1b consumerpriceindex_minneapolis (march 2019)N EWS RELEASE Q�Q�4� SNT oFl��P
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
U. S. D E P A R T M E N T O F L A 6 O R��
BLS ��srATESO�P
For Release: Wednesday, April 10, 2019 19 -522 -CHI
MIDWEST INFORMATION OFFICE: Chicago, III.
Technical information: (312) 353-1880 BLSInfoChicago@bls.gov www.bis.gov/regions/midwest
Media contact: (312) 353-1138
Consumer Price Index, Minneapolis -St. Paul -Bloomington - March 2019
Local prices up 2.3 percent over the year
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI -U) in the Minneapolis -St. Paul -Bloomington area
rose 1.4 percent from January to March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant
Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the food index rose 0.5 percent and the
energy index increased 8.2 percent over the bi-monthly period. The index for all items less food and energy
increased 1.1 percent from January to March. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy
category, prices were higher for new and used motor vehicles, shelter, and medical care. (Data in this report
are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal
influences.)
Over the past 12 months, the Minneapolis all items CPI -U increased 2.3 percent. (See table A.) The food
index rose 1.1 percent while the energy index declined 0.6 percent from March 2018 to March 2019. The
index for all items less food and energy rose 2.7 percent over the year. (See table 1.)
Food
Food prices increased 0.5 percent from January to March. Of the two components within the food index,
prices for food at home (groceries) rose 0.7 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant,
cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.2 percent over the bi-monthly period.
Over the year, food prices in the Minneapolis area were up 1.1 percent. Prices for groceries increased 0.4
percent, while food away from home prices rose 1.9 percent from March 2018.
Energy
The energy index for Minneapolis was 8.2 percent higher from January to March. Gasoline prices increased
19.5 percent for the bi-monthly period. Utility (piped) gas service costs and electricity costs were down 10.0
percent and 0.2 percent, respectively, during the same period.
From March 2018 to March 2019, overall energy prices declined 0.6 percent. Utility (piped) gas service
costs decreased 6.9 percent and gasoline prices declined 0.8 percent over the year. Electricity costs
increased 4.0 percent from March 2018.
All items less food and energy
The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.1 percent from January to March. Among the
index's components, prices were higher for new and used motor vehicles (4.4 percent), shelter (0.7 percent),
and medical care (1.5 percent).
Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.7 percent. Increases in the indexes for
shelter (3.7 percent), medical care (5.4 percent), and new and used motor vehicles (4.1 percent) were
contributing factors.
Table A. Minneapolis -St. Paul -Bloomington, MN -WI, CPI -U 2 -month and 12 -month percent changes, all items
index, not seasonally adjusted
2018 2019
Month
2 -month 12 -month 2 -month 12 -month
January......................................................................... 0.3 0.4 1.4
March........................................................................... 0.5 1.4 2.3
May............................................................................... 1.0
July............................................................................... 0.3
September.................................................................... 0.3
November..................................................................... -1.2 1.3
The May 2019 Consumer Price Index for Minneapolis is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June
12, 2019.
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 population and
(2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI -W) which covers 29 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. Each
month, prices are collected in 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 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 (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/pdf/homchl 7.pdf.
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 Minneapolis -St. Paul -Bloomington, MN -WI, Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is
comprised of Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, LeSueur, Mille Lacs, Ramsey, Scott,
Sherburne, Sibley, Washington, and Wright Counties and Pierce and St. Croix Counties in Wisconsin.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice
phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI -U): Indexes and percent changes for selected
periods Minneapolis -St. Paul -Bloomington, MN -WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group
Indexes
Percent change from -
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Mar.
Jan.
Feb.
2019
2019
2019
2018
2019
2019
Expenditure category
All items...........................................................
245.200
248.706
2.3
1.4
All items (1967=100) .......................................
770.548
781.566
-
-
Food and beverages ...................................
281.578
282.890
1.1
0.5
Food .........................................................
270.765
-
271.986
1.1
0.5
Food at home .......................................
247.050
250.015
248.732
0.4
0.7
-0.5
Cereals and bakery products ...........
270.995
-
272.776
-2.0
0.7
-
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs............
259.144
266.378
2.2
2.8
Dairy and related products ...............
273.955
271.639
0.3
-0.8
Fruits and vegetables .......................
348.041
341.751
-2.3
-1.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and
154.031
158.614
4.4
3.0
beverage materials(1) ......................
Other food at home ..........................
197.102
197.957
0.6
0.4
Food away from home ..........................
304.596
305.142
1.9
0.2
Alcoholic beverages .................................
374.837
377.210
1.3
0.6
Housing.......................................................
232.933
-
234.189
3.1
0.5
-
Shelter......................................................
275.088
275.280
277.110
3.7
0.7
0.7
Rent of primary residence(2)................
280.454
281.471
282.177
3.8
0.6
0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3).
288.723
288.848
289.701
3.6
0.3
0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary
288.723
288.848
289.701
3.6
0.3
0.3
residence(2)(3).................................
Fuels and utilities ......................................
218.163
-
211.836
0.4
-2.9
-
Household energy ................................
195.702
187.278
188.164
-0.4
-3.9
0.5
Energy services(2) ...........................
199.252
190.313
191.134
-0.3
-4.1
0.4
Electricity(2)...................................
264.747
255.010
264.116
4.0
-0.2
3.6
Utility (piped) gas service(2)..........
143.206
134.988
128.863
-6.9
-10.0
-4.5
Household furnishings and operations.....
117.996
-
120.235
1.6
1.9
-
Apparel........................................................
133.724
137.334
5.3
2.7
Transportation .............................................
191.845
202.537
1.0
5.6
Private transportation ...............................
177.178
188.052
1.9
6.1
New and used motor vehicles(4)..........
88.935
92.889
4.1
4.4
New vehicles(1)................................
149.621
159.304
6.8
6.5
Used cars and trucks(1) ...................
274.816
-
276.767
-0.3
0.7
-
Motor fuel .............................................
174.891
185.089
208.698
-0.8
19.3
12.8
Gasoline (all types) ...........................
174.974
185.300
209.139
-0.8
19.5
12.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5).......
174.570
185.118
209.369
-1.0
19.9
13.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)
181.195
192.172
215.067
1.3
18.7
11.9
(6) ..................................................
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)....
225.893
234.831
259.679
0.9
15.0
10.6
Motor vehicle insurance(1)...................
507.594
-
499.357
-1.6
-1.6
-
Medical care ................................................
545.186
553.468
5.4
1.5
Recreation(4)...............................................
128.252
130.518
1.1
1.8
Education and communication(4)................
139.485
138.644
-0.1
-0.6
Tuition, other school fees, and
1,130.940
1,130.940
0.2
0.0
childcare(1)...............................................
Other goods and services ...........................
371.150
370.995
-0.8
0.0
Commodity and service group
All items...........................................................
245.200
248.706
2.3
1.4
Commodities ...............................................
182.078
187.600
1.4
3.0
Commodities less food and beverages ....
139.069
145.416
1.5
4.6
Nondurables less food and beverages.
180.732
191.768
0.9
6.1
Durables ...............................................
102.671
105.528
2.3
2.8
Services ........................................ I..............
1 301.3851
303.050
2.81
0.6
Note: See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI -U): Indexes and percent changes for selected
periods Minneapolis -St. Paul -Bloomington, MN -WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) - Continued
Item and Group
Indexes
Percent change from -
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Mar.
Jan.
Feb.
2019
2019
2019
2018
2019
2019
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care ..............................
231.699
234.990
2.0
1.4
All items less shelter ........................................
233.439
237.613
1.6
1.8
Commodities less food ....................................
147.208
153.662
1.5
4.4
Nondurables....................................................
227.484
234.615
1.0
3.1
Nondurables less food .....................................
193.444
204.385
0.9
5.7
Services less rent of shelter(3)........................
344.739
345.931
1.9
0.3
Services less medical care services ................
279.216
-
280.418
2.4
0.4
Energy.............................................................
186.177
188.000
201.506
-0.6
8.2
7.2
All items less energy .......................................
254.843
-
257.366
2.5
1.0
-
AII items less food and energy ....................
252.592
255.296
2.7
1.1
Footnotes
(1) Index on an April 1978=100 base.
(2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means
estimator.
(3) Index on a December 1982=100 base.
(4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(6) Index on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.