Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.3 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Higher prices for gasoline were the largest contributing factor to the March increase. The food index rose in March due to higher costs for food at home, and the index for all items less food and energy increased as a result of higher shelter costs.  (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 8.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 6.4 percent over the year. Energy prices jumped 29.3 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. Food prices were up 10.3 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 1.4 percent for the month of March. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home increased 1.8 percent, and prices for food away from home rose 0.7 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices were up 10.3 percent. Prices for food at home increased 11.3 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home advanced 8.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 9.8 percent over the month. The increase was due to higher prices for gasoline (19.4 percent). Prices for electricity edged down 0.1 percent, and prices for natural gas service decreased 1.4 percent for the same period.

Energy prices rose 29.3 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (46.0 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service jumped 26.3 percent, and prices for electricity advanced 5.0 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent in March. Higher prices for shelter (0.6 percent) and medical care (0.6 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for education and communication (-1.0 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 6.4 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used motor vehicles (23.3 percent), shelter (5.1 percent), and household furnishings and operations (11.3 percent).

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

Month	2018		2019		2020		2021		2022
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.6	1.6	0.2	0.8	0.4	2.5	0.5	1.2	0.8	7.9
February	0.2	1.7	0.7	1.3	0.3	2.1	0.8	1.7	0.9	8.0
March	0.2	1.8	0.6	1.7	-0.5	1.0	0.7	3.0	1.3	8.6
April	0.4	1.8	0.3	1.5	-1.1	-0.4	0.8	4.9
May	0.5	2.3	0.3	1.3	0.3	-0.4	1.0	5.6
June	0.2	2.5	0.0	1.2	0.8	0.4	1.0	5.8
July	0.0	2.4	0.2	1.5	0.5	0.7	0.6	5.9
August	0.0	2.1	0.0	1.5	0.4	1.1	0.2	5.7
September	0.1	1.9	0.0	1.4	0.2	1.3	0.2	5.7
October	0.1	2.2	0.2	1.5	-0.1	1.0	0.8	6.6
November	-0.6	1.4	-0.2	1.9	-0.2	1.0	0.4	7.3
December	-0.4	1.3	0.0	2.3	0.1	1.1	0.3	7.5

The April 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on May 11, 2022.

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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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
	Jan. 2022	Feb. 2022	Mar. 2022	Mar. 2021	Jan. 2022	Feb. 2022
All items	261.657	263.988	267.312	8.6	2.2	1.3
All items (December 1977 = 100)	425.730	429.523	434.932
Food and beverages	276.579	279.214	282.806	9.7	2.3	1.3
Food	277.344	280.150	283.955	10.3	2.4	1.4
Food at home	255.381	258.599	263.145	11.3	3.0	1.8
Cereals and bakery products	284.106	287.445	295.390	10.7	4.0	2.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	291.358	294.524	297.971	15.3	2.3	1.2
Dairy and related products	218.356	221.062	226.265	8.4	3.6	2.4
Fruits and vegetables	297.794	305.051	308.709	11.3	3.7	1.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	183.907	185.041	188.710	9.3	2.6	2.0
Other food at home	219.725	221.920	225.938	10.5	2.8	1.8
Food away from home	312.702	314.608	316.829	8.4	1.3	0.7
Alcoholic beverages	265.339	265.677	266.416	2.3	0.4	0.3
Housing	254.763	256.445	257.919	6.5	1.2	0.6
Shelter	301.535	303.249	305.136	5.1	1.2	0.6
Rent of primary residence(1)	303.356	304.666	306.249	4.6	1.0	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	308.162	309.495	311.127	4.6	1.0	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	308.064	309.398	311.032	4.6	1.0	0.5
Fuels and utilities	252.086	255.934	255.742	10.6	1.5	-0.1
Household energy	206.070	209.870	209.458	13.0	1.6	-0.2
Energy services(1)	211.911	215.509	214.235	12.0	1.1	-0.6
Electricity(1)	209.008	212.137	211.991	5.0	1.4	-0.1
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	202.801	206.870	203.997	26.3	0.6	-1.4
Household furnishings and operations	131.851	132.313	133.561	11.3	1.3	0.9
Apparel	114.139	117.739	117.961	4.3	3.3	0.2
Transportation	240.942	244.866	255.194	22.6	5.9	4.2
Private transportation	240.330	244.143	254.075	23.0	5.7	4.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)	125.058	125.110	124.732	23.3	-0.3	-0.3
New vehicles	160.448	160.118	160.582	15.5	0.1	0.3
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	113.414	113.179	113.510	15.5	0.1	0.3
New cars(4)	157.140		157.143	14.6	0.0
Used cars and trucks	210.187	211.940	207.335	35.1	-1.4	-2.2
Motor fuel	282.651	301.079	359.560	46.1	27.2	19.4
Gasoline (all types)	280.991	299.352	357.348	46.0	27.2	19.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	274.131	292.424	349.752	46.8	27.6	19.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	324.003	341.885	403.804	42.0	24.6	18.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	301.345	316.367	369.407	38.6	22.6	16.8
Medical care	531.401	531.165	534.114	1.6	0.5	0.6
Medical care commodities	371.027	375.083	376.595	0.5	1.5	0.4
Medical care services	584.598	582.950	586.374	1.9	0.3	0.6
Professional services	439.930	440.364	441.545	0.3	0.4	0.3
Recreation(3)	129.701	130.952	131.349	4.3	1.3	0.3
Education and communication(3)	142.020	142.631	141.202	0.0	-0.6	-1.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,225.720	1,226.805	1,226.718	0.5	0.1	0.0
Other goods and services	473.538	477.090	479.494	6.1	1.3	0.5
Commodity and service group
Commodities	204.162	207.084	211.636	14.3	3.7	2.2
Commodities less food and beverages	168.699	171.545	176.146	17.0	4.4	2.7
Nondurables less food and beverages	208.555	215.412	229.328	16.5	10.0	6.5
Durables	125.630	126.063	125.337	18.6	-0.2	-0.6
Services	320.305	321.926	323.807	4.7	1.1	0.6
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	249.783	252.343	256.186	10.0	2.6	1.5
All items less medical care	248.923	251.393	254.749	9.3	2.3	1.3
Commodities less food	171.827	174.633	179.173	16.4	4.3	2.6
Nondurables	241.843	246.748	255.873	12.9	5.8	3.7
Nondurables less food	211.470	217.936	231.061	15.4	9.3	6.0
Services less rent of shelter(2)	349.817	351.325	353.216	4.3	1.0	0.5
Services less medical care services	300.564	302.466	304.232	5.2	1.2	0.6
Energy	240.746	250.795	275.376	29.3	14.4	9.8
All items less energy	267.130	268.790	270.226	7.0	1.2	0.5
All items less food and energy	266.113	267.589	268.639	6.4	0.9	0.4
(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.