The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area was unchanged in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that food prices edged down 0.1 percent and the energy index decreased 2.6 percent in October. 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 shelter and motor vehicle insurance over the month, but prices fell for recreation and household furnishings and operations. (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 2.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Over the year, the energy index rose 9.8 percent. The rise in the energy index was primarily due to higher gasoline and electricity prices. The food index and the all items less food and energy index rose 1.8 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices were down a slight 0.1 percent in October. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) declined 0.2 percent while prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged. Within the food at home group, indexes were higher in October for potatoes and other pork including roasts, steaks, and ribs. Prices were lower for citrus fruits and milk.

From October 2017 to October 2018, the food index increased 1.8 percent. Over the year, costs for food away from home rose 4.0 percent, while grocery prices edged down 0.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index decreased 2.6 percent in October. Prices declined for gasoline (-2.9 percent), utility (piped) gas service (-4.2 percent), and electricity (-1.1 percent).

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index rose 9.8 percent. From October 2017 to October 2018, gasoline prices and electricity prices rose 10.8 percent and 14.0 percent, respectively. The utility (piped) gas service index declined 1.6 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in October. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (0.3 percent) and motor vehicle insurance (2.0 percent). Prices were lower for recreation and household furnishings and operations, each down 1.3 percent.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent. A 3.4-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	0.4	1.6
October	-0.4	2.0	-0.1	-0.2	0.1	0.8	-0.4	1.6	0.0	2.0
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 November 2018 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 12, 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-
	Aug. 2018	Sep. 2018	Oct. 2018	Oct. 2017	Aug. 2018	Sep. 2018
Expenditure category
All items	238.098	238.957	238.892	2.0	0.3	0.0
All items (1967=100)	711.338	713.904	713.710	-	-	-
Food and beverages	247.499	250.270	250.316	1.9	1.1	0.0
Food	246.923	249.656	249.421	1.8	1.0	-0.1
Food at home	232.336	235.910	235.493	-0.1	1.4	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products	258.303	263.597	264.072	-	2.2	0.2
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	251.022	255.789	251.294	-	0.1	-1.8
Dairy and related products	206.805	210.062	210.010	-	1.5	0.0
Fruits and vegetables	303.333	302.492	312.676	-	3.1	3.4
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	188.900	191.872	189.844	-	0.5	-1.1
Other food at home	187.449	191.907	189.086	-	0.9	-1.5
Food away from home	262.199	263.823	263.823	4.0	0.6	0.0
Alcoholic beverages	254.068	257.417	261.928	4.8	3.1	1.8
Housing	247.963	248.967	248.747	3.5	0.3	-0.1
Shelter	312.873	314.012	314.802	3.4	0.6	0.3
Rent of primary residence(2)	331.771	332.746	333.905	2.7	0.6	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	319.919	320.777	321.659	3.9	0.5	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	319.919	320.777	321.659	3.9	0.5	0.3
Fuels and utilities	209.109	207.658	204.156	6.3	-2.4	-1.7
Household energy	164.232	162.580	158.829	7.5	-3.3	-2.3
Energy services(2)	167.465	165.760	161.864	7.6	-3.3	-2.4
Electricity(2)	161.872	159.483	157.797	14.0	-2.5	-1.1
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	161.726	161.145	154.388	-1.6	-4.5	-4.2
Household furnishings and operations	89.460	91.209	90.038	0.0	0.6	-1.3
Apparel	82.317	86.193	86.774	-4.4	5.4	0.7
Transportation	189.356	188.730	188.820	3.9	-0.3	0.0
Private transportation	185.803	185.988	185.449	3.8	-0.2	-0.3
New and used motor vehicles(4)	95.663	94.953	95.152	-	-0.5	0.2
New vehicles(1)	171.057	170.329	171.120	-	0.0	0.5
Used cars and trucks(1)	270.646	257.907	260.902	-	-3.6	1.2
Motor fuel	262.717	264.490	256.862	10.9	-2.2	-2.9
Gasoline (all types)	260.091	261.826	254.156	10.8	-2.3	-2.9
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	250.660	252.453	244.932	11.4	-2.3	-3.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	287.024	287.257	280.546	9.1	-2.3	-2.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	283.028	284.229	276.642	8.0	-2.3	-2.7
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	535.056	543.985	555.038	-	3.7	2.0
Medical care	506.753	505.523	506.167	1.5	-0.1	0.1
Recreation(4)	111.221	112.151	110.695	-5.0	-0.5	-1.3
Education and communication(4)	143.783	142.202	142.695	-0.7	-0.8	0.3
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,197.070	1,167.483	1,173.204	-	-2.0	0.5
Other goods and services	394.052	393.821	396.898	2.4	0.7	0.8
Commodity and service group
All items	238.098	238.957	238.892	2.0	0.3	0.0
Commodities	167.475	169.007	168.361	0.9	0.5	-0.4
Commodities less food and beverages	127.173	128.167	127.340	0.2	0.1	-0.6
Nondurables less food and beverages	175.258	176.292	175.319	1.8	0.0	-0.6
Durables	84.021	84.908	84.247	-2.0	0.3	-0.8
Services	305.217	305.403	305.912	2.6	0.2	0.2
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	226.565	227.517	227.421	2.1	0.4	0.0
All items less shelter	212.840	213.605	213.241	1.3	0.2	-0.2
Commodities less food	131.678	132.734	132.000	0.4	0.2	-0.6
Nondurables	212.232	214.075	213.537	1.9	0.6	-0.3
Nondurables less food	180.621	181.770	181.033	2.0	0.2	-0.4
Services less rent of shelter(3)	312.826	311.988	312.213	1.8	-0.2	0.1
Services less medical care services	290.733	290.899	291.363	2.8	0.2	0.2
Energy	203.169	203.019	197.680	9.8	-2.7	-2.6
All items less energy	243.373	244.335	244.768	1.5	0.6	0.2
All items less food and energy	243.577	244.255	244.798	1.4	0.5	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.