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errata

Incorrect prices for prescription drugs were used for the CPI-U and CPI-W indexes from May through August 2016 in a number of areas. Several indexes were affected, including the all items and medical care indexes. A list of the series affected can be found at www.bls.gov/bls/errata/cpi-price-corrections-10182016.htm, and the corrected data are available in the CPI database (www.bls.gov/cpi/data.htm).

News Release Information

16-1797-CHI
Friday, September 16, 2016

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Consumer Price Index, Chicago-Gary-Kenosha — August 2016

Local prices decline 0.3 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area rose 0.2 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that energy prices remained unchanged and food prices rose 0.5 percent in August. 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 apparel; education and communication; and shelter. (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 was down 0.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The energy index fell 13.1 percent over the year as prices declined for gasoline and electricity. The all items less food and energy index was 1.0 percent higher over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices rose 0.5 percent in August following a 0.3-percent decrease in July. Between the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) increased 0.7 percent, while prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were up 0.2 percent over the month. Within the food at home group, prices were higher for chicken, milk, and citrus fruits. In contrast, the indexes for eggs and pork chops decreased.

From August 2015 to August 2016, the food index decreased 0.2 percent. Grocery prices declined 2.8 percent over the year, while prices for food eaten away from home rose 3.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index remained unchanged in August. Utility (piped) gas service costs increased 4.0 percent over the month, while gasoline prices decreased 0.9 percent and the electricity index fell 1.2 percent.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index declined 13.1 percent. The major contributing factor in the energy index’s decline was a 22.1-percent decrease in gasoline prices from August 2015. The electricity index fell 6.5 percent, while utility (piped) gas service costs rose 2.6 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 August. Prices were higher for apparel (7.3 percent); education and communication (0.8 percent); and shelter (0.1 percent). The index for recreation saw a 2.1-percent decrease over the month.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.0 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (2.6 percent); medical care (2.4 percent); and education and communication (1.0 percent) were major contributing factors. In contrast, prices were down for recreation (-4.6 percent); household furnishings and operations (-3.1 percent); and apparel (-2.5 percent).

Table A. Chicago CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20122013201420152016
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.62.10.21.20.91.2-0.20.40.80.9

February

0.01.61.12.30.50.70.0-0.2-0.20.7

March

1.22.1-0.10.91.11.90.7-0.60.10.2

April

0.01.70.00.90.52.40.1-0.90.60.7

May

-0.11.00.51.5-0.11.80.3-0.50.00.3

June

-0.10.90.11.70.42.00.2-0.70.50.6

July

-0.21.1-0.21.7-0.41.9-0.1-0.5-0.8-0.1

August

0.61.50.11.10.11.90.4-0.10.2-0.3

September

0.31.6-0.20.70.02.1-0.3-0.4  

October

-0.21.7-0.30.5-0.42.0-0.1-0.2  

November

-0.41.5-0.30.6-0.81.6-0.40.2  

December

-0.31.7-0.30.5-0.41.5-0.60.0  

The September 2016 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, October 18, 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-
Jun.
2016
Jul.
2016
Aug.
2016
Aug.
2015
Jun.
2016
Jul.
2016

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

230.307228.415228.918-0.3-0.60.2

All items (1967=100)

688.060682.408683.912---

Food and beverages

242.182241.241242.333-0.20.10.5

Food

241.914241.147242.266-0.20.10.5

Food at home

233.889232.479234.034-2.80.10.7

Food away from home

248.330248.595248.9983.60.30.2

Alcoholic beverages

244.426240.915241.621-0.4-1.10.3

Housing

236.478236.119236.5991.70.10.2

Shelter

297.282295.812296.0902.6-0.40.1

Rent of primary residence (1)

312.688313.464314.2212.50.50.2

Owners' equiv. rent of residences (1) (2)

300.313301.197301.7642.70.50.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence (1) (2)

300.313301.197301.7642.70.50.2

Fuels and utilities

192.555195.983197.235-0.42.40.6

Household energy

150.516154.165155.478-3.53.30.9

Energy services (1)

153.429157.234158.436-3.53.30.8

Electricity (1)

153.072154.689152.881-6.5-0.1-1.2

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

140.672147.672153.6172.69.24.0

Household furnishings and operations

92.19892.71893.307-3.11.20.6

Apparel

86.20383.35489.479-2.53.87.3

Transportation

185.633179.372177.796-6.4-4.2-0.9

Private transportation

182.195176.753175.155-6.6-3.9-0.9

Motor fuel

237.082209.896208.017-22.1-12.3-0.9

Gasoline (all types)

234.900207.812205.974-22.1-12.3-0.9

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

226.215198.982197.257-23.2-12.8-0.9

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

260.830234.994232.343-18.6-10.9-1.1

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

255.671233.594231.797-15.5-9.3-0.8

Medical care

473.136473.725475.3602.40.50.3

Recreation (5)

110.079107.508105.200-4.6-4.4-2.1

Education and communication (5)

141.753142.423143.5791.01.30.8

Other goods and services

385.358383.769383.113-0.1-0.6-0.2
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

230.307228.415228.918-0.3-0.60.2

Commodities

166.941164.020164.821-3.6-1.30.5

Commodities less food & beverages

128.560124.986125.631-6.4-2.30.5

Nondurables less food & beverages

169.989163.058165.505-7.2-2.61.5

Durables

89.95289.03588.342-3.9-1.8-0.8

Services

290.325289.480289.6811.7-0.20.1
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

219.900217.897218.351-0.5-0.70.2

All items less shelter

207.737205.693206.276-1.6-0.70.3

Commodities less food

132.793129.184129.837-6.1-2.20.5

Nondurables

206.680202.582204.397-3.4-1.10.9

Nondurables less food

174.988168.212170.574-6.7-2.51.4

Services less rent of shelter (2)

297.861297.653297.7810.70.00.0

Services less medical care services

276.461275.548275.5771.6-0.30.0

Energy

183.772175.478175.553-13.1-4.50.0

All items less energy

236.610235.294235.8420.8-0.30.2

All items less food and energy

236.480235.060235.5051.0-0.40.2

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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, September 16, 2016