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

Month	2011		2012		2013		2014		2015
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.6	1.4	0.6	2.1	0.2	1.2	0.9	1.2	-0.2	0.4
February	0.5	1.8	0.0	1.6	1.1	2.3	0.5	0.7	0.0	-0.2
March	0.8	2.3	1.2	2.1	-0.1	0.9	1.1	1.9	0.7	-0.6
April	0.4	2.7	0.0	1.7	0.0	0.9	0.5	2.4	0.1	-0.9
May	0.6	3.3	-0.1	1.0	0.5	1.5	-0.1	1.8	0.3	-0.5
June	0.0	3.8	-0.1	0.9	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.0	0.2	-0.7
July	-0.4	3.2	-0.2	1.1	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.9	-0.1	-0.5
August	0.2	3.2	0.6	1.5	0.1	1.1	0.1	1.9	0.4	-0.1
September	0.2	3.1	0.3	1.6	-0.2	0.7	0.0	2.1	-0.3	-0.4
October	-0.2	2.9	-0.2	1.7	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	2.0	-0.1	-0.2
November	-0.2	2.9	-0.4	1.5	-0.3	0.6	-0.8	1.6
December	-0.5	2.1	-0.3	1.7	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	1.5

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	229.527	228.826	228.600	-0.2	-0.4	-0.1
All items (1967=100)	685.732	683.637	682.963	-	-	-
Food and beverages	242.903	243.146	244.100	1.8	0.5	0.4
Food	242.809	243.037	243.974	2.1	0.5	0.4
Food at home	240.679	239.750	241.200	1.1	0.2	0.6
Food away from home	240.318	242.183	242.372	3.5	0.9	0.1
Alcoholic beverages	242.577	243.035	244.221	-1.2	0.7	0.5
Housing	232.650	232.901	232.524	0.9	-0.1	-0.2
Shelter	288.675	289.844	289.986	2.2	0.5	0.0
Rent of primary residence (1)	306.620	307.585	308.449	2.6	0.6	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)	293.746	294.816	295.350	2.1	0.5	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)	293.746	294.816	295.350	2.1	0.5	0.2
Fuels and utilities	198.021	195.083	193.848	-4.4	-2.1	-0.6
Household energy	161.170	158.053	156.541	-9.1	-2.9	-1.0
Energy services (1)	164.248	161.045	159.463	-9.1	-2.9	-1.0
Electricity (1)	163.539	159.175	160.116	-5.5	-2.1	0.6
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	149.779	148.482	143.561	-14.2	-4.2	-3.3
Household furnishings and operations	96.302	95.843	94.405	-3.2	-2.0	-1.5
Apparel	91.786	92.371	91.491	-2.8	-0.3	-1.0
Transportation	189.972	184.406	183.236	-6.0	-3.5	-0.6
Private transportation	187.518	181.597	179.521	-6.5	-4.3	-1.1
Motor fuel	266.987	240.088	232.922	-21.5	-12.8	-3.0
Gasoline (all types)	264.342	237.632	230.499	-21.5	-12.8	-3.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)	256.764	229.098	221.825	-22.6	-13.6	-3.2
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)	285.511	263.512	256.592	-18.3	-10.1	-2.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)	274.296	256.427	251.743	-14.1	-8.2	-1.8
Medical care	464.167	464.155	465.204	1.9	0.2	0.2
Recreation (5)	110.219	109.184	109.057	-0.1	-1.1	-0.1
Education and communication (5)	142.212	143.403	143.555	-0.1	0.9	0.1
Other goods and services	383.469	382.921	383.330	-0.4	0.0	0.1
Commodity and service group
All items	229.527	228.826	228.600	-0.2	-0.4	-0.1
Commodities	171.050	169.285	168.441	-2.6	-1.5	-0.5
Commodities less food & beverages	134.196	131.613	130.014	-6.0	-3.1	-1.2
Nondurables less food & beverages	178.386	172.731	170.691	-8.5	-4.3	-1.2
Durables	91.891	92.213	91.036	-1.3	-0.9	-1.3
Services	284.927	285.229	285.587	1.3	0.2	0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	219.482	218.749	218.467	-0.4	-0.5	-0.1
All items less shelter	209.710	208.343	207.987	-1.3	-0.8	-0.2
Commodities less food	138.255	135.733	134.195	-5.8	-2.9	-1.1
Nondurables	211.608	208.703	208.071	-3.0	-1.7	-0.3
Nondurables less food	182.909	177.550	175.673	-8.0	-4.0	-1.1
Services less rent of shelter (2)	295.760	295.147	295.751	0.3	0.0	0.2
Services less medical care services	271.310	271.589	271.895	1.2	0.2	0.1
Energy	201.985	189.626	185.918	-15.6	-8.0	-2.0
All items less energy	233.963	234.369	234.474	1.2	0.2	0.0
All items less food and energy	233.181	233.621	233.572	1.1	0.2	0.0
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.