The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha area increased 0.4 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that in November the energy index rose 8.2 percent, while the food index decreased 0.4 percent. 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 were higher for shelter, medical care, and other goods and services, but lower for recreation 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 increased 1.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy costs rose 12.9 percent over the year due to an increase in gasoline prices. For the same period, the food index increased 0.3 percent. The all items less food and energy index was 1.2 percent higher over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices were 0.4 percent lower in November. The food at home index (groceries) decreased 0.8 percent, while the food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) index edged up 0.1 percent. Within the food at home group, prices were lower in November for citrus fruits, other bakery products, and potatoes. In contrast, the indexes were higher for uncooked ground beef, apples, and other poultry including turkey.

From November 2016 to November 2017, the food index increased 0.3 percent. Grocery prices fell 0.4 percent, and food away from home prices rose 1.2 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index increased 8.2 percent in November. The indexes for electricity and gasoline rose 15.5 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively. In contrast, the index for utility (piped) gas service fell 0.9 percent.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index rose 12.9 percent. From November 2016 to November 2017, gasoline prices increased 27.1 percent and electricity costs rose 6.4 percent while costs for utility (piped) gas service fell 5.3 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in November. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (0.8 percent), medical care (0.7 percent), and other goods and services (1.5 percent). Prices were lower for recreation (-5.0 percent), and apparel (-3.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.2 percent. Increases in the indexes for shelter (2.2 percent) and recreation (3.8 percent), were major contributing factors.

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

Month	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.2	1.2	0.9	1.2	-0.2	0.4	0.8	0.9	0.7	1.8
February	1.1	2.3	0.5	0.7	0.0	-0.2	-0.2	0.7	0.1	2.2
March	-0.1	0.9	1.1	1.9	0.7	-0.6	0.1	0.2	-0.1	2.0
April	0.0	0.9	0.5	2.4	0.1	-0.9	0.6	0.7	0.4	1.7
May	0.5	1.5	-0.1	1.8	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.3	0.2	1.8
June	0.1	1.7	0.4	2.0	0.2	-0.7	0.5	0.7	0.0	1.3
July	-0.2	1.7	-0.4	1.9	-0.1	-0.5	-0.8	-0.1	0.0	2.2
August	0.1	1.1	0.1	1.9	0.4	-0.1	0.2	-0.2	0.3	2.3
September	-0.2	0.7	0.0	2.1	-0.3	-0.4	0.6	0.6	0.4	2.1
October	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	2.0	-0.1	-0.2	0.1	0.8	-0.4	1.6
November	-0.3	0.6	-0.8	1.6	-0.4	0.2	0.2	1.5	0.4	1.8
December	-0.3	0.5	-0.4	1.5	-0.6	0.0	-0.2	1.9

The December 2017 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Friday, January 12, 2018.

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-
	Sep. 2017	Oct. 2017	Nov. 2017	Nov. 2016	Sep. 2017	Oct. 2017
Expenditure category
All items	235.177	234.159	235.206	1.8	0.0	0.4
All items (1967=100)	702.611	699.570	702.697	-	-	-
Food and beverages	244.964	245.536	244.947	0.6	0.0	-0.2
Food	244.644	245.128	244.117	0.3	-0.2	-0.4
Food at home	234.902	235.713	233.909	-0.4	-0.4	-0.8
Food away from home	253.690	253.649	253.910	1.2	0.1	0.1
Alcoholic beverages	247.956	249.816	255.455	5.9	3.0	2.3
Housing	242.995	240.383	243.512	1.9	0.2	1.3
Shelter	304.810	304.313	306.663	2.2	0.6	0.8
Rent of primary residence(1)	324.447	325.122	326.010	2.8	0.5	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(1)(2)	309.050	309.658	310.528	2.1	0.5	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(1)(2)	309.050	309.658	310.528	2.1	0.5	0.3
Fuels and utilities	207.884	192.020	204.531	2.3	-1.6	6.5
Household energy	164.349	147.749	160.474	1.7	-2.4	8.6
Energy services(1)	167.639	150.476	163.649	1.7	-2.4	8.8
Electricity(1)	163.356	138.386	159.863	6.4	-2.1	15.5
Utility (piped) gas service(1)	159.971	156.871	155.527	-5.3	-2.8	-0.9
Household furnishings and operations	90.768	90.012	89.838	-1.5	-1.0	-0.2
Apparel	92.127	90.782	87.689	-0.5	-4.8	-3.4
Transportation	182.392	181.768	185.122	4.9	1.5	1.8
Private transportation	179.771	178.728	182.729	5.7	1.6	2.2
Motor fuel	236.090	231.670	249.635	27.1	5.7	7.8
Gasoline (all types)	233.691	229.298	247.150	27.1	5.8	7.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)	224.187	219.931	237.597	28.2	6.0	8.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)	261.938	257.066	275.752	24.0	5.3	7.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)	260.718	256.207	271.870	21.3	4.3	6.1
Medical care	501.161	498.577	501.858	0.7	0.1	0.7
Recreation(5)	115.179	116.468	110.621	3.8	-4.0	-5.0
Education and communication(5)	143.088	143.709	143.305	-0.9	0.2	-0.3
Other goods and services	384.766	387.616	393.375	2.1	2.2	1.5
Commodity and service group
All items	235.177	234.159	235.206	1.8	0.0	0.4
Commodities	167.633	166.856	167.328	2.3	-0.2	0.3
Commodities less food & beverages	128.379	127.099	127.973	3.6	-0.3	0.7
Nondurables less food & beverages	174.499	172.210	174.794	7.6	0.2	1.5
Durables	86.418	85.949	85.536	-1.9	-1.0	-0.5
Services	299.284	298.040	299.645	1.6	0.1	0.5
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	223.758	222.808	223.758	1.9	0.0	0.4
All items less shelter	211.699	210.498	211.096	1.6	-0.3	0.3
Commodities less food	132.703	131.489	132.492	3.7	-0.2	0.8
Nondurables	210.398	209.473	210.544	3.6	0.1	0.5
Nondurables less food	179.466	177.397	180.163	7.5	0.4	1.6
Services less rent of shelter(2)	308.929	306.825	307.695	0.9	-0.4	0.3
Services less medical care services	284.781	283.417	284.935	2.0	0.1	0.5
Energy	191.843	179.986	194.718	12.9	1.5	8.2
All items less energy	241.226	241.203	240.991	1.1	-0.1	-0.1
All items less food and energy	241.456	241.341	241.274	1.2	-0.1	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. Data not seasonally adjusted.