The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area increased 0.1 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that energy prices rose 8.7 percent and food prices were down 1.0 percent in March. The all items less food and energy index decreased 0.2 percent over the month. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were lower for shelter, apparel, and education and communication, but higher for medical care. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the Chicago area all items CPI-U rose 0.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index fell 15.7 percent over the year due to annual declines in gasoline prices. The all items less food and energy index was 1.5 percent higher over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices fell 1.0 percent in March following a 0.8-percent decrease in February. Between the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) decreased 1.6 percent, while prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged over the month. Within the food at home group, prices were down for other fresh fruits; other bakery products; and cheese and related products. In contrast, the indexes for snacks; cakes, cupcakes, and cookies; and uncooked beef steaks experienced increases.

From March 2015 to March 2016, the food index increased 0.8 percent. Prices for food eaten away from home increased 3.6 percent over the year, while grocery food prices fell 1.1 percent from the previous March.

Energy

The energy index was up 8.7 percent in March primarily due to gasoline prices rising 22.7 percent. Electricity costs rose 0.8 percent in March and utility (piped) gas service costs recorded a decrease of 1.0 percent over the month.

On an annual basis, the Chicago area energy index declined 15.7 percent. The major contributing factor for the energy index’s decline was the 21.4 percent decrease in gasoline prices since March 2015. Utility (piped) gas service costs fell 10.6 percent and electricity costs fell 10.4 percent during the same period.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy fell 0.2 percent in March. Prices were lower for shelter (-0.4 percent), apparel (-2.4 percent), and education and communication (-0.5 percent), but higher for medical care (0.2 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.5 percent. Annual increases in the indexes for shelter (2.6 percent), medical care (2.5 percent), and recreation (1.8 percent) were major contributing factors.

Table A. Chicago CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2012		2013		2014		2015		2016
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.6	2.1	0.2	1.2	0.9	1.2	-0.2	0.4	0.8	0.9
February	0.0	1.6	1.1	2.3	0.5	0.7	0.0	-0.2	-0.2	0.7
March	1.2	2.1	-0.1	0.9	1.1	1.9	0.7	-0.6	0.1	0.2
April	0.0	1.7	0.0	0.9	0.5	2.4	0.1	-0.9
May	-0.1	1.0	0.5	1.5	-0.1	1.8	0.3	-0.5
June	-0.1	0.9	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.0	0.2	-0.7
July	-0.2	1.1	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.9	-0.1	-0.5
August	0.6	1.5	0.1	1.1	0.1	1.9	0.4	-0.1
September	0.3	1.6	-0.2	0.7	0.0	2.1	-0.3	-0.4
October	-0.2	1.7	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	2.0	-0.1	-0.2
November	-0.4	1.5	-0.3	0.6	-0.8	1.6	-0.4	0.2
December	-0.3	1.7	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	1.5	-0.6	0.0

The April 2016 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 17, 2016.

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 89 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers 28 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 6,000 housing units and approximately 24,000 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/homch17.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 Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. consolidated area covered in this release is comprised of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois; Lake and Porter Counties in Indiana; and Kenosha County 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
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	Jan. 2016	Feb. 2016	Mar. 2016	Mar. 2015	Jan. 2016	Feb. 2016
Expenditure category
All items	227.977	227.438	227.778	0.2	-0.1	0.1
All items (1967=100)	681.101	679.489	680.507	-	-	-
Food and beverages	245.610	243.687	241.529	0.8	-1.7	-0.9
Food	245.397	243.490	241.142	0.8	-1.7	-1.0
Food at home	241.630	238.542	234.737	-1.1	-2.9	-1.6
Food away from home	245.031	245.031	245.032	3.6	0.0	0.0
Alcoholic beverages	247.010	244.869	245.528	0.7	-0.6	0.3
Housing	234.312	235.109	234.672	1.1	0.2	-0.2
Shelter	294.048	295.174	294.015	2.6	0.0	-0.4
Rent of primary residence (1)	310.212	310.874	310.717	2.4	0.2	-0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)	297.807	298.803	298.599	2.3	0.3	-0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)	297.807	298.803	298.599	2.3	0.3	-0.1
Fuels and utilities	187.636	188.848	192.282	-5.5	2.5	1.8
Household energy	149.835	151.073	151.246	-10.6	0.9	0.1
Energy services (1)	152.632	153.903	154.154	-10.6	1.0	0.2
Electricity (1)	155.005	155.175	156.471	-10.4	0.9	0.8
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	135.550	138.482	137.028	-10.6	1.1	-1.0
Household furnishings and operations	94.592	94.235	93.553	-3.4	-1.1	-0.7
Apparel	90.778	89.863	87.730	-4.9	-3.4	-2.4
Transportation	173.581	169.456	175.370	-4.2	1.0	3.5
Private transportation	169.114	165.136	171.587	-4.6	1.5	3.9
Motor fuel	174.279	148.371	181.813	-21.5	4.3	22.5
Gasoline (all types)	172.365	146.680	180.039	-21.4	4.5	22.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)	163.518	138.316	171.969	-23.0	5.2	24.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)	201.279	174.342	204.785	-16.8	1.7	17.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)	203.500	179.414	205.601	-12.0	1.0	14.6
Medical care	467.447	470.690	471.737	2.5	0.9	0.2
Recreation (5)	110.576	111.243	110.923	1.8	0.3	-0.3
Education and communication (5)	142.495	142.838	142.143	-0.1	-0.2	-0.5
Other goods and services	382.564	382.476	383.173	0.5	0.2	0.2
Commodity and service group
All items	227.977	227.438	227.778	0.2	-0.1	0.1
Commodities	165.253	162.916	164.038	-2.3	-0.7	0.7
Commodities less food & beverages	124.900	122.512	124.895	-4.7	0.0	1.9
Nondurables less food & beverages	159.235	153.926	159.843	-6.6	0.4	3.8
Durables	91.635	91.508	91.191	-1.7	-0.5	-0.3
Services	287.389	288.641	288.202	1.5	0.3	-0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	217.716	217.009	217.319	-0.1	-0.2	0.1
All items less shelter	205.714	204.596	205.458	-1.0	-0.1	0.4
Commodities less food	129.252	126.846	129.210	-4.5	0.0	1.9
Nondurables	202.691	198.970	201.033	-2.5	-0.8	1.0
Nondurables less food	164.922	159.762	165.416	-6.0	0.3	3.5
Services less rent of shelter (2)	295.199	296.728	296.960	0.4	0.6	0.1
Services less medical care services	273.717	274.929	274.395	1.5	0.2	-0.2
Energy	159.044	149.771	162.822	-15.7	2.4	8.7
All items less energy	236.334	236.599	235.765	1.4	-0.2	-0.4
All items less food and energy	235.519	236.180	235.619	1.5	0.0	-0.2
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 December 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. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.