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News Release Information

18-1632-CHI
Thursday, October 11, 2018

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

Consumer Price Index, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin — September 2018

Local prices rose 1.6 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area increased 0.4 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that food prices rose 1.1 percent while the energy index decreased 0.1 percent in September. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.3 percent over the month. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for apparel; shelter; and household furnishings and operations over the month, but fell for tuition, other school fees, and childcare. (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 1.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Over the year, the energy index rose 5.8 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 rose 1.1 percent in September. Of the two components within the food index, prices for food at home (groceries) increased 1.5 percent and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.6 percent. Within the food at home group, indexes were higher in September for snacks; frozen and freeze dried prepared foods; and other meats. Prices were lower for carbonated drinks and uncooked beef steaks.

From September 2017 to September 2018, the food index increased 2.0 percent. Over the year, costs for food away from home rose 4.0 percent, while grocery prices were 0.4 percent higher.

Energy

The energy index decreased 0.1 percent in September, due to declines in the electricity index (-1.5 percent) and the utility (piped) gas service index (-0.4 percent). During the same period, gasoline prices rose 0.7 percent.

Over the year, the Chicago area energy index rose 5.8 percent. From September 2017 to September 2018, gasoline prices and the utility (piped) gas index rose 12.0 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively. The electricity index declined 2.4 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.3 percent in September. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for apparel (4.7 percent); shelter (0.4 percent); and household furnishings and operations (2.0 percent), but lower for tuition, other school fees, and childcare (-2.5 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent. A 3.0-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
Month20142015201620172018
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.91.2-0.20.40.80.90.71.80.81.8

February

0.50.70.0-0.2-0.20.70.12.20.01.6

March

1.11.90.7-0.60.10.2-0.12.00.01.8

April

0.52.40.1-0.90.60.70.41.70.72.1

May

-0.11.80.3-0.50.00.30.21.80.42.3

June

0.42.00.2-0.70.50.70.01.3-0.22.2

July

-0.41.9-0.1-0.5-0.8-0.10.02.2-0.31.9

August

0.11.90.4-0.10.2-0.20.32.30.11.7

September

0.02.1-0.3-0.40.60.60.42.10.41.6

October

-0.42.0-0.1-0.20.10.8-0.41.6

November

-0.81.6-0.40.20.21.50.41.8

December

-0.41.5-0.60.0-0.21.9-0.41.7

The October 2018 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 14, 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

IndexesPercent change from-
Jul.
2018
Aug.
2018
Sep.
2018
Sep.
2017
Jul.
2018
Aug.
2018

Expenditure category

All items

237.870238.098238.9571.60.50.4

All items (1967=100)

710.657711.338713.904---

Food and beverages

248.655247.499250.2702.20.61.1

Food

247.925246.923249.6562.00.71.1

Food at home

234.113232.336235.9100.40.81.5

Cereals and bakery products

262.078258.303263.597-0.62.0

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

256.225251.022255.789--0.21.9

Dairy and related products

209.072206.805210.062-0.51.6

Fruits and vegetables

300.063303.333302.492-0.8-0.3

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

187.921188.900191.872-2.11.6

Other food at home

189.727187.449191.907-1.12.4

Food away from home

262.199262.199263.8234.00.60.6

Alcoholic beverages

257.659254.068257.4173.8-0.11.3

Housing

247.757247.963248.9672.50.50.4

Shelter

313.263312.873314.0123.00.20.4

Rent of primary residence(2)

330.920331.771332.7462.60.60.3

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)

319.277319.919320.7773.80.50.3

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)

319.277319.919320.7773.80.50.3

Fuels and utilities

206.301209.109207.658-0.10.7-0.7

Household energy

161.383164.232162.580-1.10.7-1.0

Energy services(2)

164.557167.465165.760-1.10.7-1.0

Electricity(2)

160.005161.872159.483-2.4-0.3-1.5

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

157.559161.726161.1450.72.3-0.4

Household furnishings and operations

89.01089.46091.2090.52.52.0

Apparel

80.63182.31786.193-6.46.94.7

Transportation

189.227189.356188.7303.5-0.3-0.3

Private transportation

186.290185.803185.9883.5-0.20.1

New and used motor vehicles(4)

95.71895.66394.953--0.8-0.7

New vehicles(1)

170.462171.057170.329--0.1-0.4

Used cars and trucks(1)

270.340270.646257.907--4.6-4.7

Motor fuel

265.202262.717264.49012.0-0.30.7

Gasoline (all types)

262.555260.091261.82612.0-0.30.7

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

253.093250.660252.45312.6-0.30.7

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

288.335287.024287.2579.7-0.40.1

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

285.744283.028284.2299.0-0.50.4

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

534.835535.056543.985-1.71.7

Medical care

505.584506.753505.5230.90.0-0.2

Recreation(4)

110.575111.221112.151-2.61.40.8

Education and communication(4)

143.643143.783142.202-0.6-1.0-1.1

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,192.0351,197.0701,167.483--2.1-2.5

Other goods and services

395.164394.052393.8212.4-0.3-0.1

Commodity and service group

All items

237.870238.098238.9571.60.50.4

Commodities

167.483167.475169.0070.80.90.9

Commodities less food and beverages

126.795127.173128.167-0.21.10.8

Nondurables less food and beverages

174.592175.258176.2921.01.00.6

Durables

83.87084.02184.908-1.71.21.1

Services

304.759305.217305.4032.00.20.1

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

226.379226.565227.5171.70.50.4

All items less shelter

212.395212.840213.6050.90.60.4

Commodities less food

131.373131.678132.7340.01.00.8

Nondurables

212.371212.232214.0751.70.80.9

Nondurables less food

180.139180.621181.7701.30.90.6

Services less rent of shelter(3)

311.431312.826311.9881.00.2-0.3

Services less medical care services

290.264290.733290.8992.10.20.1

Energy

202.665203.169203.0195.80.2-0.1

All items less energy

243.170243.373244.3351.30.50.4

All items less food and energy

243.178243.577244.2551.20.40.3

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Thursday, October 11, 2018