The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Midwest Region increased 0.9 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. The all items less food and energy index rose 0.8 percent. The index for energy advanced 3.2 percent, while the index for food was up 0.2 percent over the same period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Midwest Region all items CPI-U increased 4.2 percent for the 12 months ending in September. The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.0 percent over the year, while the energy index advanced 22.0 percent. Food prices were up 2.6 percent.

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Sep 2026	4.2	3.0
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

View Chart Data

Food

Food prices rose 0.2 percent for the month of September. Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) advanced 0.3 percent, and prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.1 percent for the same period. Within the food at home category, prices paid for fruits and vegetables (+2.3 percent) led the increases, while the index for dairy and related products (-1.8 percent) led the declines.

Over the year, the index for food advanced 2.6 percent. The food away from home index rose 4.3 percent, and the food at home index was up 1.5 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 (+1.9 percent) leading the increases.

Energy

The energy index rose 3.2 percent over the month, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (+5.3 percent). The index for electricity increased 1.1-percent over the month, while the index for natural gas service decreased 1.7 percent.

From September 2025 to September 2026, energy prices advanced 22.0 percent. The index for gasoline (+35.5 percent) was the largest contributor to the rise in the energy category. The index for electricity rose 8.8 percent, and the index for natural gas service increased 1.9 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.8 percent in September. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.7 percent), apparel (+4.3 percent), education and communication (+0.9 percent), and medical care services (+0.6 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.0 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+4.4 percent), recreation (+3.8 percent), and medical care services (+3.0 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for medical care commodities (-4.4 percent) and used cars and trucks (-1.7 percent).

The October 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Midwest Consumer region is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 10, 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 September 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026	Sep. 2026	Sep. 2025	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026
All items		310.304	311.627	314.359	4.2	1.3	0.9
All items (December 1977 = 100)		504.883	507.035	511.480	-	-	-
Food and beverages		333.170	334.682	335.295	2.5	0.6	0.2
Food		335.007	336.644	337.347	2.6	0.7	0.2
Food at home		302.475	303.650	304.000	1.5	0.5	0.1
Cereals and bakery products		347.089	349.085	349.716	1.4	0.8	0.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		339.351	341.624	340.412	0.3	0.3	-0.4
Dairy and related products		253.080	256.231	251.600	0.1	-0.6	-1.8
Fruits and vegetables		330.270	329.386	336.944	2.2	2.0	2.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		227.828	228.102	229.674	3.5	0.8	0.7
Other food at home		267.027	267.666	267.062	1.9	0.0	-0.2
Food away from home		389.656	392.132	393.491	4.3	1.0	0.3
Alcoholic beverages		307.088	306.860	306.224	1.2	-0.3	-0.2
Housing		318.872	318.918	320.556	4.1	0.5	0.5
Shelter		385.015	385.486	387.691	4.4	0.7	0.6
Rent of primary residence		388.116	389.553	392.029	4.3	1.0	0.6
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		393.555	394.772	397.595	4.5	1.0	0.7
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		393.370	394.593	397.437	4.5	1.0	0.7
Fuels and utilities		316.288	314.454	315.498	6.7	-0.2	0.3
Household energy		260.351	258.485	259.734	7.7	-0.2	0.5
Energy services		269.716	267.195	267.961	7.1	-0.7	0.3
Electricity		289.629	286.202	289.445	8.8	-0.1	1.1
Utility (piped) gas service		213.944	213.185	209.622	1.9	-2.0	-1.7
Household furnishings and operations		144.074	143.864	144.266	-0.9	0.1	0.3
Apparel		126.345	127.105	132.573	4.2	4.9	4.3
Transportation		275.650	278.502	284.061	8.4	3.1	2.0
Private transportation		273.501	276.723	281.699	7.9	3.0	1.8
New and used motor vehicles(2)		127.051	126.930	127.059	-0.2	0.0	0.1
New vehicles		174.678	174.890	175.082	0.8	0.2	0.1
New cars(3)		169.864	170.035	170.421	1.5	0.3	0.2
Used cars and trucks		185.094	184.711	184.679	-1.7	-0.2	0.0
Motor fuel		343.186	359.743	379.492	36.2	10.6	5.5
Gasoline (all types)		341.985	358.031	377.026	35.5	10.2	5.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		332.069	347.945	366.815	36.2	10.5	5.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		407.657	425.871	444.714	32.6	9.1	4.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		387.034	402.303	419.882	30.0	8.5	4.4
Medical care		582.635	581.381	584.937	1.7	0.4	0.6
Medical care commodities		377.920	375.938	378.245	-4.4	0.1	0.6
Medical care services		651.275	650.268	654.242	3.0	0.5	0.6
Professional services		495.496	495.462	496.444	2.7	0.2	0.2
Recreation(2)		150.075	151.229	152.080	3.8	1.3	0.6
Education and communication(2)		144.339	147.150	148.437	2.5	2.8	0.9
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(5)		103.496	104.922	106.199	3.5	2.6	1.2
Other goods and services		583.393	585.384	592.634	2.6	1.6	1.2
(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 September 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026	Sep. 2026	Sep. 2025	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026
All items		310.304	311.627	314.359	4.2	1.3	0.9
Food		335.007	336.644	337.347	2.6	0.7	0.2
Energy		300.403	306.965	316.704	22.0	5.4	3.2
All items less food and energy		312.989	313.756	316.161	3.0	1.0	0.8
All items less energy		315.446	316.334	318.496	2.9	1.0	0.7
All items less medical care		297.531	298.982	301.678	4.5	1.4	0.9
All items less shelter		285.989	287.626	290.568	4.2	1.6	1.0
Commodities		226.868	228.667	231.379	4.5	2.0	1.2
Commodities less food		182.679	184.434	187.610	5.5	2.7	1.7
Commodities less food & beverages		178.773	180.560	183.799	5.6	2.8	1.8
Durables		123.002	123.058	123.271	-0.7	0.2	0.2
Nondurables		285.369	288.582	293.294	7.0	2.8	1.6
Nondurables less food		243.517	247.899	255.623	11.7	5.0	3.1
Nondurables less food & beverages		240.057	244.714	252.937	12.6	5.4	3.4
Services		395.827	396.603	399.304	4.1	0.9	0.7
Services less rent of shelter(1)		416.626	417.755	421.088	3.7	1.1	0.8
Services less medical care services		376.935	377.851	380.461	4.2	0.9	0.7
(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.