The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area edged up 0.1 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the energy index increased 0.2 percent while food prices fell 0.4 percent in August. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.2 percent over the month. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for apparel, recreation, and medical care over the month, but fell for shelter and alcoholic beverages. (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 1.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Over the year, the energy index rose 8.3 percent. The rise in the energy index was primarily due to higher gasoline prices. The food index and the all items less food and energy index rose 0.8 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively, over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices fell 0.4 percent in August. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) fell 0.8 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged. Within the food at home group, indexes were lower in August for other meats; frozen and freeze dried prepared foods; and other fresh vegetables. Prices were higher for carbonated drinks.

From August 2017 to August 2018, the food index increased 0.8 percent. Over the year, costs for food away from home rose 3.6 percent, while grocery prices were 1.5 percent lower.

Energy

The energy index increased 0.2 percent in August, largely due increases in the utility (piped) gas service index (2.6 percent) and the electricity index (1.2 percent). During the same period, gasoline prices fell 0.9 percent.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index rose 8.3 percent. From August 2017 to August 2018, gasoline prices rose 17.4 percent. The electricity index and utility (piped) gas index declined 0.7 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively, over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in August. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for apparel (2.1 percent), recreation (0.6 percent), and medical care (0.2 percent), but lower for shelter (-0.1 percent) and alcoholic beverages (-1.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent. A 3.3-percent increase in the index for shelter 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	-0.3	1.9
August	0.1	1.9	0.4	-0.1	0.2	-0.2	0.3	2.3	0.1	1.7
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 September 2018 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 11, 2018.

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-
	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018	Aug. 2018	Aug. 2017	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018
Expenditure category
All items	238.540	237.870	238.098	1.7	-0.2	0.1
All items (1967=100)	712.659	710.657	711.338	-	-	-
Food and beverages	248.382	248.655	247.499	1.0	-0.4	-0.5
Food	247.656	247.925	246.923	0.8	-0.3	-0.4
Food at home	233.784	234.113	232.336	-1.5	-0.6	-0.8
Cereals and bakery products	260.217	262.078	258.303	-	-0.7	-1.4
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	252.219	256.225	251.022	-	-0.5	-2.0
Dairy and related products	209.139	209.072	206.805	-	-1.1	-1.1
Fruits and vegetables	305.245	300.063	303.333	-	-0.6	1.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	187.684	187.921	188.900	-	0.6	0.5
Other food at home	189.310	189.727	187.449	-	-1.0	-1.2
Food away from home	262.010	262.199	262.199	3.6	0.1	0.0
Alcoholic beverages	257.328	257.659	254.068	3.4	-1.3	-1.4
Housing	248.791	247.757	247.963	2.5	-0.3	0.1
Shelter	314.264	313.263	312.873	3.3	-0.4	-0.1
Rent of primary residence(2)	329.996	330.920	331.771	2.8	0.5	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	318.995	319.277	319.919	4.0	0.3	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	318.995	319.277	319.919	4.0	0.3	0.2
Fuels and utilities	206.397	206.301	209.109	0.2	1.3	1.4
Household energy	161.590	161.383	164.232	-0.6	1.6	1.8
Energy services(2)	164.780	164.557	167.465	-0.7	1.6	1.8
Electricity(2)	162.181	160.005	161.872	-0.7	-0.2	1.2
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	(r)154.953	157.559	161.726	-0.8	(r)4.4	2.6
Household furnishings and operations	90.494	89.010	89.460	-0.8	-1.1	0.5
Apparel	81.882	80.631	82.317	-6.8	0.5	2.1
Transportation	189.782	189.227	189.356	5.1	-0.2	0.1
Private transportation	186.858	186.290	185.803	4.4	-0.6	-0.3
New and used motor vehicles(4)	94.864	95.718	95.663	-	0.8	-0.1
New vehicles(1)	170.326	170.462	171.057	-	0.4	0.3
Used cars and trucks(1)	266.633	270.340	270.646	-	1.5	0.1
Motor fuel	271.228	265.202	262.717	17.4	-3.1	-0.9
Gasoline (all types)	268.535	262.555	260.091	17.4	-3.1	-0.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	259.065	253.093	250.660	18.0	-3.2	-1.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	294.440	288.335	287.024	15.6	-2.5	-0.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	289.615	285.744	283.028	14.1	-2.3	-1.0
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	534.835	534.835	535.056	-	0.0	0.0
Medical care	507.411	505.584	506.753	0.8	-0.1	0.2
Recreation(4)	110.982	110.575	111.221	-3.9	0.2	0.6
Education and communication(4)	143.375	143.643	143.783	0.4	0.3	0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,184.938	1,192.035	1,197.070	-	1.0	0.4
Other goods and services	393.863	395.164	394.052	2.2	0.0	-0.3
Commodity and service group
All items	238.540	237.870	238.098	1.7	-0.2	0.1
Commodities	168.380	167.483	167.475	0.7	-0.5	0.0
Commodities less food and beverages	128.013	126.795	127.173	0.5	-0.7	0.3
Nondurables less food and beverages	176.756	174.592	175.258	3.1	-0.8	0.4
Durables	84.341	83.870	84.021	-3.1	-0.4	0.2
Services	305.198	304.759	305.217	2.2	0.0	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	226.999	226.379	226.565	1.8	-0.2	0.1
All items less shelter	212.952	212.395	212.840	0.9	-0.1	0.2
Commodities less food	132.580	131.373	131.678	0.6	-0.7	0.2
Nondurables	213.491	212.371	212.232	2.0	-0.6	-0.1
Nondurables less food	182.215	180.139	180.621	3.2	-0.9	0.3
Services less rent of shelter(3)	311.288	311.431	312.826	1.1	0.5	0.4
Services less medical care services	290.662	290.264	290.733	2.5	0.0	0.2
Energy	205.363	202.665	203.169	8.3	-1.1	0.2
All items less energy	243.653	243.170	243.373	1.2	-0.1	0.1
All items less food and energy	243.784	243.178	243.577	1.2	-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. (r) Revised
- Data not available. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.