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

21-615-CHI
Tuesday, April 13, 2021

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

Consumer Price Index, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin — March 2021

Area prices were up 0.6 percent over the past month, up 2.6 percent from a year ago

Prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.6 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the food index decreased 0.1 percent, and the energy index rose 8.1 percent in March. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.2 percent in March. Among the indexes within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for new and used motor vehicles and household furnishings and operations. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U increased 2.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Energy prices increased 16.3 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent over the year. Food prices advanced 4.9 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices were down 0.1 percent for March.  Prices for food at home (groceries) were up 0.8 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) declined 1.3 percent for the same period. Within the food at home group, indexes were lower in March for processed fish and seafood along with candy and chewing gum. In contrast, the indexes for fresh fish and seafood, and chicken were higher.

Over the year, food prices increased 4.9 percent. Prices for food at home rose 3.6 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home were up 6.6 percent.

Energy

The energy index rose 8.1 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher gasoline prices (11.3 percent). Prices for utility (piped) gas service advanced 5.2 percent, and electricity prices increased 4.8 percent for the same period.

Energy prices jumped 16.3 percent over the year, largely due to higher gasoline prices (25.4 percent). Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service increased 15.7 percent, and electricity prices increased 4.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was up 0.2 percent in March. Higher prices for new and used motor vehicles (1.8 percent) and household furnishings and operations (1.9 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for recreation (-0.7 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (1.5 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (5.1 percent).

Table A. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20172018201920202021
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.71.80.81.80.60.80.92.60.70.7

February

0.12.20.01.60.61.40.02.00.61.2

March

-0.12.00.01.80.11.5-0.71.10.62.6

April

0.41.70.72.1-0.10.8-0.90.3

May

0.21.80.42.30.81.21.00.4

June

0.01.3-0.22.2-0.41.00.31.1

July

0.02.2-0.31.90.31.60.21.0

August

0.32.30.11.70.21.60.11.0

September

0.42.10.41.60.21.40.61.4

October

-0.41.60.02.00.31.8-0.11.0

November

0.41.8-0.61.0-0.22.2-0.40.8

December

-0.41.7-0.31.1-0.22.2-0.20.9

The April 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 12, 2021.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on March 2021 Consumer Price Index Data

Data collection by personal visit for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program has been suspended since March 16, 2020. When possible, data normally collected by personal visit were collected either online or by phone. Additionally, data collection in March was affected by the temporary closing or limited operations of certain types of establishments. These factors resulted in an increase in the number of prices considered temporarily unavailable and imputed.

While the CPI program attempted to collect as much data as possible, many indexes are based on smaller amounts of collected prices than usual, and a small number of indexes that are normally published were not published this month. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-on-consumer-price-index.htm.   


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 U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. 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 6,000 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; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000.  Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods available on the internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.

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, IL-IN-WI, 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 individuals with sensory impairments 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-
Jan.
2021
Feb.
2021
Mar.
2021
Mar.
2020
Jan.
2021
Feb.
2021

Expenditure category

All items

246.008247.387248.9842.61.20.6

All items (1967=100)

734.970739.089743.860---

Food and beverages

268.085269.599269.1224.90.4-0.2

Food

267.960269.334269.0114.90.4-0.1

Food at home

249.411247.034249.1303.6-0.10.8

Cereals and bakery products

280.160283.585280.2124.40.0-1.2

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

264.775262.222270.4616.32.13.1

Dairy and related products

229.751228.352224.5472.8-2.3-1.7

Fruits and vegetables

322.852307.816315.0411.8-2.42.3

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

208.695212.581208.1861.6-0.2-2.1

Other food at home

199.599198.055200.3633.60.41.2

Food away from home

288.005294.649290.9156.61.0-1.3

Alcoholic beverages

268.235271.539269.0744.20.3-0.9

Housing

260.496261.111262.7212.30.90.6

Shelter

332.383332.520332.7351.50.10.1

Rent of primary residence(2)

354.330355.015354.5302.00.1-0.1

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

343.037343.187343.2642.00.10.0

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

343.037343.187343.2642.00.10.0

Fuels and utilities

209.982211.752219.7216.54.63.8

Household energy

161.535163.304171.4388.46.15.0

Energy services(2)

164.791166.578174.9138.46.15.0

Electricity(2)

160.875162.441170.3154.15.94.8

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

157.124159.093167.43415.76.65.2

Household furnishings and operations

89.53790.62692.3824.13.21.9

Apparel

81.31182.55183.350-1.52.51.0

Transportation

180.646183.848189.6536.55.03.2

Private transportation

181.898185.258192.0627.65.63.7

New and used motor vehicles(4)

98.78099.255100.9955.12.21.8

New vehicles(1)

178.438178.926180.3844.71.10.8

Used cars and trucks(1)

287.743288.278295.2439.32.62.4

Motor fuel

218.179234.916261.43125.219.811.3

Gasoline (all types)

215.937232.627258.89125.419.911.3

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

207.432223.654249.81026.120.411.7

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

240.008260.261283.51622.818.18.9

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

243.622258.655278.75518.414.47.8

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

508.159502.996504.085-7.6-0.80.2

Medical care

536.511533.523533.4090.2-0.60.0

Recreation(4)

114.161117.597116.7343.32.3-0.7

Education and communication(4)

141.344141.553141.645-0.80.20.1

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,220.4391,221.7041,221.7041.00.10.0

Other goods and services

405.674403.580403.499-1.7-0.50.0

Commodity and service group

All items

246.008247.387248.9842.61.20.6

Commodities

170.924172.650174.8434.92.31.3

Commodities less food and beverages

124.351126.039129.0534.83.82.4

Nondurables less food and beverages

163.620167.029172.5495.25.53.3

Durables

87.17387.62588.7804.41.81.3

Services

317.316318.245319.1071.30.60.3

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

233.519235.110236.7952.91.40.7

All items less shelter

216.779218.563220.6123.21.80.9

Commodities less food

129.218130.963133.8654.83.62.2

Nondurables

215.401217.950220.6825.02.51.3

Nondurables less food

170.304173.715178.7695.15.02.9

Services less rent of shelter(3)

317.361319.193320.7961.11.10.5

Services less medical care services

300.080301.338302.2821.30.70.3

Energy

183.197190.938206.37016.312.68.1

All items less energy

253.936254.777255.1901.80.50.2

All items less food and energy

252.275253.022253.5701.20.50.2

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2021