Internet: www.bls.gov/ro5/ | FOR RELEASE: |
GENERAL INFORMATION: (312) 353-1880 | 7:30 A.M. CT |
MEDIA CONTACT: Paul LaPorte | Tuesday, September 16, 2008 |
(312) 353-1138 |
The Consumer Price Index for the Midwest decreased 0.3 percent in August after registering increases in each of the previous seven months. The index was up 5.4 percent from August 2007, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. According to Regional Commissioner Jay A. Mousa, energy prices, which include prices for motor and household fuels, were down 5.4 percent in August and accounted for nearly two-thirds of the overall monthly decline. Energy prices have advanced 25.8 percent since August 2007. The Midwest CPI for all items less energy was 0.4 percent higher over the month and was up 3.1 percent over the year.
Among the eight major expenditure categories, lower transportation costs had the largest impact on the overall index in August 2008. The transportation index decreased 2.6 percent over the month, largely attributable to a 7.0 percent decline in motor fuel costs. Prices for new vehicles and for used cars and trucks also declined in August, down 0.6 and 0.3 percent, respectively. Overall, transportation prices have risen 12.1 percent since August 2007 led by an over-the-year increase of 31.8 percent in motor fuel costs. Prices for new vehicles were 0.8 percent lower and prices for used cars and trucks were down 0.7 percent.
Reflecting a downturn in costs for household energy, the housing index decreased 0.5 percent and also had a large downward impact on the overall monthly index for the Midwest. The household fuels and utilities index registered a monthly decline of 2.7 percent in August primarily due to a 6.8 percent drop in utility (piped) gas service costs. Shelter costs and prices for household furnishings and operations registered little or no movement over the month. From August 2007 to August 2008, housing costs increased 3.5 percent in the Midwest. Shelter costs rose 1.2 percent and prices for household fuels and utilities were up 17.1 percent. Within fuels and utilities, electricity prices rose 5.5 percent over the year, and prices for utility (piped) gas service climbed 38.1 percent. Prices for household furnishings and operations rose 2.0 percent over the 12-month period.
Partially countering the declines in costs for transportation and housing, prices for apparel and for food and beverages rose in August. Apparel prices, which typically increase in August as retailers introduce fall merchandise, were up 3.8 percent. Prices for apparel were up 5.4 percent from the previous year.
The food and beverages index rose 0.8 percent in August with prices for food at home up 1.0 percent and prices for food away from home 0.5 percent higher. Prices for alcoholic beverages increased 0.3 percent over the month. From August 2007 to August 2008, prices for food and beverages rose 6.4 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 7.7 percent and prices for food away from home rose 5.5 percent. Alcoholic beverages’ prices increased 2.9 percent over the year.
The remaining four major expenditure categories—education and communication, recreation, medical care, and other goods and services—had less impact on the overall monthly index. The education and communication index rose 1.1 percent in August and 3.3 percent over the year. Prices for recreation were up 0.6 percent for the month and were 3.5 percent higher than August 2007. Medical care costs rose a modest 0.2 percent over the month and were up 2.4 percent over the year. Other goods and services prices decreased 0.3 percent in August, but advanced 4.1 percent over the year
The Midwest Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) stood at 209.351 in August. A typical market basket of goods and services that cost $100.00 in the 1982-84 base period cost $209.35 in August 2008. Because regional CPI data are not adjusted for seasonal price variation, consumers and businesses should be cautious in drawing conclusions about long-term retail price trends from short-term changes in the regional indexes.
Item and Group |
Indexes |
Percent change from- | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jun. 2008 |
Jul. 2008 |
Aug. 2008 |
Aug. 2007 |
Jun. 2008 |
Jul. 2008 |
|
Expenditure category |
||||||
All Items |
208.968 | 210.071 | 209.351 | 5.4 | 0.2 | -0.3 |
All items (1977=100) |
340.002 | 341.797 | 340.625 | |||
Food and beverages |
206.221 | 208.290 | 209.866 | 6.4 | 1.8 | 0.8 |
Food |
205.858 | 208.043 | 209.703 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 0.8 |
Food at home |
202.476 | 204.951 | 207.019 | 7.7 | 2.2 | 1.0 |
Food away from home |
211.450 | 213.251 | 214.363 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 0.5 |
Alcoholic beverages |
210.030 | 210.747 | 211.343 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
Housing |
199.967 | 201.325 | 200.243 | 3.5 | 0.1 | -0.5 |
Shelter |
225.317 | 225.325 | 225.008 | 1.2 | -0.1 | -0.1 |
Rent of primary residence (1) |
214.994 | 215.119 | 215.500 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
226.451 | 226.398 | 226.361 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
Fuels and utilities |
228.371 | 237.361 | 230.905 | 17.1 | 1.1 | -2.7 |
Household energy |
207.300 | 216.521 | 209.653 | 19.0 | 1.1 | -3.2 |
Gas (piped) and electricity (1) |
213.057 | 223.044 | 215.964 | 18.3 | 1.4 | -3.2 |
Electricity (1) |
174.037 | 176.399 | 176.306 | 5.5 | 1.3 | -0.1 |
Utility (piped) gas service (1) |
281.714 | 306.581 | 285.769 | 38.1 | 1.4 | -6.8 |
Household furnishings and operations |
121.370 | 122.035 | 122.043 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
Apparel |
108.815 | 106.538 | 110.610 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 3.8 |
Transportation |
213.465 | 214.830 | 209.344 | 12.1 | -1.9 | -2.6 |
Private transportation |
208.290 | 209.241 | 203.665 | 11.8 | -2.2 | -2.7 |
New and used motor vehicles (3) |
94.380 | 94.381 | 94.811 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
New vehicles |
130.287 | 130.011 | 129.273 | -0.8 | -0.8 | -0.6 |
91.951 | 91.754 | 91.236 | -0.7 | -0.8 | -0.6 | |
New cars (4) |
129.933 | 130.562 | 130.500 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
Used cars and trucks |
137.290 | 137.169 | 136.807 | -0.7 | -0.4 | -0.3 |
Motor fuel |
353.460 | 356.561 | 331.509 | 31.8 | -6.2 | -7.0 |
Gasoline (all types) |
351.629 | 354.832 | 329.824 | 31.8 | -6.2 | -7.0 |
Unleaded regular (4) |
351.473 | 354.478 | 329.600 | 32.2 | -6.2 | -7.0 |
382.214 | 387.033 | 358.368 | 31.3 | -6.2 | -7.4 | |
Unleaded premium (4) |
340.032 | 342.794 | 319.999 | 30.3 | -5.9 | -6.6 |
Medical Care |
360.549 | 360.652 | 361.277 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Medical care commodities |
289.459 | 288.927 | 290.348 | -0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
Medical care services |
384.195 | 384.572 | 384.838 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
Professional services |
329.522 | 329.555 | 329.199 | 3.0 | -0.1 | -0.1 |
Recreation (3) |
114.233 | 114.669 | 115.353 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.6 |
Education and communication (3) |
124.554 | 124.922 | 126.263 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
Other goods and services |
334.655 | 336.042 | 334.948 | 4.1 | 0.1 | -0.3 |
Commodity and Service Group |
||||||
All Items |
208.968 | 210.071 | 209.351 | 5.4 | 0.2 | -0.3 |
Commodities |
175.633 | 176.363 | 175.181 | 7.6 | -0.3 | -0.7 |
Commodities less food & beverages |
158.890 | 159.028 | 156.687 | 8.2 | -1.4 | -1.5 |
Nondurables less food & beverages |
208.950 | 209.180 | 204.675 | 13.8 | -2.0 | -2.2 |
Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel |
273.899 | 275.739 | 265.716 | 16.3 | -3.0 | -3.6 |
Durables |
109.568 | 109.619 | 109.288 | 0.1 | -0.3 | -0.3 |
Services |
243.720 | 245.216 | 244.983 | 3.9 | 0.5 | -0.1 |
Rent of shelter (2) |
231.660 | 231.661 | 231.331 | 1.2 | -0.1 | -0.1 |
Transportation services |
250.895 | 253.715 | 256.221 | 6.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 |
Other services |
287.099 | 287.999 | 290.333 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.8 |
Special aggregate indexes: |
||||||
All items less medical care |
201.500 | 202.637 | 201.867 | 5.7 | 0.2 | -0.4 |
All items less food |
209.416 | 210.336 | 209.215 | 5.2 | -0.1 | -0.5 |
All items less shelter |
205.261 | 206.778 | 205.902 | 7.2 | 0.3 | -0.4 |
Commodities less food |
160.656 | 160.813 | 158.567 | 8.0 | -1.3 | -1.4 |
Nondurables |
208.623 | 209.727 | 208.085 | 10.1 | -0.3 | -0.8 |
Nondurables less food |
208.686 | 208.948 | 204.786 | 13.0 | -1.9 | -2.0 |
Nondurables less food and apparel |
266.432 | 268.150 | 259.260 | 15.0 | -2.7 | -3.3 |
Services less rent of shelter (2) |
270.866 | 274.186 | 274.054 | 6.7 | 1.2 | 0.0 |
Services less medical care services |
232.557 | 234.102 | 233.842 | 4.0 | 0.6 | -0.1 |
Energy |
271.353 | 277.788 | 262.842 | 25.8 | -3.1 | -5.4 |
All items less energy |
204.446 | 204.980 | 205.802 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
All items less food and energy |
204.806 | 205.022 | 205.685 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
Commodities less food and energy commodities |
138.049 | 137.820 | 138.621 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
Energy commodities |
352.290 | 355.244 | 330.744 | 31.9 | -6.1 | -6.9 |
Services less energy services |
248.437 | 248.977 | 249.519 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
Footnotes |
||||||
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted. |
Area |
All items | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indexes |
Percent change to Aug. 2008 from |
Percent change to Jul. 2008 from |
||||||||
May 2008 |
Jun. 2008 |
Jul. 2008 |
Aug. 2008 |
Aug. 2007 |
Jun. 2008 |
Jul. 2008 |
Jul. 2007 |
May 2008 |
Jun. 2008 |
|
U.S. City Average |
216.632 | 218.815 | 219.964 | 219.086 | 5.4 | 0.1 | -0.4 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
.............Region and area size (1) |
||||||||||
Northeast urban |
230.089 | 232.649 | 234.545 | 233.788 | 5.5 | 0.5 | -0.3 | 5.7 | 1.9 | 0.8 |
Size A - More than 1,500,000 |
232.005 | 234.518 | 236.460 | 236.107 | 5.3 | 0.7 | -0.1 | 5.5 | 1.9 | 0.8 |
Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 , (2) |
136.913 | 138.542 | 139.623 | 138.537 | 6.1 | 0.0 | -0.8 | 6.3 | 2.0 | 0.8 |
Midwest urban |
207.168 | 208.968 | 210.071 | 209.351 | 5.4 | 0.2 | -0.3 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 0.5 |
Size A - More than 1,500,000 |
208.291 | 209.813 | 211.003 | 210.341 | 5.3 | 0.3 | -0.3 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 0.6 |
Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 , (2) |
132.682 | 134.018 | 134.595 | 133.969 | 5.6 | 0.0 | -0.5 | 5.9 | 1.4 | 0.4 |
Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) |
202.720 | 205.122 | 206.435 | 206.251 | 5.9 | 0.6 | -0.1 | 6.0 | 1.8 | 0.6 |
South urban |
210.006 | 212.324 | 213.304 | 212.387 | 5.6 | 0.0 | -0.4 | 5.8 | 1.6 | 0.5 |
Size A - More than 1,500,000 |
211.846 | 214.359 | 215.373 | 214.496 | 5.4 | 0.1 | -0.4 | 5.6 | 1.7 | 0.5 |
Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 , (2) |
133.714 | 134.980 | 135.643 | 135.004 | 5.6 | 0.0 | -0.5 | 5.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 |
Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) |
211.225 | 214.739 | 215.274 | 214.655 | 6.9 | 0.0 | -0.3 | 6.8 | 1.9 | 0.2 |
West urban |
221.009 | 223.040 | 223.867 | 222.823 | 4.9 | -0.1 | -0.5 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 0.4 |
Size A - More than 1,500,000 |
224.704 | 226.767 | 227.562 | 226.541 | 5.0 | -0.1 | -0.4 | 5.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 |
Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 , (2) |
134.023 | 135.283 | 136.021 | 135.207 | 4.9 | -0.1 | -0.6 | 5.4 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
....................Size classes |
||||||||||
A (3) |
197.898 | 199.840 | 200.941 | 200.278 | 5.2 | 0.2 | -0.3 | 5.4 | 1.5 | 0.6 |
B/C (2) |
133.997 | 135.330 | 136.055 | 135.315 | 5.5 | 0.0 | -0.5 | 5.8 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
D |
209.308 | 211.989 | 212.555 | 212.138 | 5.9 | 0.1 | -0.2 | 5.8 | 1.6 | 0.3 |
.............Selected local areas (4) |
||||||||||
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI |
214.932 | 215.738 | 217.459 | 215.971 | 4.9 | 0.1 | -0.7 | 5.8 | 1.2 | 0.8 |
Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA |
226.651 | 229.033 | 229.886 | 228.484 | 5.1 | -0.2 | -0.6 | 5.7 | 1.4 | 0.4 |
New York-Northern N.Y.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA |
236.151 | 238.580 | 240.273 | 240.550 | 5.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 5.1 | 1.7 | 0.7 |
Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT (5) |
235.344 | 241.258 | 6.3 | 2.5 | ||||||
Cleveland-Akron, OH (5) |
204.882 | 206.941 | 5.0 | 1.0 | ||||||
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (5) |
202.357 | 206.413 | 6.2 | 2.0 | ||||||
139.649 | 142.065 | 5.7 | 1.7 | |||||||
Atlanta, GA (7) |
212.032 | 211.404 | 5.0 | -0.3 | ||||||
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI (7) |
207.593 | 209.484 | 4.9 | 0.9 | ||||||
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX (7) |
193.567 | 192.723 | 4.9 | -0.4 | ||||||
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL (7) |
225.079 | 225.473 | 5.8 | 0.2 | ||||||
Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD (7) |
228.408 | 228.337 | 4.4 | 0.0 | ||||||
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA (7) |
225.181 | 225.411 | 4.2 | 0.1 | ||||||
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA (7) |
228.068 | 227.745 | 5.4 | -0.1 | ||||||
Footnotes |
||||||||||
NOTE: Local area indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a smaller sample size than the the national index and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although their long-term trends are similar. Therefore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics strongly urges users to consider adopting the national average CPI for use in their escalator clauses. |
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Scheduled release date for the September 2008 CPI:
The all items CPI-U and CPI-W for the U.S. City Average, the Midwest region, and the Chicago area are available to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the Bureau’s CPI Hotline service. This recorded message also provides percent changes from the prior period and from a year earlier, as well as the scheduled release date for the next CPI issuance. The Hotline number in Chicago is (312) 353-1880, menu option 2.
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 87 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 32 percent of the total 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. Prices are collected in 87 urban areas across the country from about 50,000 housing units and approximately 23,000 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. Prices of food, fuels, and a few other items are obtained every month in all 87 locations. Prices of most other commodities and services are collected every month in the three largest geographic areas and every other month in other areas. Prices of most goods and services are obtained by personal visits of the Bureau’s trained representatives.
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. Separate indexes are also published by size of city, by region of the country, for cross-classifications of regions and population-size classes, and for 27 local areas. Area indexes do not measure differences in the level of prices among cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.
The index measures price changes from a designated reference date (1982-84) that equals 100.0. An increase of 16.5 percent, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period "market basket" of goods and services in the CPI has risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65.
For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index, available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch17_a.htm.
Last Modified Date: September 16, 2008