The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area rose 0.2 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that food prices were unchanged and energy prices decreased 3.0 percent in November. The all items less food and energy index rose 0.5 percent over the month. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for medical care and shelter. Prices for apparel and household furnishings and operations were lower 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 rose 1.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy costs fell 0.9 percent over the year due to declines in the indexes for electricity and gasoline. The all items less food and energy index was 1.9 percent higher over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices were unchanged in November following a 0.8-percent increase in October. Between the two components of the food index, overall prices for food at home (groceries) and for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were also unchanged over the month. Within the food at home group, the indexes for cheese and related products and ice cream and related products were higher in November. In contrast, the indexes for breakfast cereal and pork chops were lower.

From November 2015 to November 2016, the food index increased 0.3 percent. Prices for food eaten away from home rose 3.2 percent, while grocery prices declined 1.6 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index declined 3.0 percent in November, primarily due to a 7.4-percent decrease in gasoline prices. Utility (piped) gas service costs increased 2.0 percent, while electricity prices were unchanged from their October levels.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index declined 0.9 percent. The major contributing factors in the energy index’s decline were a 6.5-percent decrease in electricity costs and a 4.3-percent decline in gasoline prices. Utility (piped) gas service costs rose 18.6 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was 0.5 percent higher than its October level. Prices were higher for medical care (3.1 percent) and shelter (0.6 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for apparel (-2.9 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-1.2 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.9 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (3.2 percent) and medical care (6.8 percent) were major contributing factors. In contrast, prices were lower over the year for new and used motor vehicles.

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

Month	2012		2013		2014		2015		2016
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.6	2.1	0.2	1.2	0.9	1.2	-0.2	0.4	0.8	0.9
February	0.0	1.6	1.1	2.3	0.5	0.7	0.0	-0.2	-0.2	0.7
March	1.2	2.1	-0.1	0.9	1.1	1.9	0.7	-0.6	0.1	0.2
April	0.0	1.7	0.0	0.9	0.5	2.4	0.1	-0.9	0.6	0.7
May	-0.1	1.0	0.5	1.5	-0.1	1.8	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.3
June	-0.1	0.9	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.0	0.2	-0.7	0.5	0.7
July	-0.2	1.1	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.9	-0.1	-0.5	-0.8	-0.1
August	0.6	1.5	0.1	1.1	0.1	1.9	0.4	-0.1	0.2	-0.2
September	0.3	1.6	-0.2	0.7	0.0	2.1	-0.3	-0.4	0.6	0.6
October	-0.2	1.7	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	2.0	-0.1	-0.2	0.1	0.8
November	-0.4	1.5	-0.3	0.6	-0.8	1.6	-0.4	0.2	0.2	1.5
December	-0.3	1.7	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	1.5	-0.6	0.0

The December 2016 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 18, 2017.

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/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-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-
	Sep. 2016	Oct. 2016	Nov. 2016	Nov. 2015	Sep. 2016	Oct. 2016
Expenditure category
All items	230.282	230.506	230.969	1.5	0.3	0.2
All items (1967=100)	687.987	688.657	690.040	-	-	-
Food and beverages	241.597	243.493	243.435	0.3	0.8	0.0
Food	241.444	243.409	243.466	0.3	0.8	0.0
Food at home	232.714	234.715	234.809	-1.6	0.9	0.0
Food away from home	248.982	250.838	250.838	3.2	0.7	0.0
Alcoholic beverages	242.156	243.025	241.256	-0.3	-0.4	-0.7
Housing	238.072	237.836	238.965	2.7	0.4	0.5
Shelter	298.231	298.177	300.016	3.2	0.6	0.6
Rent of primary residence(1)	314.519	315.028	317.112	2.6	0.8	0.7
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	302.298	302.627	304.051	2.7	0.6	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	302.298	302.627	304.051	2.7	0.6	0.5
Fuels and utilities	199.452	198.338	199.898	4.1	0.2	0.8
Household energy	157.802	156.634	157.840	2.1	0.0	0.8
Energy services(1)	160.850	159.604	160.926	2.2	0.0	0.8
Electricity(1)	152.986	150.121	150.177	-6.5	-1.8	0.0
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	159.538	161.008	164.254	18.6	3.0	2.0
Household furnishings and operations	92.489	92.264	91.171	-3.3	-1.4	-1.2
Apparel	92.535	90.718	88.102	-2.9	-4.8	-2.9
Transportation	178.641	178.374	176.508	-1.5	-1.2	-1.0
Private transportation	175.559	175.340	172.887	-1.1	-1.5	-1.4
Motor fuel	211.501	212.050	196.464	-4.3	-7.1	-7.4
Gasoline (all types)	209.420	209.910	194.380	-4.3	-7.2	-7.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)	200.533	200.688	185.344	-4.7	-7.6	-7.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)	236.176	238.435	222.363	-3.0	-5.8	-6.7
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)	235.995	238.051	224.125	-1.9	-5.0	-5.9
Medical care	480.887	482.970	498.174	6.8	3.6	3.1
Recreation(5)	107.085	107.425	106.585	-1.4	-0.5	-0.8
Education and communication(5)	143.526	144.041	144.574	0.9	0.7	0.4
Other goods and services	384.319	386.640	385.112	0.4	0.2	-0.4
Commodity and service group
All items	230.282	230.506	230.969	1.5	0.3	0.2
Commodities	165.291	165.454	163.609	-1.4	-1.0	-1.1
Commodities less food & beverages	126.563	126.022	123.550	-2.8	-2.4	-2.0
Nondurables less food & beverages	167.585	167.564	162.380	-1.8	-3.1	-3.1
Durables	88.384	87.509	87.153	-3.5	-1.4	-0.4
Services	291.916	292.198	294.948	3.1	1.0	0.9
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	219.534	219.677	219.492	1.0	0.0	-0.1
All items less shelter	207.375	207.696	207.683	0.6	0.1	0.0
Commodities less food	130.768	130.258	127.777	-2.6	-2.3	-1.9
Nondurables	205.134	206.041	203.289	-0.6	-0.9	-1.3
Nondurables less food	172.579	172.608	167.587	-1.7	-2.9	-2.9
Services less rent of shelter(2)	300.212	300.870	304.841	2.9	1.5	1.3
Services less medical care services	277.543	277.743	279.293	2.5	0.6	0.6
Energy	178.322	177.821	172.525	-0.9	-3.3	-3.0
All items less energy	237.087	237.381	238.381	1.6	0.5	0.4
All items less food and energy	237.132	237.122	238.297	1.9	0.5	0.5
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. Data not seasonally adjusted.