Prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 0.8 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the food index increased 0.3 percent, and the energy index rose 3.7 percent in February. The all items less food and energy index advanced 0.6 percent. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher over the month for 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 7.1 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy rose 5.2 percent over the year. Energy prices rose 29.1 percent, largely the result of an increase in the price of gasoline. Food prices increased 7.8 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.3 percent for the month of February. Prices for food at home (groceries) advanced 0.5 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged for the same period. Within the food at home group, indexes were higher in February for other fresh fruits, frozen and freeze dried prepared foods, and chicken. In contrast, the indexes for other pork including roasts, steaks, and ribs; ham; and uncooked beef steaks were lower.

Over the year, food prices increased 7.8 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 9.1 percent since a year ago, and prices for food away from home rose 5.7 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 3.7 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (6.6 percent). Prices for electricity increased 4.9 percent, while prices for utility (piped) gas service decreased 3.0 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 29.1 percent over the year, largely due to higher prices for gasoline (37.4 percent). Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service advanced 36.1 percent, and prices for electricity rose 13.4 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent in February. Higher prices for shelter (0.7 percent) and apparel (5.4 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for medical care (-0.6 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.4 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy rose 5.2 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.4 percent), new and used motor vehicles (18.2 percent), and household furnishings and operations (14.2 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a price decrease in education and communication (-1.2 percent).

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

Month	2018		2019		2020		2021		2022
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	0.8	1.8	0.6	0.8	0.9	2.6	0.7	0.7	0.9	6.8
February	0.0	1.6	0.6	1.4	0.0	2.0	0.6	1.2	0.8	7.1
March	0.0	1.8	0.1	1.5	-0.7	1.1	0.6	2.6
April	0.7	2.1	-0.1	0.8	-0.9	0.3	1.0	4.6
May	0.4	2.3	0.8	1.2	1.0	0.4	1.0	4.7
June	-0.2	2.2	-0.4	1.0	0.3	1.1	0.4	4.7
July	-0.3	1.9	0.3	1.6	0.2	1.0	0.4	4.9
August	0.1	1.7	0.2	1.6	0.1	1.0	0.1	4.8
September	0.4	1.6	0.2	1.4	0.6	1.4	0.3	4.5
October	0.0	2.0	0.3	1.8	-0.1	1.0	0.7	5.3
November	-0.6	1.0	-0.2	2.2	-0.4	0.8	0.2	6.0
December	-0.3	1.1	-0.2	2.2	-0.2	0.9	0.4	6.6

The March 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, April 12, 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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

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-
	Dec. 2021	Jan. 2022	Feb. 2022	Feb. 2021	Dec. 2021	Jan. 2022
Expenditure category
All items	260.368	262.730	264.828	7.1	1.7	0.8
All items (1967=100)	777.870	784.929	791.195	-	-	-
Food and beverages	284.364	288.570	289.490	7.4	1.8	0.3
Food	285.170	289.350	290.235	7.8	1.8	0.3
Food at home	262.444	268.188	269.406	9.1	2.7	0.5
Cereals and bakery products	293.176	291.706	290.265	2.4	-1.0	-0.5
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	293.553	301.691	298.459	13.8	1.7	-1.1
Dairy and related products	227.815	235.439	236.896	3.7	4.0	0.6
Fruits and vegetables	332.666	348.033	355.665	15.5	6.9	2.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	217.539	223.292	222.339	4.6	2.2	-0.4
Other food at home	209.396	211.218	213.856	8.0	2.1	1.2
Food away from home	310.721	311.365	311.497	5.7	0.2	0.0
Alcoholic beverages	272.387	277.008	278.482	2.6	2.2	0.5
Housing	274.812	277.027	278.544	6.7	1.4	0.5
Shelter	343.329	344.644	346.992	4.4	1.1	0.7
Rent of primary residence(2)	364.376	365.851	367.296	3.5	0.8	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	353.712	354.461	356.211	3.8	0.7	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	353.712	354.461	356.211	3.8	0.7	0.5
Fuels and utilities	247.096	246.308	248.263	17.2	0.5	0.8
Household energy	197.254	196.597	198.609	21.6	0.7	1.0
Energy services(2)	201.250	200.566	202.627	21.6	0.7	1.0
Electricity(2)	167.641	175.500	184.156	13.4	9.9	4.9
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	234.856	223.108	216.496	36.1	-7.8	-3.0
Household furnishings and operations	99.657	103.983	103.533	14.2	3.9	-0.4
Apparel	82.422	85.619	90.265	9.3	9.5	5.4
Transportation	213.160	214.728	219.412	19.3	2.9	2.2
Private transportation	216.244	217.830	221.623	19.6	2.5	1.7
New and used motor vehicles(4)	115.680	116.825	117.343	18.2	1.4	0.4
New vehicles(1)	198.091	198.163	198.494	10.9	0.2	0.2
Used cars and trucks(1)	399.698	406.239	409.929	42.2	2.6	0.9
Motor fuel	301.508	302.793	322.798	37.4	7.1	6.6
Gasoline (all types)	298.513	299.814	319.621	37.4	7.1	6.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	288.291	289.639	309.268	38.3	7.3	6.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	327.250	327.513	345.363	32.7	5.5	5.5
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	318.309	318.621	333.584	29.0	4.8	4.7
Motor vehicle insurance(1)	525.778	-	-	-	-	-
Medical care	531.801	537.136	534.124	0.1	0.4	-0.6
Recreation(4)	116.636	117.793	119.738	1.8	2.7	1.7
Education and communication(4)	141.682	139.762	139.906	-1.2	-1.3	0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,224.551	1,226.800	1,226.800	0.4	0.2	0.0
Other goods and services	414.181	422.153	422.171	4.6	1.9	0.0
Commodity and service group
All items	260.368	262.730	264.828	7.1	1.7	0.8
Commodities	187.103	189.790	191.922	11.2	2.6	1.1
Commodities less food and beverages	139.415	141.373	143.780	14.1	3.1	1.7
Nondurables less food and beverages	181.079	184.551	190.794	14.2	5.4	3.4
Durables	99.187	100.057	100.013	14.1	0.8	0.0
Services	328.982	330.816	332.739	4.6	1.1	0.6
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	248.844	251.077	253.434	7.8	1.8	0.9
All items less shelter	232.222	234.905	236.909	8.4	2.0	0.9
Commodities less food	144.146	146.188	148.608	13.5	3.1	1.7
Nondurables	232.514	236.374	240.130	10.2	3.3	1.6
Nondurables less food	187.005	190.560	196.597	13.2	5.1	3.2
Services less rent of shelter(3)	330.116	332.580	334.114	4.7	1.2	0.5
Services less medical care services	313.034	314.445	316.835	5.1	1.2	0.8
Energy	237.730	237.787	246.491	29.1	3.7	3.7
All items less energy	264.956	267.538	269.097	5.6	1.6	0.6
All items less food and energy	262.212	264.505	266.196	5.2	1.5	0.6
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.