The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area fell 0.3 percent in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the energy index decreased 1.3 percent while food prices rose 0.1 percent in July. The all items less food and energy index declined 0.2 percent over the month. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were lower for shelter; household furnishings and operations; and apparel. The new and used motor vehicles index rose 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 increased 1.9 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Over the year, the energy index rose 9.1 percent. The rise in the energy index was primarily due to higher gasoline prices. The food index and the all items less food and energy index rose 2.0 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively, over the year. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices edged up 0.1 percent in July. Both the food at home index (groceries) and the food away from home index (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.1 percent. Within the food at home group, indexes were higher in July for ice cream and related products; frozen and freeze dried prepared foods; and eggs. Prices were lower for citrus fruits.

From July 2017 to July 2018, the food index increased 2.0 percent. Over the year, costs for food away from home rose 3.7 percent, while grocery prices were 0.6 percent higher.

Energy

The energy index declined 1.3 percent in July, primarily due to a 2.2-percent decrease in gasoline prices. Electricity costs fell 1.3 percent in July.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index rose 9.1 percent. From July 2017 to July 2018, gasoline prices rose 21.8 percent. The electricity index declined 1.4 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.2 percent in July. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for shelter (-0.3 percent); household furnishings and operations (-1.6 percent); and apparel (-1.5 percent), but higher for new and used motor vehicles (0.9 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent. A 3.7-percent increase in the index for shelter was the major contributing factor.

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

Month	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.9	1.2	-0.2	0.4	0.8	0.9	0.7	1.8	0.8	1.8
February	0.5	0.7	0.0	-0.2	-0.2	0.7	0.1	2.2	0.0	1.6
March	1.1	1.9	0.7	-0.6	0.1	0.2	-0.1	2.0	0.0	1.8
April	0.5	2.4	0.1	-0.9	0.6	0.7	0.4	1.7	0.7	2.1
May	-0.1	1.8	0.3	-0.5	0.0	0.3	0.2	1.8	0.4	2.3
June	0.4	2.0	0.2	-0.7	0.5	0.7	0.0	1.3	-0.2	2.2
July	-0.4	1.9	-0.1	-0.5	-0.8	-0.1	0.0	2.2	-0.3	1.9
August	0.1	1.9	0.4	-0.1	0.2	-0.2	0.3	2.3
September	0.0	2.1	-0.3	-0.4	0.6	0.6	0.4	2.1
October	-0.4	2.0	-0.1	-0.2	0.1	0.8	-0.4	1.6
November	-0.8	1.6	-0.4	0.2	0.2	1.5	0.4	1.8
December	-0.4	1.5	-0.6	0.0	-0.2	1.9	-0.4	1.7

The August 2018 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Thursday, September 13, 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 93 percent of the total population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 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 75 urban areas across the country from about 5,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 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-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release is comprised of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties in Illinois; Jasper, Lake, Newton, 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-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Item and Group	Indexes			Percent change from-
	May 2018	Jun. 2018	Jul. 2018	Jul. 2017	May 2018	Jun. 2018
Expenditure category
All items	238.910	238.540	237.870	1.9	-0.4	-0.3
All items (1967=100)	713.762	712.659	710.657	-	-	-
Food and beverages	247.201	248.382	248.655	2.2	0.6	0.1
Food	246.349	247.656	247.925	2.0	0.6	0.1
Food at home	232.597	233.784	234.113	0.6	0.7	0.1
Cereals and bakery products	258.122	260.217	262.078	-	1.5	0.7
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	251.629	252.219	256.225	-	1.8	1.6
Dairy and related products	207.717	209.139	209.072	-	0.7	0.0
Fruits and vegetables	303.282	305.245	300.063	-	-1.1	-1.7
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	186.289	187.684	187.921	-	0.9	0.1
Other food at home	188.707	189.310	189.727	-	0.5	0.2
Food away from home	260.567	262.010	262.199	3.7	0.6	0.1
Alcoholic beverages	258.163	257.328	257.659	4.6	-0.2	0.1
Housing	248.217	248.791	247.757	2.7	-0.2	-0.4
Shelter	313.371	314.264	313.263	3.7	0.0	-0.3
Rent of primary residence(2)	329.299	329.996	330.920	2.8	0.5	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	317.477	318.995	319.277	3.9	0.6	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	317.477	318.995	319.277	3.9	0.6	0.1
Fuels and utilities	205.145	206.397	206.301	-1.5	0.6	0.0
Household energy	160.711	161.590	161.383	-2.7	0.4	-0.1
Energy services(2)	163.875	164.780	164.557	-2.8	0.4	-0.1
Electricity(2)	158.295	162.181	160.005	-1.4	1.1	-1.3
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	-	-	-	-	-	-
Household furnishings and operations	91.061	90.494	89.010	-1.1	-2.3	-1.6
Apparel	83.216	81.882	80.631	-6.5	-3.1	-1.5
Transportation	192.761	189.782	189.227	5.0	-1.8	-0.3
Private transportation	188.742	186.858	186.290	4.9	-1.3	-0.3
New and used motor vehicles(4)	95.496	94.864	95.718	-	0.2	0.9
New vehicles(1)	171.135	170.326	170.462	-	-0.4	0.1
Used cars and trucks(1)	266.244	266.633	270.340	-	1.5	1.4
Motor fuel	277.250	271.228	265.202	21.8	-4.3	-2.2
Gasoline (all types)	274.555	268.535	262.555	21.8	-4.4	-2.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	264.978	259.065	253.093	22.6	-4.5	-2.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	300.597	294.440	288.335	18.8	-4.1	-2.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	294.909	289.615	285.744	17.8	-3.1	-1.3
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	532.316	534.835	534.835	-	0.5	0.0
Medical care	504.205	507.411	505.584	0.7	0.3	-0.4
Recreation(4)	112.227	110.982	110.575	-4.8	-1.5	-0.4
Education and communication(4)	143.566	143.375	143.643	0.9	0.1	0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,184.870	1,184.938	1,192.035	-	0.6	0.6
Other goods and services	394.393	393.863	395.164	2.1	0.2	0.3
Commodity and service group
All items	238.910	238.540	237.870	1.9	-0.4	-0.3
Commodities	168.856	168.380	167.483	1.4	-0.8	-0.5
Commodities less food and beverages	129.008	128.013	126.795	0.8	-1.7	-1.0
Nondurables less food and beverages	177.888	176.756	174.592	4.2	-1.9	-1.2
Durables	85.162	84.341	83.870	-3.8	-1.5	-0.6
Services	305.458	305.198	304.759	2.1	-0.2	-0.1
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	227.525	226.999	226.379	2.0	-0.5	-0.3
All items less shelter	213.764	212.952	212.395	1.0	-0.6	-0.3
Commodities less food	133.586	132.580	131.373	1.0	-1.7	-0.9
Nondurables	213.609	213.491	212.371	3.1	-0.6	-0.5
Nondurables less food	183.345	182.215	180.139	4.3	-1.7	-1.1
Services less rent of shelter(3)	312.808	311.288	311.431	0.5	-0.4	0.0
Services less medical care services	291.039	290.662	290.264	2.4	-0.3	-0.1
Energy	207.460	205.363	202.665	9.1	-2.3	-1.3
All items less energy	243.862	243.653	243.170	1.3	-0.3	-0.2
All items less food and energy	244.239	243.784	243.178	1.2	-0.4	-0.2
Footnotes (1) Index on a December 1977=100 base. (2) This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. (3) Index on a December 1982=100 base. (4) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (5) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (6) Index on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.