Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

News Release Information

16-2123-CHI
Thursday, November 17, 2016

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

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

Local prices increase 0.8 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area rose 0.1 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that food prices rose 0.8 percent and energy prices decreased 0.3 percent in October. The all items less food and energy index remained the same over the month. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for medical care and education and communication. The indexes for apparel and new and used motor vehicles were lower over the month. (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 0.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy costs fell 4.4 percent over the year due to declines in the indexes for gasoline and electricity. The all items less food and energy index was 1.5 percent higher over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.8 percent in October following a 0.3-percent decrease in September. Between the two components of the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) rose 0.9 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.7 percent over the month. Within the food at home group, the indexes for other fresh fruits; frozen and freeze dried prepared foods; and lettuce were higher in October. In contrast, the indexes for eggs and uncooked ground beef were lower.

From October 2015 to October 2016, the food index decreased 0.2 percent. Grocery prices declined 2.7 percent over the year, while prices for food eaten away from home rose 3.5 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 0.3 percent in October, primarily due to a 1.9-percent decrease in the electricity index. Utility (piped) gas service costs increased 0.9 percent and gasoline prices were up 0.2 percent from their September levels.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index declined 4.4 percent. The major contributing factors in the energy index’s decline were an 8.9-percent decrease in gasoline prices and a 6.2-percent decline in the electricity index. Utility (piped) gas service costs rose 12.2 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged from its September level. Prices were higher for medical care (0.4 percent) and education and communication (0.4 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for apparel (-2.0 percent) and new and used motor vehicles.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.5 percent. Annual increases in the indexes for shelter (2.8 percent) and medical care (3.8 percent) were major contributing factors. In contrast, prices were lower over the year for new and used motor vehicles and household furnishings and operations (-2.3 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

-0.10.90.11.70.42.00.2-0.70.50.7

July

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

August

0.61.50.11.10.11.90.4-0.10.2-0.2

September

0.31.6-0.20.70.02.1-0.3-0.40.60.6

October

-0.21.7-0.30.5-0.42.0-0.1-0.20.10.8

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 November 2016 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Thursday, December 15, 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-
Aug.
2016
Sep.
2016
Oct.
2016
Oct.
2015
Aug.
2016
Sep.
2016

Expenditure category

 
 

All items

228.956230.282230.5060.80.70.1

All items (1967=100)

684.025687.987688.657---

Food and beverages

242.333241.597243.493-0.20.50.8

Food

242.266241.444243.409-0.20.50.8

Food at home

234.034232.714234.715-2.70.30.9

Food away from home

248.998248.982250.8383.50.70.7

Alcoholic beverages

241.621242.156243.025-0.50.60.4

Housing

236.599238.072237.8362.30.5-0.1

Shelter

296.090298.231298.1772.80.70.0

Rent of primary residence (1)

314.221314.519315.0282.10.30.2

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

301.764302.298302.6272.50.30.1

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

301.764302.298302.6272.50.30.1

Fuels and utilities

197.235199.452198.3382.30.6-0.6

Household energy

155.478157.802156.6340.10.7-0.7

Energy services (1)

158.436160.850159.6040.10.7-0.8

Electricity (1)

152.881152.986150.121-6.2-1.8-1.9

Utility (piped) gas service (1)

153.617159.538161.00812.24.80.9

Household furnishings and operations

93.30792.48992.264-2.3-1.1-0.2

Apparel

89.47992.53590.718-0.81.4-2.0

Transportation

177.796178.641178.374-2.70.3-0.1

Private transportation

175.155175.559175.340-2.30.1-0.1

Motor fuel

208.017211.501212.050-9.01.90.3

Gasoline (all types)

205.974209.420209.910-8.91.90.2

Gasoline, unleaded regular (3)

197.257200.533200.688-9.51.70.1

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade (3) (4)

232.343236.176238.435-7.12.61.0

Gasoline, unleaded premium (3)

231.797235.995238.051-5.42.70.9

Medical care

476.255480.887482.9703.81.40.4

Recreation (5)

105.200107.085107.425-1.52.10.3

Education and communication (5)

143.579143.526144.0410.30.30.4

Other goods and services

383.113384.319386.6400.90.90.6
 

Commodity and service group

 
 

All items

228.956230.282230.5060.80.70.1

Commodities

164.890165.291165.454-1.80.30.1

Commodities less food & beverages

125.725126.563126.022-3.10.2-0.4

Nondurables less food & beverages

165.721167.585167.564-1.81.10.0

Durables

88.34288.38487.509-3.9-0.9-1.0

Services

289.687291.916292.1982.30.90.1
 

Special aggregate indexes

 
 

All items less medical care

218.351219.534219.6770.60.60.1

All items less shelter

206.327207.375207.696-0.10.70.2

Commodities less food

129.930130.768130.258-2.90.3-0.4

Nondurables

204.511205.134206.041-1.00.70.4

Nondurables less food

170.779172.579172.608-1.71.10.0

Services less rent of shelter (2)

297.792300.212300.8701.71.00.2

Services less medical care services

275.577277.543277.7432.20.80.1

Energy

175.553178.322177.821-4.41.3-0.3

All items less energy

235.883237.087237.3811.20.60.1

All items less food and energy

235.555237.132237.1221.50.70.0

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.
 

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, November 17, 2016