Prices in the Midwest Region, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.5 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) The food index rose 1.3 percent in May and the index for energy increased 8.6 percent. The all items less food and energy index advanced 0.8 percent due to increases in costs for shelter and public transportation. (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 8.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.9 percent over the year. Energy prices rose 33.8 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. Food prices were up 12.0 percent compared to May 2021. (See table 1.)

 

Food

Food prices advanced 1.3 percent for the month of May. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home rose 1.6 percent. All six of the major grocery store food group indexes increased over the month including meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (2.1 percent) and cereals and bakery products (2.9 percent). Prices for food away from home increased 0.9 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 12.0 percent. Prices for food at home were up 13.9 percent since a year ago. Among the grocery food categories, the index for other food at home (includes sugar, sweets, fats, and oils, for example) was up 14.1 percent and the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 17.5 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 8.8 percent compared to May 2021.

Energy

The energy index advanced 8.6 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (10.0 percent). Prices for natural gas service rose 15.3 percent, and prices for electricity increased 2.0 percent for the same period.

Energy prices were up 33.8 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (48.3 percent). Prices paid for natural gas service rose 38.5 percent, and prices for electricity increased 6.6 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.8 percent in May. Higher prices for shelter (0.6 percent) and public transportation were contributing factors. Lower prices for apparel (-0.2 percent) only partially offset these increases.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (5.2 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	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	0.5	8.2
May	0.5	2.3	0.3	1.3	0.3	-0.4	1.0	5.6	1.5	8.8
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 June 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on July 13, 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
	Mar. 2022	Apr. 2022	May 2022	May 2021	Mar. 2022	Apr. 2022
All items	267.312	268.639	272.673	8.8	2.0	1.5
All items (December 1977 = 100)	434.932	437.090	443.653
Food and beverages	282.806	286.541	290.312	11.4	2.7	1.3
Food	283.955	287.716	291.562	12.0	2.7	1.3
Food at home	263.145	267.001	271.278	13.9	3.1	1.6
Cereals and bakery products	295.390	295.817	304.482	13.1	3.1	2.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	297.971	304.145	310.507	17.5	4.2	2.1
Dairy and related products	226.265	229.773	238.026	13.9	5.2	3.6
Fruits and vegetables	308.709	311.498	312.710	9.2	1.3	0.4
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials	188.710	193.118	193.467	14.7	2.5	0.2
Other food at home	225.938	229.463	232.401	14.1	2.9	1.3
Food away from home	316.829	320.291	323.169	8.8	2.0	0.9
Alcoholic beverages	266.416	269.782	272.542	3.5	2.3	1.0
Housing	257.919	258.909	262.201	7.1	1.7	1.3
Shelter	305.136	305.815	307.740	5.2	0.9	0.6
Rent of primary residence(1)	306.249	307.494	308.779	5.0	0.8	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)(2)	311.127	312.010	313.386	4.7	0.7	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)(2)	311.032	311.918	313.293	4.7	0.7	0.4
Fuels and utilities	255.742	258.711	272.993	15.4	6.7	5.5
Household energy	209.458	212.464	227.379	19.1	8.6	7.0
Energy services(1)	214.235	217.557	233.469	18.0	9.0	7.3
Electricity(1)	211.991	213.120	217.404	6.6	2.6	2.0
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	203.997	210.375	242.597	38.5	18.9	15.3
Household furnishings and operations	133.561	134.321	135.434	10.4	1.4	0.8
Apparel	117.961	117.101	116.845	4.2	-0.9	-0.2
Transportation	255.194	256.638	266.058	19.7	4.3	3.7
Private transportation	254.075	254.332	261.914	19.5	3.1	3.0
New and used motor vehicles(3)	124.732	125.166	126.262	14.5	1.2	0.9
New vehicles	160.582	162.178	163.564	14.0	1.9	0.9
New cars and trucks(3)(4)	113.510
New cars(4)	157.143	159.136	161.183	14.7	2.6	1.3
Used cars and trucks	207.335	206.173	207.154	15.6	-0.1	0.5
Motor fuel	359.560	355.170	390.374	48.7	8.6	9.9
Gasoline (all types)	357.348	352.539	387.676	48.3	8.5	10.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)	349.752	344.759	379.752	49.0	8.6	10.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)	403.804	401.136	435.648	44.8	7.9	8.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)	369.407	367.783	397.010	41.0	7.5	7.9
Medical care	534.114	535.170	537.633	2.7	0.7	0.5
Medical care commodities	376.595	375.652	377.208	0.9	0.2	0.4
Medical care services	586.374	588.088	590.852	3.0	0.8	0.5
Professional services	441.545	441.379	443.290	1.8	0.4	0.4
Recreation(3)	131.349	132.268	132.741	4.2	1.1	0.4
Education and communication(3)	141.202	141.027	141.049	-0.2	-0.1	0.0
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)	1,226.718	1,230.916	1,233.091	0.7	0.5	0.2
Other goods and services	479.494	481.370	485.161	7.0	1.2	0.8
Commodity and service group
Commodities	211.636	212.407	216.136	13.4	2.1	1.8
Commodities less food and beverages	176.146	175.906	179.405	14.6	1.9	2.0
Nondurables less food and beverages	229.328	228.410	237.165	18.4	3.4	3.8
Durables	125.337	125.472	125.842	11.7	0.4	0.3
Services	323.807	325.726	330.014	5.7	1.9	1.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less shelter	256.186	257.744	262.533	10.3	2.5	1.9
All items less medical care	254.749	256.094	260.223	9.5	2.1	1.6
Commodities less food	179.173	179.013	182.515	14.1	1.9	2.0
Nondurables	255.873	257.145	263.599	14.7	3.0	2.5
Nondurables less food	231.061	230.394	238.785	17.3	3.3	3.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)	353.216	356.581	363.634	6.1	2.9	2.0
Services less medical care services	304.232	306.181	310.623	6.1	2.1	1.5
Energy	275.376	275.275	298.959	33.8	8.6	8.6
All items less energy	270.226	271.700	274.001	6.8	1.4	0.8
All items less food and energy	268.639	269.741	271.794	5.9	1.2	0.8
(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.