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News Release Information

22-214-CHI
Thursday, February 10, 2022

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

Consumer Price Index, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area – January 2022

Area prices were up 0.9 percent over the past month, up 6.8 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 0.9 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the food index increased 1.5 percent, and the energy index was unchanged in January. The all items less food and energy index advanced 0.9 percent. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher over the month for household furnishings and operations, shelter, and apparel. (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 rose 6.8 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 4.8 percent over the year. Energy prices were 29.8 percent higher, largely the result of an increase in gasoline prices. Food prices rose 8.0 percent. (See table 1.)


Food

Food prices advanced 1.5 percent for the month of January. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home (groceries) increased 2.2 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were up 0.2 percent for the same period. Within the food at home group, indexes were higher in January for citrus fruits, fresh fish and seafood, canned fruits and vegetables, and snacks. In contrast, the index for pork chops was lower.

Over the year, food prices rose 8.0 percent. Prices for food at home increased 7.5 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home increased 8.1 percent.

Energy

The energy index was unchanged over the month. Prices for electricity advanced 4.7 percent and gasoline prices were up 0.4 percent. In contrast, prices for utility (piped) gas service fell 5.0 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 29.8 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (38.8 percent). Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service advanced 42.0 percent, and prices for electricity rose 9.1 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.9 percent in January. Higher prices for household furnishings and operations (4.3 percent), shelter (0.4 percent), and apparel (3.9 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for education and communication (-1.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 4.8 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (3.7 percent), new and used motor vehicles (18.3 percent), and household furnishings and operations (16.1 percent).

Table A. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20182019202020212022
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.81.80.60.80.92.60.70.70.96.8

February

0.01.60.61.40.02.00.61.2

March

0.01.80.11.5-0.71.10.62.6

April

0.72.1-0.10.8-0.90.31.04.6

May

0.42.30.81.21.00.41.04.7

June

-0.22.2-0.41.00.31.10.44.7

July

-0.31.90.31.60.21.00.44.9

August

0.11.70.21.60.11.00.14.8

September

0.41.60.21.40.61.40.34.5

October

0.02.00.31.8-0.11.00.75.3

November

-0.61.0-0.22.2-0.40.80.26.0

December

-0.31.1-0.22.2-0.20.90.46.6

The February 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on March 10, 2022.


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-
Nov.
2021
Dec.
2021
Jan.
2022
Jan.
2021
Nov.
2021
Dec.
2021

Expenditure category

All items

259.254260.368262.7306.81.30.9

All items (1967=100)

774.542777.870784.929---

Food and beverages

283.501284.364288.5707.61.81.5

Food

284.159285.170289.3508.01.81.5

Food at home

261.520262.444268.1887.52.52.2

Cereals and bakery products

284.393293.176291.7064.12.6-0.5

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

289.872293.553301.69113.94.12.8

Dairy and related products

225.262227.815235.4392.54.53.3

Fruits and vegetables

335.309332.666348.0337.83.84.6

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

218.162217.539223.2927.02.42.6

Other food at home

211.391209.396211.2185.8-0.10.9

Food away from home

309.611310.721311.3658.10.60.2

Alcoholic beverages

273.445272.387277.0083.31.31.7

Housing

273.651274.812277.0276.31.20.8

Shelter

342.540343.329344.6443.70.60.4

Rent of primary residence(2)

363.766364.376365.8513.30.60.4

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

352.725353.712354.4613.30.50.2

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

352.725353.712354.4613.30.50.2

Fuels and utilities

242.674247.096246.30817.31.5-0.3

Household energy

193.364197.254196.59721.71.7-0.3

Energy services(2)

197.269201.250200.56621.71.7-0.3

Electricity(2)

167.073167.641175.5009.15.04.7

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

226.113234.856223.10842.0-1.3-5.0

Household furnishings and operations

99.21599.657103.98316.14.84.3

Apparel

82.24182.42285.6195.34.13.9

Transportation

211.869213.160214.72818.91.30.7

Private transportation

213.691216.244217.83019.81.90.7

New and used motor vehicles(4)

111.104115.680116.82518.35.11.0

New vehicles(1)

188.008198.091198.16311.15.40.0

Used cars and trucks(1)

385.629399.698406.23941.25.31.6

Motor fuel

313.647301.508302.79338.8-3.50.4

Gasoline (all types)

310.637298.513299.81438.8-3.50.4

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

300.378288.291289.63939.6-3.60.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

337.327327.250327.51336.5-2.90.1

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

327.014318.309318.62130.8-2.60.1

Motor vehicle insurance(1)

524.117525.778----

Medical care

528.021531.801537.1360.11.71.0

Recreation(4)

114.917116.636117.7933.22.51.0

Education and communication(4)

142.210141.682139.762-1.1-1.7-1.4

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,232.9241,224.5511,226.8000.5-0.50.2

Other goods and services

414.608414.181422.1534.11.81.9

Commodity and service group

All items

259.254260.368262.7306.81.30.9

Commodities

186.077187.103189.79011.02.01.4

Commodities less food and beverages

138.398139.415141.37313.72.11.4

Nondurables less food and beverages

183.467181.079184.55112.80.61.9

Durables

96.18099.187100.05714.84.00.9

Services

327.824328.982330.8164.30.90.6

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

247.850248.844251.0777.51.30.9

All items less shelter

231.005232.222234.9058.41.71.2

Commodities less food

143.173144.146146.18813.12.11.4

Nondurables

233.384232.514236.3749.71.31.7

Nondurables less food

189.319187.005190.56011.90.71.9

Services less rent of shelter(3)

328.509330.116332.5804.81.20.7

Services less medical care services

312.114313.034314.4454.80.70.5

Energy

240.269237.730237.78729.8-1.00.0

All items less energy

263.514264.956267.5385.41.51.0

All items less food and energy

260.687262.212264.5054.81.50.9

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, February 10, 2022