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News Release Information

22-855-KAN
Wednesday, May 11, 2022

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

Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region – April 2022

Area prices rose 0.5 percent in April, up 8.2 percent over the year

Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.5 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The food index rose 1.3 percent in April and the index for energy was unchanged. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.4 percent in April due to advances in the categories for public transportation, shelter, and new vehicles. (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 8.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy increased 6.0 percent over the year. Energy prices rose 26.8 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. Food prices were up 11.2 percent compared to April 2021. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 1.3 percent for the month of April. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home advanced 1.5 percent, and prices for food away from home rose 1.1 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices were higher by 11.2 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 12.3 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home cost 9.3 percent more.

Energy

The energy index was unchanged over the month. A 1.3 percent decline in gasoline prices offset increases of 3.1 percent in the index for natural gas service and 0.5 percent in the index for electricity.

Energy prices increased 26.8 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (+39.6 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service rose 24.1 percent, and prices for electricity increased 6.4 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 April. Higher prices for public transportation, shelter (+0.2 percent), and new vehicles (+1.0 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for used cars and trucks (-0.6 percent) and apparel (-0.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 6.0 percent. Components contributing to the increase included new and used motor vehicles (+18.4 percent), shelter (+4.9 percent), and household furnishings and operations (+10.8 percent).

Table A. Midwest region CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20182019202020212022
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.61.60.20.80.42.50.51.20.87.9

February

0.21.70.71.30.32.10.81.70.98.0

March

0.21.80.61.7-0.51.00.73.01.38.6

April

0.41.80.31.5-1.1-0.40.84.90.58.2

May

0.52.30.31.30.3-0.41.05.6

June

0.22.50.01.20.80.41.05.8

July

0.02.40.21.50.50.70.65.9

August

0.02.10.01.50.41.10.25.7

September

0.11.90.01.40.21.30.25.7

October

0.12.20.21.5-0.11.00.86.6

November

-0.61.4-0.21.9-0.21.00.47.3

December

-0.41.30.02.30.11.10.37.5

The May 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on June 10, 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 categoryIndexesPercent change from
Feb.
2022
Mar.
2022
Apr.
2022
Apr.
2021
Feb.
2022
Mar.
2022

All items

263.988267.312268.6398.21.80.5

All items (December 1977 = 100)

429.523434.932437.090   

Food and beverages

279.214282.806286.54110.72.61.3

Food

280.150283.955287.71611.22.71.3

Food at home

258.599263.145267.00112.33.21.5

Cereals and bakery products

287.445295.390295.81710.22.90.1

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

294.524297.971304.14517.23.32.1

Dairy and related products

221.062226.265229.77310.13.91.6

Fruits and vegetables

305.051308.709311.49810.42.10.9

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials

185.041188.710193.11812.24.42.3

Other food at home

221.920225.938229.46311.33.41.6

Food away from home

314.608316.829320.2919.31.81.1

Alcoholic beverages

265.677266.416269.7823.51.51.3

Housing

256.445257.919258.9096.31.00.4

Shelter

303.249305.136305.8154.90.80.2

Rent of primary residence(1)

304.666306.249307.4944.80.90.4

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

309.495311.127312.0104.60.80.3

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

309.398311.032311.9184.60.80.3

Fuels and utilities

255.934255.742258.71111.21.11.2

Household energy

209.870209.458212.46413.71.21.4

Energy services(1)

215.509214.235217.55712.51.01.6

Electricity(1)

212.137211.991213.1206.40.50.5

Utility (piped) gas service(1)

206.870203.997210.37524.11.73.1

Household furnishings and operations

132.313133.561134.32110.81.50.6

Apparel

117.739117.961117.1014.5-0.5-0.7

Transportation

244.866255.194256.63819.44.80.6

Private transportation

244.143254.075254.33219.54.20.1

New and used motor vehicles(3)

125.110124.732125.16618.40.00.3

New vehicles

160.118160.582162.17816.01.31.0

New cars and trucks(3)(4)

113.179113.510    

New cars(4)

 157.143159.13616.1 1.3

Used cars and trucks

211.940207.335206.17322.3-2.7-0.6

Motor fuel

301.079359.560355.17040.018.0-1.2

Gasoline (all types)

299.352357.348352.53939.617.8-1.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)

292.424349.752344.75940.117.9-1.4

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

341.885403.804401.13638.017.3-0.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)

316.367369.407367.78334.216.3-0.4

Medical care

531.165534.114535.1702.20.80.2

Medical care commodities

375.083376.595375.6520.20.2-0.3

Medical care services

582.950586.374588.0882.60.90.3

Professional services

440.364441.545441.3791.70.20.0

Recreation(3)

130.952131.349132.2684.61.00.7

Education and communication(3)

142.631141.202141.0270.0-1.1-0.1

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

1,226.8051,226.7181,230.9160.90.30.3

Other goods and services

477.090479.494481.3706.00.90.4

Commodity and service group

Commodities

207.084211.636212.40713.22.60.4

Commodities less food and beverages

171.545176.146175.90614.72.5-0.1

Nondurables less food and beverages

215.412229.328228.41015.26.0-0.4

Durables

126.063125.337125.47215.0-0.50.1

Services

321.926323.807325.7264.91.20.6

Special aggregate indexes

All items less shelter

252.343256.186257.7449.72.10.6

All items less medical care

251.393254.749256.0948.91.90.5

Commodities less food

174.633179.173179.01314.22.5-0.1

Nondurables

246.748255.873257.14512.84.20.5

Nondurables less food

217.936231.061230.39414.35.7-0.3

Services less rent of shelter(2)

351.325353.216356.5814.91.51.0

Services less medical care services

302.466304.232306.1815.31.20.6

Energy

250.795275.376275.27526.89.80.0

All items less energy

268.790270.226271.7006.81.10.5

All items less food and energy

267.589268.639269.7416.00.80.4

(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.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2022