The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Midwest region increased 0.4 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. The all items less food and energy index advanced 0.2 percent, led by rising prices for education and communication. The index for energy and the index for food both rose in August, up 2.2 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The Midwest Region all items CPI-U increased 3.6 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.7 percent over the year, while the energy index advanced 16.5 percent. The index for food was up 2.6 percent.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Midwest region, August 2023–August 2026

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Aug 2023	3.4	4.5
Sep 2023	3.2	4.2
Oct 2023	2.9	4.3
Nov 2023	2.9	4.2
Dec 2023	3.2	4.1
Jan 2024	2.7	3.7
Feb 2024	2.8	3.4
Mar 2024	2.8	3.2
Apr 2024	2.8	3.1
May 2024	2.7	3.0
Jun 2024	2.5	2.9
Jul 2024	2.7	2.9
Aug 2024	2.6	3.2
Sep 2024	2.5	3.4
Oct 2024	2.6	3.1
Nov 2024	2.6	3.2
Dec 2024	3.0	3.3
Jan 2025	3.4	3.6
Feb 2025	3.1	3.6
Mar 2025	2.7	3.3
Apr 2025	2.4	2.9
May 2025	2.4	2.9
Jun 2025	3.0	3.3
Jul 2025	2.6	3.0
Aug 2025	2.8	3.0
Sep 2025	3.1	3.1
Oct 2025	-	-
Nov 2025	3.0	2.8
Dec 2025	2.7	2.7
Jan 2026	2.4	2.7
Feb 2026	2.8	2.8
Mar 2026	3.4	2.9
Apr 2026	4.1	3.3
May 2026	5.0	3.5
Jun 2026	3.8	2.9
Jul 2026	3.5	2.7
Aug 2026	3.6	2.7
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

Food prices rose 0.5 percent for the month of August. Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) advanced 0.6 percent, and prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.4 percent for the same period. Within the food at home category, 5 of the 6 major grocery store food groups rose, with the indexes for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+0.7 percent) and dairy and related products (+1.2 percent) leading the increases.

The index for food increased 2.6 percent over the year. The index for food away from home was up 4.1 percent, and the food at home index advanced 1.6 percent. Within the food at home category, all six major grocery store food groups increased over the twelve-month period, with other food at home (+2.0 percent) leading the rise.

The energy index increased 2.2 percent over the month, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (+4.7 percent). The indexes for electricity and natural gas service both decreased, down 1.2 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively.

From August 2025 to August 2026, energy prices rose 16.5 percent. The leading contribution to the over-the-year rise came from the gasoline index, increasing 27.0 percent. Prices for electricity advanced 6.5 percent, and prices for natural gas service rose 0.4 percent during the past year.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in August. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for education and communication (+1.9 percent), owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.3 percent), and recreation (+0.8 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for lodging away from home, medical care (-0.2 percent), and public transportation.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.7 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+4.3 percent), recreation (+3.8 percent), and medical care services (+3.0 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for used cars and trucks (-2.4 percent), medical care commodities (-5.0 percent), and household furnishings and operations (-1.6 percent).

The September 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Region is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

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 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest region is published monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program.

The Midwest region is comprised of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Midwest region CPI-U by expenditure category for August 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026	Aug. 2025	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026
All items		310.937	310.304	311.627	3.6	0.2	0.4
All items (December 1977 = 100)		505.912	504.883	507.035	-	-	-
Food and beverages		332.932	333.170	334.682	2.5	0.5	0.5
Food		334.917	335.007	336.644	2.6	0.5	0.5
Food at home		302.643	302.475	303.650	1.6	0.3	0.4
Cereals and bakery products		349.229	347.089	349.085	2.1	0.0	0.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		341.179	339.351	341.624	1.0	0.1	0.7
Dairy and related products		253.346	253.080	256.231	1.6	1.1	1.2
Fruits and vegetables		331.755	330.270	329.386	0.3	-0.7	-0.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		225.444	227.828	228.102	3.0	1.2	0.1
Other food at home		266.104	267.027	267.666	2.0	0.6	0.2
Food away from home		389.079	389.656	392.132	4.1	0.8	0.6
Alcoholic beverages		304.792	307.088	306.860	1.0	0.7	-0.1
Housing		318.111	318.872	318.918	3.7	0.3	0.0
Shelter		383.297	385.015	385.486	4.3	0.6	0.1
Rent of primary residence		387.215	388.116	389.553	4.2	0.6	0.4
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		392.319	393.555	394.772	4.2	0.6	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		392.135	393.370	394.593	4.2	0.6	0.3
Fuels and utilities		316.923	316.288	314.454	5.0	-0.8	-0.6
Household energy		261.068	260.351	258.485	5.4	-1.0	-0.7
Energy services		270.609	269.716	267.195	5.0	-1.3	-0.9
Electricity		286.838	289.629	286.202	6.5	-0.2	-1.2
Utility (piped) gas service		221.111	213.944	213.185	0.4	-3.6	-0.4
Household furnishings and operations		145.252	144.074	143.864	-1.6	-1.0	-0.1
Apparel		126.617	126.345	127.105	4.0	0.4	0.6
Transportation		279.426	275.650	278.502	5.8	-0.3	1.0
Private transportation		276.088	273.501	276.723	5.2	0.2	1.2
New and used motor vehicles(2)		126.803	127.051	126.930	-0.8	0.1	-0.1
New vehicles		174.447	174.678	174.890	0.8	0.3	0.1
New cars(3)		169.549	169.864	170.035	1.3	0.3	0.1
Used cars and trucks		184.609	185.094	184.711	-2.4	0.1	-0.2
Motor fuel		354.991	343.186	359.743	27.4	1.3	4.8
Gasoline (all types)		353.327	341.985	358.031	27.0	1.3	4.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		343.368	332.069	347.945	27.4	1.3	4.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		420.575	407.657	425.871	26.0	1.3	4.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		397.469	387.034	402.303	23.6	1.2	3.9
Medical care		584.097	582.635	581.381	1.6	-0.5	-0.2
Medical care commodities		389.814	377.920	375.938	-5.0	-3.6	-0.5
Medical care services		649.211	651.275	650.268	3.0	0.2	-0.2
Professional services		495.569	495.496	495.462	2.3	0.0	0.0
Recreation(2)		151.420	150.075	151.229	3.8	-0.1	0.8
Education and communication(2)		143.633	144.339	147.150	2.4	2.4	1.9
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(5)		102.849	103.496	104.922	4.2	2.0	1.4
Other goods and services		588.415	583.393	585.384	2.2	-0.5	0.3
(1) Index on a December 1982=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Index on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Index on a December 2024=100 base.
- Data not available. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. Midwest region CPI-U by special aggregate index for August 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026	Aug. 2025	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026
All items		310.937	310.304	311.627	3.6	0.2	0.4
Food		334.917	335.007	336.644	2.6	0.5	0.5
Energy		306.208	300.403	306.965	16.5	0.2	2.2
All items less food and energy		313.229	312.989	313.756	2.7	0.2	0.2
All items less energy		315.639	315.446	316.334	2.7	0.2	0.3
All items less medical care		298.124	297.531	298.982	3.8	0.3	0.5
All items less shelter		287.466	285.989	287.626	3.3	0.1	0.6
Commodities		228.070	226.868	228.667	3.5	0.3	0.8
Commodities less food		184.208	182.679	184.434	3.9	0.1	1.0
Commodities less food & beverages		180.375	178.773	180.560	4.0	0.1	1.0
Durables		123.145	123.002	123.058	-1.3	-0.1	0.0
Nondurables		287.407	285.369	288.582	5.7	0.4	1.1
Nondurables less food		247.163	243.517	247.899	9.2	0.3	1.8
Nondurables less food & beverages		244.055	240.057	244.714	9.9	0.3	1.9
Services		395.822	395.827	396.603	3.7	0.2	0.2
Services less rent of shelter(1)		418.735	416.626	417.755	3.1	-0.2	0.3
Services less medical care services		377.091	376.935	377.851	3.8	0.2	0.2
(1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.