Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), increased 0.8 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Food prices were up 1.0 percent in October and energy costs rose 2.2 percent. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.7 percent in October due to advances in the indexes for shelter and used cars and trucks. (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 6.6 percent. (See chart 1.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 4.6 percent over the year. Energy prices jumped 33.3 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. Food prices rose 6.0 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 1.0 percent for the month of October. Prices for food at home increased 1.4 percent, and prices for food away from home increased 0.5 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 6.0 percent. Prices for food at home increased 6.4 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 5.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 2.2 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (3.6 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 7.1 percent, while prices for electricity decreased 3.7 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 33.3 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (53.0 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service jumped 42.8 percent, and prices for electricity rose 2.3 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.7 percent in October. Higher prices for shelter (0.5 percent) and used cars and trucks (2.5 percent) were contributing factors.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 4.6 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.2 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (14.5 percent).

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

Month	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.7	2.2	0.6	1.6	0.2	0.8	0.4	2.5	0.5	1.2
February	0.2	2.4	0.2	1.7	0.7	1.3	0.3	2.1	0.8	1.7
March	0.1	1.9	0.2	1.8	0.6	1.7	-0.5	1.0	0.7	3.0
April	0.4	1.8	0.4	1.8	0.3	1.5	-1.1	-0.4	0.8	4.9
May	0.0	1.4	0.5	2.3	0.3	1.3	0.3	-0.4	1.0	5.6
June	0.0	0.9	0.2	2.5	0.0	1.2	0.8	0.4	1.0	5.8
July	0.0	1.3	0.0	2.4	0.2	1.5	0.5	0.7	0.6	5.9
August	0.3	1.5	0.0	2.1	0.0	1.5	0.4	1.1	0.2	5.7
September	0.3	1.5	0.1	1.9	0.0	1.4	0.2	1.3	0.2	5.7
October	-0.2	1.5	0.1	2.2	0.2	1.5	-0.1	1.0	0.8	6.6
November	0.2	1.9	-0.6	1.4	-0.2	1.9	-0.2	1.0
December	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.3	0.0	2.3	0.1	1.1

The November 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Friday, December 10, 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 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 category	Indexes			Percent change from
	Aug. 2021	Sep. 2021	Oct. 2021	Oct. 2020	Aug. 2021	Sep. 2021
All items	255.142	255.709	257.793	6.6	1.0	0.8
All items (December 1977 = 100)	415.130	416.052	419.443
Food and beverages	266.048	268.655	270.883	5.7	1.8	0.8
Food	266.100	268.772	271.335	6.0	2.0	1.0
Food at home	243.148	245.802	249.139	6.4	2.5	1.4
Cereals and bakery products	271.032	272.023	275.701	4.0	1.7	1.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	280.923	286.760	288.098	10.9	2.6	0.5
Dairy and related products	210.474	211.399	212.930	3.3	1.2	0.7
Fruits and vegetables	282.140	281.599	287.671	5.5	2.0	2.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	174.915	177.459	178.911	7.5	2.3	0.8
Other food at home	206.576	209.631	214.122	5.0	3.7	2.1
Food away from home	303.828	306.560	307.993	5.6	1.4	0.5
Alcoholic beverages	263.907	265.691	263.730	1.4	-0.1	-0.7
Housing	249.750	251.165	252.586	5.8	1.1	0.6
Shelter	297.007	297.995	299.370	4.2	0.8	0.5
Rent of primary residence(1)	297.715	299.054	300.024	3.5	0.8	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	302.306	303.666	305.161	3.6	0.9	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	302.218	303.582	305.072	3.6	0.9	0.5
Fuels and utilities	248.051	251.492	252.684	13.1	1.9	0.5
Household energy	202.624	206.169	207.489	16.3	2.4	0.6
Energy services(1)	209.796	213.068	213.649	15.0	1.8	0.3
Electricity(1)	215.281	215.015	207.141	2.3	-3.8	-3.7
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	187.286	195.943	209.867	42.8	12.1	7.1
Household furnishings and operations	125.239	126.694	128.294	8.8	2.4	1.3
Apparel	109.793	112.764	114.918	2.2	4.7	1.9
Transportation	232.393	230.233	233.869	18.9	0.6	1.6
Private transportation	231.550	229.930	233.468	19.8	0.8	1.5
New and used motor vehicles(3)	118.732	117.280	118.647	14.5	-0.1	1.2
New vehicles	152.843	154.600	154.523	9.8	1.1	0.0
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	108.037	109.271	109.221	9.8	1.1	0.0
New cars(4)	149.986	151.698	151.004	8.0	0.7	-0.5
Used cars and trucks	197.797	190.025	194.686	26.1	-1.6	2.5
Motor fuel	277.002	277.264	287.353	53.0	3.7	3.6
Gasoline (all types)	275.912	276.092	286.005	53.0	3.7	3.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	269.193	269.348	279.256	54.3	3.7	3.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	317.537	318.098	327.821	46.7	3.2	3.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	295.868	296.253	304.170	41.2	2.8	2.7
Motor vehicle insurance(6)	740.830	741.585	736.807	8.0	-0.5	-0.6
Medical care	523.732	521.982	523.379	0.6	-0.1	0.3
Medical care commodities	371.226	370.263	369.884	-2.3	-0.4	-0.1
Medical care services	574.379	572.372	574.339	1.2	0.0	0.3
Professional services	439.047	437.914	437.642	1.8	-0.3	-0.1
Recreation(3)	126.790	125.820	126.909	2.6	0.1	0.9
Education and communication(3)	141.308	141.890	142.260	0.8	0.7	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,219.672	1,226.770	1,227.067	0.6	0.6	0.0
Other goods and services	458.956	458.443	463.890	4.4	1.1	1.2
Commodity and service group
Commodities	196.461	197.314	199.863	10.9	1.7	1.3
Commodities less food and beverages	162.393	162.574	165.124	14.3	1.7	1.6
Nondurables less food and beverages	203.475	205.073	208.738	15.0	2.6	1.8
Durables	119.329	118.648	120.242	13.6	0.8	1.3
Services	315.258	315.491	317.009	3.8	0.6	0.5
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	242.553	242.983	245.313	7.7	1.1	1.0
All items less medical care	242.452	243.133	245.254	7.3	1.2	0.9
Commodities less food	165.614	165.837	168.277	13.7	1.6	1.5
Nondurables	234.142	236.228	239.224	9.8	2.2	1.3
Nondurables less food	206.618	208.223	211.524	13.8	2.4	1.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)	344.117	343.507	345.139	3.4	0.3	0.5
Services less medical care services	295.913	296.328	297.816	4.2	0.6	0.5
Energy	236.320	238.393	243.658	33.3	3.1	2.2
All items less energy	260.336	260.771	262.589	4.8	0.9	0.7
All items less food and energy	260.080	260.120	261.811	4.6	0.7	0.7
(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.