The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area increased 0.6 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that energy prices rose 4.3 percent and food prices were up 1.2 percent in April. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.2 percent over the month. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for shelter, education and communication, and recreation. (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 0.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index fell 12.9 percent over the year primarily due to declining gasoline prices. The all items less food and energy index was 1.8 percent higher over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 1.2 percent in April following a 1.0-percent decrease in March. Between the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) increased 1.3 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were 0.9 percent higher over the month. Within the food at home group, prices were up for citrus fruits, other fresh fruits, and fresh fish and seafood. In contrast, the indexes for eggs, apples, and uncooked beef roasts experienced decreases.

From April 2015 to April 2016, the food index increased 1.4 percent. Prices for food eaten away from home rose 4.0 percent over the year, while grocery food prices declined 0.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index was up 4.3 percent in April primarily due to gasoline prices rising 11.2 percent. Utility (piped) gas service costs recorded a decrease of 2.2 percent over the month, and electricity prices were down 0.5 percent.

On an annual basis, the Chicago area energy index declined 12.9 percent. The major contributing factor for the energy index’s decline was the 15.5-percent decrease in gasoline prices since April 2015. Electricity prices fell 12.2 percent and utility (piped) gas service costs fell 7.5 percent during the same period.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in April. Prices were higher for shelter (0.2 percent), education and communication (0.4 percent), and recreation (0.5 percent), but lower for household furnishings and operations (-0.6 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.8 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (2.7 percent), medical care (2.2 percent), and recreation (2.8 percent) were major contributing factors. Prices were lower for household furnishings and operations (-4.3 percent) and apparel (-1.7 percent).

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
June	-0.1	0.9	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.0	0.2	-0.7
July	-0.2	1.1	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.9	-0.1	-0.5
August	0.6	1.5	0.1	1.1	0.1	1.9	0.4	-0.1
September	0.3	1.6	-0.2	0.7	0.0	2.1	-0.3	-0.4
October	-0.2	1.7	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	2.0	-0.1	-0.2
November	-0.4	1.5	-0.3	0.6	-0.8	1.6	-0.4	0.2
December	-0.3	1.7	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	1.5	-0.6	0.0

The May 2016 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Thursday, June 16, 2016.

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-
	Feb. 2016	Mar. 2016	Apr. 2016	Apr. 2015	Feb. 2016	Mar. 2016
Expenditure category
All items	227.438	227.778	229.197	0.7	0.8	0.6
All items (1967=100)	679.489	680.507	684.745	-	-	-
Food and beverages	243.687	241.529	244.140	1.3	0.2	1.1
Food	243.490	241.142	243.985	1.4	0.2	1.2
Food at home	238.542	234.737	237.899	-0.4	-0.3	1.3
Food away from home	245.031	245.032	247.301	4.0	0.9	0.9
Alcoholic beverages	244.869	245.528	244.694	-0.4	-0.1	-0.3
Housing	235.109	234.672	234.650	1.1	-0.2	0.0
Shelter	295.174	294.015	294.479	2.7	-0.2	0.2
Rent of primary residence (1)	310.874	310.717	311.114	2.4	0.1	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)	298.803	298.599	298.911	2.4	0.0	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)	298.803	298.599	298.911	2.4	0.0	0.1
Fuels and utilities	188.848	192.282	190.815	-5.7	1.0	-0.8
Household energy	151.073	151.246	149.707	-10.5	-0.9	-1.0
Energy services (1)	153.903	154.154	152.491	-10.5	-0.9	-1.1
Electricity (1)	155.175	156.471	155.732	-12.2	0.4	-0.5
Utility (piped) gas service (1)	138.482	137.028	134.023	-7.5	-3.2	-2.2
Household furnishings and operations	94.235	93.553	93.024	-4.3	-1.3	-0.6
Apparel	89.863	87.730	88.250	-1.7	-1.8	0.6
Transportation	169.456	175.370	179.773	-3.0	6.1	2.5
Private transportation	165.136	171.587	175.531	-3.3	6.3	2.3
Motor fuel	148.371	181.813	202.163	-15.5	36.3	11.2
Gasoline (all types)	146.680	180.039	200.250	-15.5	36.5	11.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)	138.316	171.969	191.964	-16.8	38.8	11.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)	174.342	204.785	224.879	-11.8	29.0	9.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)	179.414	205.601	224.450	-7.1	25.1	9.2
Medical care	470.690	471.737	472.816	2.2	0.5	0.2
Recreation (5)	111.243	110.923	111.489	2.8	0.2	0.5
Education and communication (5)	142.838	142.143	142.775	0.6	0.0	0.4
Other goods and services	382.476	383.173	383.302	1.0	0.2	0.0
Commodity and service group
All items	227.438	227.778	229.197	0.7	0.8	0.6
Commodities	162.916	164.038	166.064	-1.3	1.9	1.2
Commodities less food & beverages	122.512	124.895	126.587	-3.5	3.3	1.4
Nondurables less food & beverages	153.926	159.843	164.641	-3.9	7.0	3.0
Durables	91.508	91.191	90.538	-2.3	-1.1	-0.7
Services	288.641	288.202	288.999	1.8	0.1	0.3
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	217.009	217.319	218.754	0.5	0.8	0.7
All items less shelter	204.596	205.458	207.211	-0.4	1.3	0.9
Commodities less food	126.846	129.210	130.856	-3.3	3.2	1.3
Nondurables	198.970	201.033	204.819	-1.0	2.9	1.9
Nondurables less food	159.762	165.416	169.925	-3.6	6.4	2.7
Services less rent of shelter (2)	296.728	296.960	298.071	0.7	0.5	0.4
Services less medical care services	274.929	274.395	275.221	1.8	0.1	0.3
Energy	149.771	162.822	169.760	-12.9	13.3	4.3
All items less energy	236.599	235.765	236.685	1.7	0.0	0.4
All items less food and energy	236.180	235.619	236.192	1.8	0.0	0.2
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.