Prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.8 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the food index increased 1.0 percent, and the energy index rose 13.2 percent in May. The all items less food and energy index advanced 0.7 percent. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher over the month for public transportation and shelter. (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 8.0 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.)  The index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.7 percent over the year. The energy index was up 39.4 percent, largely the result of an increase in gasoline prices. Food prices rose 10.9 percent. (See table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 1.0 percent for the month of May. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home (groceries) rose 0.9 percent as five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the month. Categories increasing included cereals and bakery products (3.9 percent) and dairy and related products (5.4 percent). The index for fruits and vegetables fell 3.8 percent. Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were up 1.2 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices increased 10.9 percent. Prices for food at home advanced 11.8 percent since a year ago. Among the grocery food categories, the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 16.6 percent and the index for other food at home (includes sugar, sweets, fats, and oils, for example) was up 12.1 percent over the year. Prices for food away from home were up 8.9 percent compared to May 2021.

Energy

The energy index increased 13.2 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for utility (piped) gas service (30.1 percent) and gasoline (10.7 percent). The index for electricity increased 1.4 percent for the same period.

Energy prices increased 39.4 percent over the year, largely due to higher gasoline prices (50.3 percent). Prices paid for utility (piped) gas service advanced 53.0 percent, and electricity prices rose 8.6 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.7 percent in May. Higher prices for public transportation and shelter (0.5 percent) contributed to the increase.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.7 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (4.4 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (13.7 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	1.4	7.8
April	0.7	2.1	-0.1	0.8	-0.9	0.3	1.0	4.6	0.4	7.2
May	0.4	2.3	0.8	1.2	1.0	0.4	1.0	4.7	1.8	8.0
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 June 2022 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on July 13, 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-
	Mar. 2022	Apr. 2022	May 2022	May 2021	Mar. 2022	Apr. 2022
Expenditure category
All items	268.417	269.569	274.301	8.0	2.2	1.8
All items (1967=100)	801.917	805.360	819.498	-	-	-
Food and beverages	293.398	297.030	299.982	10.4	2.2	1.0
Food	294.405	298.418	301.455	10.9	2.4	1.0
Food at home	274.477	278.706	281.208	11.8	2.5	0.9
Cereals and bakery products	301.851	303.393	315.175	12.2	4.4	3.9
Meats, poultry, fish and eggs	305.735	311.622	317.170	16.6	3.7	1.8
Dairy and related products	242.656	244.701	257.865	13.0	6.3	5.4
Fruits and vegetables	354.147	351.955	338.631	4.5	-4.4	-3.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)	229.551	234.646	235.309	12.7	2.5	0.3
Other food at home	216.705	223.442	225.098	12.1	3.9	0.7
Food away from home	313.501	316.770	320.682	8.9	2.3	1.2
Alcoholic beverages	278.298	275.946	277.579	3.9	-0.3	0.6
Housing	280.012	280.998	286.126	7.1	2.2	1.8
Shelter	346.940	348.376	350.260	4.4	1.0	0.5
Rent of primary residence(2)	367.338	368.362	370.324	4.1	0.8	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)(3)	356.830	357.738	359.115	3.9	0.6	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)(3)	356.830	357.738	359.115	3.9	0.6	0.4
Fuels and utilities	256.232	256.334	288.474	23.7	12.6	12.5
Household energy	206.806	206.803	239.579	29.5	15.8	15.8
Energy services(2)	210.915	210.846	244.362	29.4	15.9	15.9
Electricity(2)	184.156	180.158	182.603	8.6	-0.8	1.4
Utility (piped) gas service(2)	235.138	240.176	312.385	53.0	32.9	30.1
Household furnishings and operations	104.927	105.217	104.950	8.5	0.0	-0.3
Apparel	88.821	85.070	88.254	7.8	-0.6	3.7
Transportation	232.239	234.686	244.750	20.7	5.4	4.3
Private transportation	234.290	234.513	242.676	20.2	3.6	3.5
New and used motor vehicles(4)	118.006	118.618	119.671	13.7	1.4	0.9
New vehicles(1)	202.583	204.514	206.776	14.3	2.1	1.1
Used cars and trucks(1)	401.031	398.613	400.397	15.9	-0.2	0.4
Motor fuel	388.256	386.698	427.985	50.5	10.2	10.7
Gasoline (all types)	384.376	382.743	423.695	50.3	10.2	10.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)	372.804	370.906	411.363	51.1	10.3	10.9
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)	409.737	411.667	449.471	46.1	9.7	9.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)	390.444	392.324	425.244	41.4	8.9	8.4
Medical care	536.127	536.702	538.239	0.9	0.4	0.3
Recreation(4)	120.292	120.529	120.756	1.1	0.4	0.2
Education and communication(4)	139.443	139.481	139.353	-1.5	-0.1	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)	1,226.800	1,226.800	1,231.527	0.5	0.4	0.4
Other goods and services	426.749	427.977	429.406	3.4	0.6	0.3
Commodity and service group
All items	268.417	269.569	274.301	8.0	2.2	1.8
Commodities	196.766	197.136	200.778	12.3	2.0	1.8
Commodities less food and beverages	148.608	147.801	151.427	13.6	1.9	2.5
Nondurables less food and beverages	202.102	200.155	209.315	18.2	3.6	4.6
Durables	100.611	100.543	100.615	8.9	0.0	0.1
Services	334.637	336.626	342.324	5.4	2.3	1.7
Special aggregate indexes
All items less medical care	257.122	258.310	263.226	8.8	2.4	1.9
All items less shelter	241.639	242.694	248.306	9.7	2.8	2.3
Commodities less food	153.398	152.547	156.182	13.2	1.8	2.4
Nondurables	248.007	248.715	254.993	13.7	2.8	2.5
Nondurables less food	207.386	205.405	214.236	17.1	3.3	4.3
Services less rent of shelter(3)	338.196	340.860	350.903	6.3	3.8	2.9
Services less medical care services	318.734	320.856	326.768	5.9	2.5	1.8
Energy	276.004	275.424	311.657	39.4	12.9	13.2
All items less energy	270.525	271.836	273.947	5.7	1.3	0.8
All items less food and energy	267.118	267.928	269.874	4.7	1.0	0.7
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.