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News Release Information

21-848-CHI
Wednesday, May 12, 2021

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

Consumer Price Index, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin — April 2021

Area prices were up 1.0 percent over the past month, up 4.6 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.0 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the food index increased 0.3 percent and the energy index rose 4.5 percent in April. The all items less food and energy index rose 0.8 percent, largely due to an increase in household furnishings and operations. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 4.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.9 percent over the year. Energy prices increased 33.1 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. Food prices increased 3.5 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.3 percent for the month of April.  Prices for food at home (groceries) increased 0.3 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) advanced 0.4 percent for the same period. Within the food at home group, indexes were higher in April for other pork including roasts, steaks, and ribs; citrus fruits; and uncooked beef steaks. In contrast the indexes for uncooked ground beef; bacon, breakfast sausage, and related products; and pork chops were lower.

Over the year, food prices increased 3.5 percent. Prices for food at home increased 0.7 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 7.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 4.5 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for utility (piped) gas service (18.5 percent). Prices for gasoline increased 3.8 percent, while prices for electricity declined 3.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices advanced 33.1 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (59.2 percent). Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service increased 40.0 percent, while prices for electricity were down 0.2 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.8 percent in April. Higher prices for household furnishings and operations (3.4 percent) and shelter (0.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for apparel (-3.3 percent) and medical care (-0.1 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 2.9 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (2.5 percent) and household furnishings and operations (7.2 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in education and communication (-0.7 percent).

Table A. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20172018201920202021
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.71.80.81.80.60.80.92.60.70.7

February

0.12.20.01.60.61.40.02.00.61.2

March

-0.12.00.01.80.11.5-0.71.10.62.6

April

0.41.70.72.1-0.10.8-0.90.31.04.6

May

0.21.80.42.30.81.21.00.4

June

0.01.3-0.22.2-0.41.00.31.1

July

0.02.2-0.31.90.31.60.21.0

August

0.32.30.11.70.21.60.11.0

September

0.42.10.41.60.21.40.61.4

October

-0.41.60.02.00.31.8-0.11.0

November

0.41.8-0.61.0-0.22.2-0.40.8

December

-0.41.7-0.31.1-0.22.2-0.20.9

The May 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on Thursday, June 10, 2021.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on April 2021 Consumer Price Index Data

Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in April was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed.

While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 6,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods available on the internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.

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, IL-IN-WI, 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 individuals with sensory impairments 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

IndexesPercent change from-
Feb.
2021
Mar.
2021
Apr.
2021
Apr.
2020
Feb.
2021
Mar.
2021

Expenditure category

All items

247.387248.984251.4914.61.71.0

All items (1967=100)

739.089743.860751.350---

Food and beverages

269.599269.122269.9483.50.10.3

Food

269.334269.011269.9463.50.20.3

Food at home

247.034249.130249.8050.71.10.3

Cereals and bakery products

283.585280.212277.8750.1-2.0-0.8

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

262.222270.461266.5780.31.7-1.4

Dairy and related products

228.352224.547227.370-1.9-0.41.3

Fruits and vegetables

307.816315.041325.4636.55.73.3

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

212.581208.186210.875-1.2-0.81.3

Other food at home

198.055200.363199.123-0.50.5-0.6

Food away from home

294.649290.915292.1967.0-0.80.4

Alcoholic beverages

271.539269.074268.4874.0-1.1-0.2

Housing

261.111262.721265.5553.81.71.1

Shelter

332.520332.735334.0882.50.50.4

Rent of primary residence(2)

355.015354.530355.3312.30.10.2

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

343.187343.264344.7092.50.40.4

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

343.187343.264344.7092.50.40.4

Fuels and utilities

211.752219.721228.66311.28.04.1

Household energy

163.304171.438180.51014.510.55.3

Energy services(2)

166.578174.913184.22314.510.65.3

Electricity(2)

162.441170.315164.628-0.21.3-3.3

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

159.093167.434198.33540.024.718.5

Household furnishings and operations

90.62692.38295.4847.25.43.4

Apparel

82.55183.35080.6305.4-2.3-3.3

Transportation

183.848189.653196.18616.46.73.4

Private transportation

185.258192.062196.35016.36.02.2

New and used motor vehicles(4)

99.255100.995102.7875.73.61.8

New vehicles(1)

178.926180.384179.7793.20.5-0.3

Used cars and trucks(1)

288.278295.243325.65321.613.010.3

Motor fuel

234.916261.431271.15258.515.43.7

Gasoline (all types)

232.627258.891268.63459.215.53.8

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

223.654249.810259.29161.115.93.8

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

260.261283.516293.74250.312.93.6

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

258.655278.755288.39941.911.53.5

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

502.996504.085522.14511.03.83.6

Medical care

533.523533.409532.6830.3-0.2-0.1

Recreation(4)

117.597116.734118.8874.71.11.8

Education and communication(4)

141.553141.645141.608-0.70.00.0

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,221.7041,221.7041,221.7041.00.00.0

Other goods and services

403.580403.499409.3630.01.41.5

Commodity and service group

All items

247.387248.984251.4914.61.71.0

Commodities

172.650174.843176.4517.52.20.9

Commodities less food and beverages

126.039129.053130.83510.73.81.4

Nondurables less food and beverages

167.029172.549173.22113.93.70.4

Durables

87.62588.78091.0607.13.92.6

Services

318.245319.107322.4903.01.31.1

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

235.110236.795239.4665.11.91.1

All items less shelter

218.563220.612223.4925.72.31.3

Commodities less food

130.963133.865135.60410.33.51.3

Nondurables

217.950220.682221.4357.71.60.3

Nondurables less food

173.715178.769179.36613.03.30.3

Services less rent of shelter(3)

319.193320.796326.5293.52.31.8

Services less medical care services

301.338302.282306.0133.31.61.2

Energy

190.938206.370215.64633.112.94.5

All items less energy

254.777255.190257.1353.00.90.8

All items less food and energy

253.022253.570255.7052.91.10.8

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: Wednesday, May 12, 2021