The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area decreased 0.4 percent in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that food prices rose 0.1 percent and the energy index declined 2.5 percent in June. The all items less food and energy index decreased 0.3 percent over the month. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were lower over the month for 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 increased 1.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Over the year, the energy index declined 1.5 percent. The food index and the all items less food and energy index rose 2.0 percent and 1.0 percent, respectively, over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.1 percent in June. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) increased 0.3 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 June for snacks; cheese and related products; and spices, seasonings, condiments, sauces; while lower for frozen and freeze dried prepared foods, tomatoes, and pork chops.

From June 2018 to June 2019, the food index increased 2.0 percent. Over the year, grocery prices increased 1.1 percent, while costs for food away from home rose 3.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 2.5 percent in June. During the same period, gasoline prices fell 5.5 percent. In June, utility (piped) gas service costs rose 4.4 percent, while electricity costs decreased 0.3 percent.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index fell 1.5 percent. From June 2018 to June 2019, gasoline prices and utility (piped) gas service costs decreased 2.5 percent and 1.0 percent, respectively. Electricity prices rose 0.5 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy fell 0.3 percent in June. Among the index’s components, prices were lower over the month for apparel (-3.9 percent) and higher for education and communication (0.6 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.0 percent. An increase in the shelter index of 2.5 percent over the year was a 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	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	-0.2	0.4	0.8	0.9	0.7	1.8	0.8	1.8	0.6	0.8
February	0.0	-0.2	-0.2	0.7	0.1	2.2	0.0	1.6	0.6	1.4
March	0.7	-0.6	0.1	0.2	-0.1	2.0	0.0	1.8	0.1	1.5
April	0.1	-0.9	0.6	0.7	0.4	1.7	0.7	2.1	-0.1	0.8
May	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.3	0.2	1.8	0.4	2.3	0.8	1.2
June	0.2	-0.7	0.5	0.7	0.0	1.3	-0.2	2.2	-0.4	1.0
July	-0.1	-0.5	-0.8	-0.1	0.0	2.2	-0.3	1.9
August	0.4	-0.1	0.2	-0.2	0.3	2.3	0.1	1.7
September	-0.3	-0.4	0.6	0.6	0.4	2.1	0.4	1.6
October	-0.1	-0.2	0.1	0.8	-0.4	1.6	0.0	2.0
November	-0.4	0.2	0.2	1.5	0.4	1.8	-0.6	1.0
December	-0.6	0.0	-0.2	1.9	-0.4	1.7	-0.3	1.1

The July 2019 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, August 13, 2019.

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, 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 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-
	Apr. 2019	May 2019	Jun. 2019	Jun. 2018	Apr. 2019	May 2019
Expenditure category
All items	239.726	241.758	240.835	1.0	0.5	-0.4
All items (1967=100)	716.200	722.273	719.514	-	-	-
Food and beverages	251.158	252.645	253.122	1.9	0.8	0.2
Food	250.419	252.177	252.500	2.0	0.8	0.1
Food at home	234.449	235.649	236.262	1.1	0.8	0.3
Cereals and bakery products	262.630	267.095	267.266	2.7	1.8	0.1
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	253.935	252.853	252.895	0.3	-0.4	0.0
Dairy and related products	211.584	211.525	215.922	3.2	2.1	2.1
Fruits and vegetables	303.830	309.203	305.499	0.1	0.5	-1.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	192.811	191.282	190.799	1.7	-1.0	-0.3
Other food at home	187.316	188.173	190.412	0.6	1.7	1.2
Food away from home	267.410	269.857	269.805	3.0	0.9	0.0
Alcoholic beverages	260.275	257.428	260.355	1.2	0.0	1.1
Housing	252.323	253.550	253.584	1.9	0.5	0.0
Shelter	320.302	322.367	322.249	2.5	0.6	0.0
Rent of primary residence(2)	339.272	341.088	341.818	3.6	0.8	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	326.744	328.744	329.159	3.2	0.7	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	326.744	328.744	329.159	3.2	0.7	0.1
Fuels and utilities	206.878	205.675	208.079	0.8	0.6	1.2
Household energy	160.210	159.131	161.483	-0.1	0.8	1.5
Energy services(2)	163.345	162.251	164.669	-0.1	0.8	1.5
Electricity(2)	167.786	163.588	163.059	0.5	-2.8	-0.3
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	143.495	146.962	153.425	-1.0	6.9	4.4
Household furnishings and operations	89.027	89.233	88.537	-2.2	-0.6	-0.8
Apparel	85.949	85.015	81.729	-0.2	-4.9	-3.9
Transportation	192.147	194.333	190.503	0.4	-0.9	-2.0
Private transportation	188.458	189.801	187.099	0.1	-0.7	-1.4
New and used motor vehicles(4)	96.359	95.831	96.132	1.3	-0.2	0.3
New vehicles(1)	173.934	172.532	172.391	1.2	-0.9	-0.1
Used cars and trucks(1)	270.140	267.497	272.060	2.0	0.7	1.7
Motor fuel	270.769	279.551	264.372	-2.5	-2.4	-5.4
Gasoline (all types)	268.170	276.898	261.790	-2.5	-2.4	-5.5
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	258.596	267.280	252.314	-2.6	-2.4	-5.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	295.800	303.169	289.356	-1.7	-2.2	-4.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	289.804	296.857	284.370	-1.8	-1.9	-4.2
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	530.637	530.637	532.866	-0.4	0.4	0.4
Medical care	474.623	499.410	500.230	-1.4	5.4	0.2
Recreation(4)	111.791	112.089	111.581	0.5	-0.2	-0.5
Education and communication(4)	140.647	140.119	140.907	-1.7	0.2	0.6
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,175.303	1,172.322	1,179.324	-0.5	0.3	0.6
Other goods and services	403.238	401.779	399.874	1.5	-0.8	-0.5
Commodity and service group
All items	239.726	241.758	240.835	1.0	0.5	-0.4
Commodities	170.117	170.595	168.957	0.3	-0.7	-1.0
Commodities less food and beverages	129.262	129.363	127.146	-0.7	-1.6	-1.7
Nondurables less food and beverages	178.853	180.011	174.708	-1.2	-2.3	-2.9
Durables	84.908	84.272	84.356	0.0	-0.7	0.1
Services	305.826	309.371	309.162	1.3	1.1	-0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	229.677	230.713	229.712	1.2	0.0	-0.4
All items less shelter	212.448	214.477	213.269	0.1	0.4	-0.6
Commodities less food	133.882	133.926	131.776	-0.6	-1.6	-1.6
Nondurables	215.946	217.282	214.451	0.4	-0.7	-1.3
Nondurables less food	184.371	185.362	180.372	-1.0	-2.2	-2.7
Services less rent of shelter(3)	306.055	311.348	311.035	-0.1	1.6	-0.1
Services less medical care services	294.078	295.500	295.200	1.6	0.4	-0.1
Energy	204.406	207.579	202.364	-1.5	-1.0	-2.5
All items less energy	245.051	246.993	246.468	1.2	0.6	-0.2
All items less food and energy	244.966	246.944	246.280	1.0	0.5	-0.3
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.