Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

18-322-CHI
Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Consumer Price Index, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin — February 2018

Local prices up 1.6 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area was unchanged in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that in February the energy index fell 1.7 percent, while the food index increased 0.7 percent. The all items less food and energy index edged up 0.1 percent over the month. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for shelter and alcoholic beverages, but lower for apparel, household furnishing and operations, and new and used motor vehicles. (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 1.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy costs rose 5.5 percent over the year, primarily due to an increase in gasoline prices. For the same period, the food index increased 2.0 percent. The all items less food and energy index was 1.3 percent higher over the year. (See table 1.)

  Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, February 2015-February 2018
Food

Food prices were 0.7 percent higher in February. The food at home index (groceries) rose 1.1 percent, while the food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) index advanced 0.2 percent. Within the food at home group, prices were higher in February for carbonated drinks, other miscellaneous food, and chicken. In contrast, the indexes for spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces; nonfrozen noncarbonated juices and drinks; and uncooked ground beef were lower.

From February 2017 to February 2018, the food index increased 2.0 percent. Grocery prices rose 1.5 percent, and food away from home prices rose 2.6 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index decreased 1.7 percent in February. For the same period, the indexes for gasoline and electricity fell 2.8 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively. Additionally, the index for utility (piped) gas service declined 0.3 percent, during the same period.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index rose 5.5 percent. The gasoline and electricity indexes rose 11.9 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively, from February 2017 to February 2018. In contrast, the index for utility (piped) gas service fell 8.9 percent from February 2017.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy edged up 0.1 percent in February. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (0.4 percent) and alcoholic beverages (0.8 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for apparel (-2.2 percent), household furnishings and operations (-0.5 percent), and new and used motor vehicles (-0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.3 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (2.8 percent) and recreation (2.6 percent), were major contributing factors.

Table A. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month 1-month 12-month

January

0.9 1.2 -0.2 0.4 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.8 0.8 1.8

February

0.5 0.7 0.0 -0.2 -0.2 0.7 0.1 2.2 0.0 1.6

March

1.1 1.9 0.7 -0.6 0.1 0.2 -0.1 2.0

April

0.5 2.4 0.1 -0.9 0.6 0.7 0.4 1.7

May

-0.1 1.8 0.3 -0.5 0.0 0.3 0.2 1.8

June

0.4 2.0 0.2 -0.7 0.5 0.7 0.0 1.3

July

-0.4 1.9 -0.1 -0.5 -0.8 -0.1 0.0 2.2

August

0.1 1.9 0.4 -0.1 0.2 -0.2 0.3 2.3

September

0.0 2.1 -0.3 -0.4 0.6 0.6 0.4 2.1

October

-0.4 2.0 -0.1 -0.2 0.1 0.8 -0.4 1.6

November

-0.8 1.6 -0.4 0.2 0.2 1.5 0.4 1.8

December

-0.4 1.5 -0.6 0.0 -0.2 1.9 -0.4 1.7

The March 2018 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 11, 2018.

Consumer Price Index Geographic Revision for 2018

In January 2018, BLS introduced a new geographic area sample for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). As part of the new sample, the index for this area was renamed. The indexes using the new structure are now published. Additional information on the geographic revision is available at: www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/geographic-revision-2018.htm.


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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 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-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois; Jasper, Lake, Newton 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-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Item and Group

Indexes Percent change from-
Dec.
2017
Jan.
2018
Feb.
2018
Feb.
2017
Dec.
2017
Jan.
2018

Expenditure category

All items

234.293 236.267 236.306 1.6 0.9 0.0

All items (1967=100)

699.970 705.868 705.984 - - -

Food and beverages

245.145 246.208 247.910 2.3 1.1 0.7

Food

244.423 245.191 246.868 2.0 1.0 0.7

Food at home

234.408 233.514 236.032 1.5 0.7 1.1

Cereals and bakery products

254.147 256.960 257.868 - 1.5 0.4

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

253.346 252.166 253.327 - 0.0 0.5

Dairy and related products

208.139 208.450 205.609 - -1.2 -1.4

Fruits and vegetables

319.568 312.910 319.698 - 0.0 2.2

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

181.387 184.276 190.684 - 5.1 3.5

Other food at home

188.711 187.592 189.527 - 0.4 1.0

Food away from home

253.904 256.782 257.364 2.6 1.4 0.2

Alcoholic beverages

254.065 259.796 261.889 7.7 3.1 0.8

Housing

242.827 244.800 245.310 2.1 1.0 0.2

Shelter

305.197 308.309 309.433 2.8 1.4 0.4

Rent of primary residence(2)

327.048 327.885 328.097 3.2 0.3 0.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)

311.093 312.532 313.735 2.9 0.8 0.4

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)

311.093 312.532 313.735 2.9 0.8 0.4

Fuels and utilities

206.655 204.366 203.600 0.1 -1.5 -0.4

Household energy

162.701 161.912 161.383 0.0 -0.8 -0.3

Energy services(2)

165.965 165.112 164.559 0.0 -0.8 -0.3

Electricity(2)

159.839 164.452 163.838 6.4 2.5 -0.4

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

161.410 152.756 152.336 -8.9 -5.6 -0.3

Household furnishings and operations

89.689 90.704 90.256 -2.1 0.6 -0.5

Apparel

84.958 88.596 86.682 -0.3 2.0 -2.2

Transportation

182.472 185.014 184.120 1.8 0.9 -0.5

Private transportation

180.493 182.091 180.416 1.8 0.0 -0.9

New and used motor vehicles(4)

96.477 95.848 95.531 - -1.0 -0.3

New vehicles(1)

175.299 174.238 172.673 - -1.5 -0.9

Used cars and trucks(1)

261.367 262.637 265.439 - 1.6 1.1

Motor fuel

234.333 243.513 236.677 12.0 1.0 -2.8

Gasoline (all types)

231.900 240.999 234.174 11.9 1.0 -2.8

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

222.442 231.408 224.821 12.2 1.1 -2.8

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

259.656 269.275 261.545 10.8 0.7 -2.9

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

259.310 267.589 260.475 10.2 0.4 -2.7

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

533.572 536.418 536.170 - 0.5 0.0

Medical care

499.057 497.882 497.396 1.0 -0.3 -0.1

Recreation(4)

111.776 114.335 114.290 2.6 2.2 0.0

Education and communication(4)

143.855 143.121 143.224 -1.6 -0.4 0.1

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,182.947 1,183.808 1,183.808 - 0.1 0.0

Other goods and services

391.364 392.788 390.499 1.6 -0.2 -0.6

Commodity and service group

All items

234.293 236.267 236.306 1.6 0.9 0.0

Commodities

166.150 167.420 166.612 1.1 0.3 -0.5

Commodities less food and beverages

126.300 127.538 125.952 0.3 -0.3 -1.2

Nondurables less food and beverages

169.401 172.703 169.940 2.7 0.3 -1.6

Durables

86.648 86.368 85.717 -2.9 -1.1 -0.8

Services

299.007 301.654 302.528 1.9 1.2 0.3

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

222.927 225.042 225.104 1.7 1.0 0.0

All items less shelter

210.373 211.957 211.617 1.1 0.6 -0.2

Commodities less food

130.808 132.155 130.617 0.6 -0.1 -1.2

Nondurables

207.807 210.182 209.363 2.4 0.7 -0.4

Nondurables less food

174.966 178.411 175.837 3.0 0.5 -1.4

Services less rent of shelter(3)

307.953 310.209 310.848 1.1 0.9 0.2

Services less medical care services

284.338 286.993 287.988 2.2 1.3 0.3

Energy

190.155 193.657 190.434 5.5 0.1 -1.7

All items less energy

240.408 242.254 242.603 1.4 0.9 0.1

All items less food and energy

240.527 242.553 242.688 1.3 0.9 0.1

Footnotes
(1) Index on a December 1977=100 base.
(2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.
(3) Index on a December 1982=100 base.
(4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
(5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
(6) Index on a December 1993=100 base.

- Data not available.
Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2018