5536.70.80.2

All items less medical care

240.316242.039242.4526.30.90.2

Commodities less food

163.363165.148165.61412.41.40.3

Nondurables

231.485233.165234.1427.61.10.4

Nondurables less food

204.580206.088206.61810.91.00.3

Services less rent of shelter(2)

344.019344.691344.1172.90.0-0.2

Services less medical care services

294.475295.934295.9133.40.50.0

Energy

232.432236.105236.32026.91.70.1

All items less energy

258.372259.835260.3364.20.80.2

All items less food and energy

258.368259.762260.0804.20.70.1

(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, September 14, 2021