Midwest price index up 2.6 percent from a year ago

The Consumer Price Index for the Midwest rose 0.4 percent in March compared to February and 2.6 percent compared to March 2009, according to information released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The overall index for the Midwest was 207.359 in March, meaning that a typical market basket of goods and services costing $100 in 1982–1984 – the base period for the index – would have cost $207.36 in March, according to a BLS news release.

The largest factor in the increase was transportation costs, which increased 1.6 percent from February and 12.6 percent from 12 months earlier. Much of that transportation increase can be attributed to motor fuel costs, which increased 40.3 percent from March 2009.

Energy prices in March were up 2.9 percent from the month before and 18.8 percent from 2009, while prices for food basically held steady, remaining flat for the month and increasing only 0.2 percent for the year.

Recreation prices were the only area where prices fell in the Midwest, dropping 0.4 percent for the month and 1.6 percent for the year.

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