The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area was unchanged in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that food prices were also unchanged and energy prices increased 0.9 percent in June. The all items less food and energy index decreased 0.1 percent over the month. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were lower for apparel. (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 increased 1.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Over the year, the food and energy indexes rose 0.8 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively. The all items less food and energy index was 1.5 percent higher over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices were unchanged in June. The food at home index (groceries) declined 0.1 percent, while the food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) index rose 0.1 percent. Within the food at home group, indexes were lower in June for carbonated drinks and frozen and freeze dried prepared foods, while the indexes for citrus fruits and uncooked beef steaks rose.

From June 2016 to June 2017, the food index increased 0.8 percent. Food away from home prices rose 1.8 percent over the year, while grocery prices were unchanged from June a year ago.

Energy

The energy index rose 0.9 percent in June, primarily due to a 6.8-percent increase in electricity costs. To a lesser extent, a 1.7-percent increase in the index for utility (piped) gas service also contributed. Gasoline prices declined 3.4 percent in June.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index rose 0.7 percent. From June 2016 to June 2017 electricity and utility (piped) gas service costs rose 6.3 percent and 19.5 percent, respectively. In contrast, gasoline prices were down 9.8 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.1 percent in June, primarily due to the 3.8-percent decline in the index for apparel. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (0.5 percent) and recreation (1.0 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.5 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (2.4 percent) and medical care (4.2 percent) were major contributing factors.

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

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.2	1.2	0.9	1.2	-0.2	0.4	0.8	0.9	0.7	1.8
February	1.1	2.3	0.5	0.7	0.0	-0.2	-0.2	0.7	0.1	2.2
March	-0.1	0.9	1.1	1.9	0.7	-0.6	0.1	0.2	-0.1	2.0
April	0.0	0.9	0.5	2.4	0.1	-0.9	0.6	0.7	0.4	1.7
May	0.5	1.5	-0.1	1.8	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.3	0.2	1.8
June	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.0	0.2	-0.7	0.5	0.7	0.0	1.3
July	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.9	-0.1	-0.5	-0.8	-0.1
August	0.1	1.1	0.1	1.9	0.4	-0.1	0.2	-0.2
September	-0.2	0.7	0.0	2.1	-0.3	-0.4	0.6	0.6
October	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	2.0	-0.1	-0.2	0.1	0.8
November	-0.3	0.6	-0.8	1.6	-0.4	0.2	0.2	1.5
December	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	1.5	-0.6	0.0	-0.2	1.9

The July 2017 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 11, 2017.

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-
	Apr. 2017	May 2017	Jun. 2017	Jun. 2016	Apr. 2017	May 2017
Expenditure category
All items	233.066	233.443	233.407	1.3	0.1	0.0
All items (1967=100)	696.303	697.430	697.323	-	-	-
Food and beverages	242.079	244.050	244.107	0.8	0.8	0.0
Food	241.723	243.852	243.753	0.8	0.8	0.0
Food at home	231.135	234.298	233.982	0.0	1.2	-0.1
Food away from home	252.175	252.623	252.870	1.8	0.3	0.1
Alcoholic beverages	245.612	245.241	247.590	1.3	0.8	1.0
Housing	240.022	241.575	243.536	3.0	1.5	0.8
Shelter	300.859	302.965	304.455	2.4	1.2	0.5
Rent of primary residence(1)	319.569	320.162	320.744	2.6	0.4	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	306.145	306.420	306.589	2.1	0.1	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	306.145	306.420	306.589	2.1	0.1	0.1
Fuels and utilities	201.534	202.820	210.357	9.2	4.4	3.7
Household energy	159.146	159.677	167.135	11.0	5.0	4.7
Energy services(1)	162.311	162.850	170.522	11.1	5.1	4.7
Electricity(1)	153.313	152.474	162.788	6.3	6.2	6.8
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	162.697	165.410	168.160	19.5	3.4	1.7
Household furnishings and operations	92.478	92.645	92.662	0.5	0.2	0.0
Apparel	86.812	86.119	82.849	-3.9	-4.6	-3.8
Transportation	186.064	183.936	180.326	-2.9	-3.1	-2.0
Private transportation	182.061	180.002	176.792	-3.0	-2.9	-1.8
Motor fuel	231.854	221.368	213.946	-9.8	-7.7	-3.4
Gasoline (all types)	229.645	219.200	211.791	-9.8	-7.8	-3.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)	220.437	209.966	202.527	-10.5	-8.1	-3.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)	258.367	247.411	240.896	-7.6	-6.8	-2.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)	253.755	246.062	239.374	-6.4	-5.7	-2.7
Medical care	490.939	493.445	494.011	4.2	0.6	0.1
Recreation(5)	113.185	111.163	112.229	2.0	-0.8	1.0
Education and communication(5)	142.626	142.921	142.530	0.5	-0.1	-0.3
Other goods and services	385.179	385.182	384.961	-0.1	-0.1	-0.1
Commodity and service group
All items	233.066	233.443	233.407	1.3	0.1	0.0
Commodities	165.906	165.595	164.499	-1.5	-0.8	-0.7
Commodities less food & beverages	127.201	125.990	124.484	-3.2	-2.1	-1.2
Nondurables less food & beverages	169.453	166.277	162.950	-4.3	-3.8	-2.0
Durables	88.096	88.379	88.284	-1.9	0.2	-0.1
Services	296.818	297.873	298.891	2.9	0.7	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	222.001	222.285	222.223	1.1	0.1	0.0
All items less shelter	210.220	209.999	209.434	0.8	-0.4	-0.3
Commodities less food	131.484	130.282	128.857	-3.0	-2.0	-1.1
Nondurables	206.348	205.635	203.914	-1.4	-1.2	-0.8
Nondurables less food	174.545	171.509	168.481	-3.8	-3.5	-1.8
Services less rent of shelter(2)	307.962	307.927	308.480	3.6	0.2	0.2
Services less medical care services	282.006	282.946	284.054	2.7	0.7	0.4
Energy	187.023	183.288	184.973	0.7	-1.1	0.9
All items less energy	239.347	240.108	239.913	1.4	0.2	-0.1
All items less food and energy	239.760	240.275	240.061	1.5	0.1	-0.1
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 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. Data not seasonally adjusted.