Midwest CPI rises by 0.5% in January

The Midwest Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers was up 0.5 percent in January, according to the news release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Motor fuel prices, which recorded their fifth consecutive monthly increase, were up 4.4 percent in January and were largely responsible for a 2.5 percent increase in energy costs.

Food prices, which increased 0.9 percent in January, and costs for food at home, up 1.3 percent for the month, were responsible for approximately 90 percent of the increase in the food index.

Prices for all other items rose 0.2 percent during the month.

The BLS splits the CPI into three categories: food, energy and all items less food and energy, which comprises items such as apparel, household furnishings, vehicle sales, recreation and shelter.

During the last year, the Midwest CPI rose 1.9 percent. The energy index rose 7.2 percent and the food index rose 1.9 percent, the release said.

The Midwest CPI 0.5 percent increase in January matched that of the South and West regions, while prices in the Northeast increased 0.4 percent.[[In-content Ad]]