Consumer Price Index, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area – March 2026

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area advanced 0.7 percent for the two months ending in March 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the energy index rose 7.6 percent over the two-month period due to higher gasoline prices. The food index declined 0.1 percent. The index for all items less food and energy was up 0.4 percent from January to March. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area all items CPI-U rose 2.8 percent for the 12 months ending in March. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent over the year. Food prices increased 1.3 percent and energy prices were up 2.1 percent compared to March 2025.

Food

Food prices fell 0.1 percent for the two months ending in March. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) decreased 0.2 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) advanced 0.1 percent for the same period.

Food prices increased 1.3 percent over the year. Prices for food at home increased 1.1 percent as four of the six major grocery store food group indexes rose over the year. Increasing indexes included nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+6.3 percent); other food at home (+2.2 percent); and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+1.5 percent). Prices for food away from home rose 1.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 7.6 percent for the two months ending in March. Gasoline prices were up 21.8 percent over the past two months.

Energy prices rose 2.1 percent over the year. Gasoline prices were up 11.5 percent compared to March 2025.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.4 percent during the two-month period. Among the index's components, prices were higher for owners' equivalent rent of residences (+0.5 percent), apparel (+4.4 percent), medical care services, and recreation (+1.8 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for airline fares, communication, and lodging away from home.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.1 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners' equivalent rent of residences (+3.5 percent), medical care services, and recreation (+5.8 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for used cars and trucks (-3.7 percent) and other goods and services (-2.8 percent).

The May 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington area is scheduled to be released on June 10, 2026.

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 Consumer Price Index for Minneapolis is published bi-monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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 includes Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Le Sueur, Mille Lacs, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Washington, and Wright Counties in Minnesota and Pierce and St. Croix Counties in Wisconsin.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, CPI-U by expenditure category for March 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jan. 2026	Feb. 2026	Mar. 2026	Mar. 2025	Jan. 2026	Feb. 2026
All items		310.428	-	312.610	2.8	0.7	-
All items (1967=100)		975.528	-	982.386	-	-	-
Food and beverages		374.265	-	374.288	1.3	0.0	-
Food		363.768	-	363.506	1.3	-0.1	-
Food at home		322.802	321.756	322.119	1.1	-0.2	0.1
Cereals and bakery products		345.668	343.589	340.438	-1.9	-1.5	-0.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		355.930	356.831	358.855	1.5	0.8	0.6
Dairy and related products		306.331	314.903	308.711	-4.9	0.8	-2.0
Fruits and vegetables		410.836	410.601	414.449	0.7	0.9	0.9
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		215.073	217.802	217.468	6.3	1.1	-0.2
Other food at home		274.244	268.141	269.554	2.2	-1.7	0.5
Food away from home		425.563	-	426.023	1.6	0.1	-
Alcoholic beverages		446.518	-	450.300	1.6	0.8	-
Housing		300.240	-	301.072	2.6	0.3	-
Shelter		355.626	356.251	357.021	3.4	0.4	0.2
Rent of primary residence		367.876	369.944	371.232	4.2	0.9	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		382.233	383.133	384.307	3.5	0.5	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		382.233	383.133	384.307	3.5	0.5	0.3
Household furnishings and operations		147.180	-	147.033	0.8	-0.1	-
Apparel		159.444	-	166.506	6.1	4.4	-
Transportation		253.025	-	258.197	4.7	2.0	-
Private transportation		238.980	-	246.583	3.4	3.2	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		108.269	-	107.948	-1.8	-0.3	-
New vehicles(1)		193.512	-	194.133	0.4	0.3	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		347.286	-	344.803	-3.7	-0.7	-
Motor fuel		230.023	228.858	280.117	11.7	21.8	22.4
Gasoline (all types)		229.859	228.699	279.906	11.5	21.8	22.4
Unleaded regular(4)		227.967	226.835	279.222	11.5	22.5	23.1
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		241.984	239.426	285.426	11.5	18.0	19.2
Unleaded premium(4)		313.310	311.688	362.900	11.7	15.8	16.4
Medical care		644.508	-	652.664	3.4	1.3	-
Recreation(3)		158.902	-	161.748	5.8	1.8	-
Education and communication(3)		148.225	-	144.226	0.6	-2.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,313.305	-	1,313.305	3.3	0.0	-
Other goods and services		461.109	-	468.981	-2.8	1.7	-
Footnotes (1) Index is on a April 1978=100 base. (2) Index is on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, CPI-U by special aggregate index for March 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jan. 2026	Feb. 2026	Mar. 2026	Mar. 2025	Jan. 2026	Feb. 2026
All items		310.428	-	312.610	2.8	0.7	-
Food		363.768	-	363.506	1.3	-0.1	-
Energy		242.875	253.710	261.390	2.1	7.6	3.0
All items less food and energy		315.460	-	316.854	3.1	0.4	-
All items less energy		321.636	-	322.827	2.8	0.4	-
All items less medical care		295.171	-	297.091	2.7	0.7	-
All items less shelter		291.265	-	293.835	2.5	0.9	-
Commodities		223.730	-	226.609	1.2	1.3	-
Commodities less food		171.808	-	175.281	1.0	2.0	-
Commodities less food & beverages		162.047	-	165.423	1.0	2.1	-
Durables		111.824	-	110.494	-2.0	-1.2	-
Nondurables		293.665	-	301.199	2.7	2.6	-
Nondurables less food		238.821	-	252.105	4.2	5.6	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		223.741	-	237.433	4.6	6.1	-
Services		387.417	-	388.755	3.7	0.3	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		440.124	-	441.332	4.6	0.3	-
Services less medical care services		360.622	-	361.151	3.5	0.1	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.