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News Release Information

15-2196-CHI
Tuesday, November 17, 2015

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

Consumer Price Index, Chicago-Gary-Kenosha — October 2015

Local prices down 0.2 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area decreased 0.1 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that energy prices fell 2.0 percent and food prices increased 0.4 percent in October. The all items less food and energy index was unchanged over the month. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices increased for medical care and decreased for new and used motor vehicles, household furnishings and operations, and 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 declined 0.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index fell 15.6 percent over the year due to declines in gasoline prices, utility (piped) gas service costs, and electricity prices. The all items less food and energy index was 1.1 percent higher over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices were up 0.4 percent in October following a 0.1-percent increase in September. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) rose 0.6 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) edged up 0.1 percent over the month. Within the food at home group, prices were up for carbonated drinks and spices, seasonings, condiments, and sauces.  In contrast, categories experiencing decreases included eggs and canned fruits and vegetables.

From October 2014 to October 2015, the food index increased 2.1 percent. Prices for food eaten away from home increased 3.5 percent over the year, and grocery food prices rose 1.1 percent from the previous October.

Energy

The energy index was down 2.0 percent in October, due to declines in gasoline prices (-3.0 percent) and utility (piped) gas service costs (-3.3 percent). Electricity prices increased 0.6 percent over the month.

On an annual basis, the Chicago area energy index declined 15.6 percent due to decreases in gasoline prices (-21.5 percent), utility (piped) gas service costs (-14.2 percent), and electricity prices (-5.5 percent).

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in October. Among the index’s components, prices for shelter were unchanged due to decreases in prices for lodging away from home countering increases in rent of primary residence (0.3 percent) and owners’ equivalent rent of residences (0.2 percent). Medical care costs were up 0.2 percent. The index for household furnishings and operations declined 1.5 percent and apparel prices were down 1.0 percent.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.1 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (2.2 percent) and medical care (1.9 percent) were major contributing factors. In contrast, costs for household furnishing and operations decreased 3.2 percent and apparel prices were 2.8 percent lower.

Table A. Chicago CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20112012201320142015
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.61.40.62.10.21.20.91.2-0.20.4

February

0.51.80.01.61.12.30.50.70.0-0.2

March

0.82.31.22.1-0.10.91.11.90.7-0.6

April

0.42.70.01.70.00.90.52.40.1-0.9

May

0.63.3-0.11.00.51.5-0.11.80.3-0.5

June

0.03.8-0.10.90.11.70.42.00.2-0.7

July

-0.43.2-0.21.1-0.21.7-0.41.9-0.1-0.5

August

0.23.20.61.50.11.10.11.90.4-0.1

September

0.23.10.31.6-0.20.70.02.1-0.3-0.4

October

-0.22.9-0.21.7-0.30.5-0.42.0-0.1-0.2

November

-0.22.9-0.41.5-0.30.6-0.81.6  

December

-0.52.1-0.31.7-0.30.5-0.41.5  

The November 2015 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, December 15, 2015.


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/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-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-
Aug.
2015
Sep.
2015
Oct.
2015
Oct.
2014
Aug.
2015
Sep.
2015

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

229.527228.826228.600-0.2-0.4-0.1

All items (1967=100)

685.732683.637682.963---

Food and beverages

242.903243.146244.1001.80.50.4

Food

242.809243.037243.9742.10.50.4

Food at home

240.679239.750241.2001.10.20.6

Food away from home

240.318242.183242.3723.50.90.1

Alcoholic beverages

242.577243.035244.221-1.20.70.5

Housing

232.650232.901232.5240.9-0.1-0.2

Shelter

288.675289.844289.9862.20.50.0

Rent of primary residence (1)

306.620307.585308.4492.60.60.3

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

293.746294.816295.3502.10.50.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

293.746294.816295.3502.10.50.2

Fuels and utilities

198.021195.083193.848-4.4-2.1-0.6

Household energy

161.170158.053156.541-9.1-2.9-1.0

Energy services (1)

164.248161.045159.463-9.1-2.9-1.0

Electricity (1)

163.539159.175160.116-5.5-2.10.6

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

149.779148.482143.561-14.2-4.2-3.3

Household furnishings and operations

96.30295.84394.405-3.2-2.0-1.5

Apparel

91.78692.37191.491-2.8-0.3-1.0

Transportation

189.972184.406183.236-6.0-3.5-0.6

Private transportation

187.518181.597179.521-6.5-4.3-1.1

Motor fuel

266.987240.088232.922-21.5-12.8-3.0

Gasoline (all types)

264.342237.632230.499-21.5-12.8-3.0

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

256.764229.098221.825-22.6-13.6-3.2

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

285.511263.512256.592-18.3-10.1-2.6

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

274.296256.427251.743-14.1-8.2-1.8

Medical care

464.167464.155465.2041.90.20.2

Recreation (5)

110.219109.184109.057-0.1-1.1-0.1

Education and communication (5)

142.212143.403143.555-0.10.90.1

Other goods and services

383.469382.921383.330-0.40.00.1
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

229.527228.826228.600-0.2-0.4-0.1

Commodities

171.050169.285168.441-2.6-1.5-0.5

Commodities less food & beverages

134.196131.613130.014-6.0-3.1-1.2

Nondurables less food & beverages

178.386172.731170.691-8.5-4.3-1.2

Durables

91.89192.21391.036-1.3-0.9-1.3

Services

284.927285.229285.5871.30.20.1
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

219.482218.749218.467-0.4-0.5-0.1

All items less shelter

209.710208.343207.987-1.3-0.8-0.2

Commodities less food

138.255135.733134.195-5.8-2.9-1.1

Nondurables

211.608208.703208.071-3.0-1.7-0.3

Nondurables less food

182.909177.550175.673-8.0-4.0-1.1

Services less rent of shelter (2)

295.760295.147295.7510.30.00.2

Services less medical care services

271.310271.589271.8951.20.20.1

Energy

201.985189.626185.918-15.6-8.0-2.0

All items less energy

233.963234.369234.4741.20.20.0

All items less food and energy

233.181233.621233.5721.10.20.0

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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2015