The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area fell 0.2 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the energy index decreased 1.0 percent while food prices rose 0.5 percent in June. The all items less food and energy index declined 0.2 percent over the month. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were lower for recreation and apparel. The shelter index rose over the month. (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 2.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Over the year, the energy index rose 11.0 percent. The rise in the energy index was primarily due to higher gasoline prices. Both the food index and the all items less food and energy index were up 1.6 percent over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.5 percent in June. The food at home index (groceries) rose 0.5 percent, while the food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) index increased 0.6 percent. Within the food at home group, indexes were higher in June for uncooked beef steaks; other pork including roasts and picnics; and citrus fruits. Prices were lower for eggs and bacon, breakfast sausage and related products.

From June 2017 to June 2018, the food index increased 1.6 percent. Over the year, costs for food away from home rose 3.6 percent, while grocery prices were 0.1 percent lower.

Energy

The energy index declined 1.0 percent in June, primarily due to a 2.2-percent decrease in gasoline prices. Utility (piped) gas service costs fell 2.2 percent and electricity costs increased 2.5 percent in June.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index rose 11.0 percent. From June 2017 to June 2018, gasoline prices rose 26.8 percent. The utility (piped) gas service index and the electricity index declined 7.7 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.2 percent in June. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for recreation (-1.1 percent) and apparel (-1.6 percent) but higher for shelter (0.3 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.6 percent. A 4.0-percent increase in the index for owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence was the major contributing factor.

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	0.0	1.8
April	0.5	2.4	0.1	-0.9	0.6	0.7	0.4	1.7	0.7	2.1
May	-0.1	1.8	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.3	0.2	1.8	0.4	2.3
June	0.4	2.0	0.2	-0.7	0.5	0.7	0.0	1.3	-0.2	2.2
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 July 2018 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 10, 2018.

BLS identified errors in average price data for natural gas for Chicago from May 2018–July 2018. For more information on errors and correction plans, please visit: https://www.bls.gov/bls/errata/cpi-errata-08082018.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-
	Apr. 2018	May 2018	Jun. 2018	Jun. 2017	Apr. 2018	May 2018
Expenditure category
All items	237.940	238.910	238.540	2.2	0.3	-0.2
All items (1967=100)	710.864	713.762	712.659	-	-	-
Food and beverages	247.299	247.201	248.382	1.8	0.4	0.5
Food	246.231	246.349	247.656	1.6	0.6	0.5
Food at home	234.813	232.597	233.784	-0.1	-0.4	0.5
Cereals and bakery products	262.073	258.122	260.217	-	-0.7	0.8
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	255.205	251.629	252.219	-	-1.2	0.2
Dairy and related products	212.746	207.717	209.139	-	-1.7	0.7
Fruits and vegetables	301.709	303.282	305.245	-	1.2	0.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	189.862	186.289	187.684	-	-1.1	0.7
Other food at home	189.662	188.707	189.310	-	-0.2	0.3
Food away from home	257.476	260.567	262.010	3.6	1.8	0.6
Alcoholic beverages	261.701	258.163	257.328	3.9	-1.7	-0.3
Housing	246.937	248.217	248.791	2.2	0.8	0.2
Shelter	311.516	313.371	314.264	3.2	0.9	0.3
Rent of primary residence(2)	329.294	329.299	329.996	2.9	0.2	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	316.604	317.477	318.995	4.0	0.8	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	316.604	317.477	318.995	4.0	0.8	0.5
Fuels and utilities	202.511	205.145	206.397	-1.9	1.9	0.6
Household energy	158.886	160.711	161.590	-3.3	1.7	0.5
Energy services(2)	162.010	163.875	164.780	-3.4	1.7	0.6
Electricity(2)	157.335	158.295	162.181	-0.4	3.1	2.5
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	155.684	158.703	155.243	-7.7	-0.3	-2.2
Household furnishings and operations	91.920	91.061	90.494	-2.3	-1.6	-0.6
Apparel	89.128	83.216	81.882	-1.2	-8.1	-1.6
Transportation	188.765	192.761	189.782	5.2	0.5	-1.5
Private transportation	185.010	188.742	186.858	5.7	1.0	-1.0
New and used motor vehicles(4)	95.627	95.496	94.864	-	-0.8	-0.7
New vehicles(1)	172.594	171.135	170.326	-	-1.3	-0.5
Used cars and trucks(1)	268.349	266.244	266.633	-	-0.6	0.1
Motor fuel	256.938	277.250	271.228	26.8	5.6	-2.2
Gasoline (all types)	254.381	274.555	268.535	26.8	5.6	-2.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	245.126	264.978	259.065	27.9	5.7	-2.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	280.665	300.597	294.440	22.2	4.9	-2.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	277.286	294.909	289.615	21.0	4.4	-1.8
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	537.131	532.316	534.835	-	-0.4	0.5
Medical care	499.220	504.205	507.411	2.7	1.6	0.6
Recreation(4)	112.911	112.227	110.982	-1.1	-1.7	-1.1
Education and communication(4)	143.655	143.566	143.375	0.6	-0.2	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,184.870	1,184.870	1,184.938	-	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services	390.309	394.393	393.863	2.3	0.9	-0.1
Commodity and service group
All items	237.940	238.910	238.540	2.2	0.3	-0.2
Commodities	168.517	168.856	168.380	2.4	-0.1	-0.3
Commodities less food and beverages	128.549	129.008	128.013	2.8	-0.4	-0.8
Nondurables less food and beverages	175.689	177.888	176.756	8.5	0.6	-0.6
Durables	85.939	85.162	84.341	-4.5	-1.9	-1.0
Services	303.876	305.458	305.198	2.1	0.4	-0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	226.731	227.525	226.999	2.1	0.1	-0.2
All items less shelter	213.099	213.764	212.952	1.7	-0.1	-0.4
Commodities less food	133.200	133.586	132.580	2.9	-0.5	-0.8
Nondurables	212.389	213.609	213.491	4.7	0.5	-0.1
Nondurables less food	181.380	183.345	182.215	8.2	0.5	-0.6
Services less rent of shelter(3)	311.456	312.808	311.288	0.9	-0.1	-0.5
Services less medical care services	289.384	291.039	290.662	2.3	0.4	-0.1
Energy	197.745	207.460	205.363	11.0	3.9	-1.0
All items less energy	243.712	243.862	243.653	1.6	0.0	-0.1
All items less food and energy	244.083	244.239	243.784	1.6	-0.1	-0.2
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.