Consumer Price Index, Milwaukee-Racine, Wis., CMSA – 2012 Annual Averages

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Milwaukee-Racine area rose 1.9 percent from 2011 to 2012, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that the energy index saw little change in 2012, down 0.1 percent as falling prices for utility (piped) gas service were partially offset by higher prices for gasoline and electricity. Food prices were up 3.0 percent. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.1 percent. Within the all items less food and energy category, the indexes for medical care, shelter, and education and communication were higher over the year.

Food

Average annual food prices rose 3.0 percent in 2012 after rising 3.8 percent in 2011. Between the two components of the food index, prices for food at home rose 2.6 percent and prices for food away from home rose 3.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index saw little change in 2012, down 0.1 percent, after rising 15.5 percent in 2011. Within the energy category, the index for utility (piped) gas service fell 11.0 percent, which was partially offset by increases in prices for gasoline (2.7 percent) and electricity (0.2 percent).

All items less food and energy

Over the year, the annual average index for all items less food and energy increased 2.1 percent. Among the index’s components, higher costs were recorded for medical care (7.4 percent), shelter (1.0 percent), and education and communication (3.8 percent).

____________

The first half 2013 Consumer Price Index for Milwaukee-Racine is scheduled to be released on August 15, 2013, at 7:30 a.m. (CT).

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 88 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 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/homch17_a.htm.

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 Milwaukee-Racine, Wis., consolidated area covered in this release is comprised of Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Washington, and Waukesha 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 for annual averages and percent changes for selected periods

Milwaukee-Racine, WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Annual average indexes		Percent change 2011 to 2012
	2011	2012
Expenditure category
All Items	216.934	221.143	1.9
All items (1967=100)	670.024	683.024	-
Food and beverages	229.570	236.138	2.9
Food	232.574	239.563	3.0
Food at home	230.566	236.634	2.6
Food away from home	235.227	244.409	3.9
Alcoholic beverages	204.640	205.537	0.4
Housing	203.583	204.662	0.5
Shelter	242.154	244.666	1.0
Rent of primary residence (1)	223.245	226.706	1.6
Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)	258.143	260.421	0.9
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)	258.143	260.421	0.9
Fuels and utilities	206.477	202.701	-1.8
Household energy	177.092	170.348	-3.8
Energy services (1)	181.553	174.543	-3.9
Electricity (1)	199.810	200.152	0.2
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	141.032	125.474	-11.0
Household furnishings and operations	106.888	106.579	-0.3
Apparel	125.004	133.215	6.6
Transportation	206.334	207.468	0.5
Private transportation	198.168	199.917	0.9
Motor fuel	310.965	319.715	2.8
Gasoline (all types)	308.242	316.568	2.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)	314.482	322.319	2.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)	321.556	330.901	2.9
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)	263.917	274.039	3.8
Medical care	413.953	444.698	7.4
Recreation (5)	111.427	113.646	2.0
Education and communication (5)	140.356	145.670	3.8
Other goods and services	373.710	377.845	1.1
Commodity and service group
All Items	216.934	221.143	1.9
Commodities	178.687	182.541	2.2
Commodities less food & beverages	154.240	157.031	1.8
Nondurables less food & beverages	208.845	215.794	3.3
Durables	105.487	104.327	-1.1
Services	253.330	257.907	1.8
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	208.236	211.299	1.5
All items less shelter	209.658	214.494	2.3
Commodities less food	156.212	158.994	1.8
Nondurables	221.502	228.366	3.1
Nondurables less food	208.170	214.865	3.2
Services less rent of shelter (2)	277.961	284.956	2.5
Services less medical care services	240.003	242.922	1.2
Energy	237.775	237.427	-0.1
All items less energy	216.824	221.724	2.3
All items less food and energy	215.025	219.601	2.1
Footnotes (1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (2) Index is on a November 1982=100 base. (3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available.

Table 2. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes for semiannual averages and percent changes for selected periods

Milwaukee-Racine, WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Semiannual average indexes			Percent change to 2nd half 2012 from-
	2nd half 2011	1st half 2012	2nd half 2012	2nd half 2011	1st half 2012
Expenditure category
All Items	218.222	220.171	222.114	1.8	0.9
All items (1967=100)	674.001	680.023	686.025	-	-
Food and beverages	232.838	234.952	237.325	1.9	1.0
Food	236.062	238.374	240.753	2.0	1.0
Food at home	234.574	236.308	236.960	1.0	0.3
Food away from home	237.669	241.884	246.934	3.9	2.1
Alcoholic beverages	205.712	204.328	206.747	0.5	1.2
Housing	204.197	204.540	204.784	0.3	0.1
Shelter	242.942	243.695	245.638	1.1	0.8
Rent of primary residence (1)	224.266	225.472	227.940	1.6	1.1
Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)	258.967	259.468	261.374	0.9	0.7
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)	258.967	259.468	261.374	0.9	0.7
Fuels and utilities	207.460	203.692	201.710	-2.8	-1.0
Household energy	177.730	171.944	168.752	-5.1	-1.9
Energy services (1)	182.172	176.173	172.914	-5.1	-1.8
Electricity (1)	201.835	198.419	201.884	0.0	1.7
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	139.356	131.427	119.520	-14.2	-9.1
Household furnishings and operations	107.316	107.935	105.224	-1.9	-2.5
Apparel	128.521	130.990	135.439	5.4	3.4
Transportation	206.586	208.125	206.811	0.1	-0.6
Private transportation	198.444	200.738	199.095	0.3	-0.8
Motor fuel	307.341	322.706	316.725	3.1	-1.9
Gasoline (all types)	304.259	319.763	313.373	3.0	-2.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)	310.365	326.259	318.379	2.6	-2.4
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)	317.527	332.951	328.850	3.6	-1.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)	260.740	274.082	273.996	5.1	0.0
Medical care	416.459	433.205	456.191	9.5	5.3
Recreation (5)	111.456	113.625	113.667	2.0	0.0
Education and communication (5)	141.837	143.381	147.960	4.3	3.2
Other goods and services	376.155	378.579	377.112	0.3	-0.4
Commodity and service group
All Items	218.222	220.171	222.114	1.8	0.9
Commodities	180.324	182.501	182.581	1.3	0.0
Commodities less food & beverages	155.241	157.426	156.636	0.9	-0.5
Nondurables less food & beverages	210.757	216.140	215.449	2.2	-0.3
Durables	105.701	104.776	103.877	-1.7	-0.9
Services	254.265	256.048	259.767	2.2	1.5
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	209.471	210.778	211.820	1.1	0.5
All items less shelter	211.202	213.476	215.512	2.0	1.0
Commodities less food	157.218	159.347	158.640	0.9	-0.4
Nondurables	224.043	228.030	228.702	2.1	0.3
Nondurables less food	210.027	215.125	214.605	2.2	-0.2
Services less rent of shelter (2)	279.297	281.952	287.960	3.1	2.1
Services less medical care services	240.900	241.645	244.200	1.4	1.1
Energy	236.543	239.649	235.205	-0.6	-1.9
All items less energy	218.349	220.299	223.150	2.2	1.3
All items less food and energy	216.245	218.131	221.070	2.2	1.3
Footnotes (1) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (2) Index is on a November 1982=100 base. (3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
- Data not available.

Last Modified Date: February 21, 2013

• tools

• Areas at a Glance
• Industries at a Glance
• Economic Releases
• Databases & Tables
• Maps

• calculators

• Inflation
• Location Quotient
• Injury And Illness

• help

• Help & Tutorials
• FAQs
• Glossary
• About BLS
• Contact Us

• info

• What's New
• Careers @ BLS
• Find It! DOL
• Join our Mailing Lists
• Linking & Copyright Info

• resources

• Inspector General (OIG)
• Budget and Performance
• No Fear Act
• USA.gov
• Benefits.gov
• Disability.gov