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News Release Information

23-661-CHI
Wednesday, April 12, 2023

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

Consumer Price Index, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area – March 2023

Area prices were up 0.8 percent over the past month, up 4.4 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 0.8 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that all items less food and energy index was up 0.8 percent. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher over the month for shelter and new and used motor vehicles. The food index was unchanged while the energy index rose 3.1 percent in March. (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 4.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.5 percent over the year. Food prices increased 5.9 percent. Energy prices declined 8.6 percent, largely the result of a decrease in the price of gasoline. (See table 1.)


Food

Food prices were unchanged for the month of March. Prices for food at home (groceries) fell 0.3 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.4 percent for the same period.

Over the year, food prices rose 5.9 percent. Prices for food at home increased 5.8 percent over the year. Five of the six major grocery store food group indexes advanced over the year. The index for other food at home (includes sugar, sweets, fats, and oils, for example) rose 10.6 percent, cereals and bakery products advanced 10.4 percent, and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials increased 7.4 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 6.2 percent over the year.

Energy

The energy index increased 3.1 percent over the month. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for electricity (14.9 percent). Prices for gasoline advanced 2.7 percent, while prices for utility (piped) gas service declined 12.3 percent for the same period.

Energy prices declined 8.6 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-16.5 percent). Prices for utility (piped) gas service fell 18.1 percent while prices paid for electricity increased 11.5 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.8 percent in March. Higher prices for shelter (1.0 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (2.4 percent) contributed to the increase.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 5.5 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (7.6 percent) and recreation (8.5 percent).

Table A. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted
Month20192020202120222023
1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month1-month12-month

January

0.60.80.92.60.70.70.96.80.95.4

February

0.61.40.02.00.61.20.87.10.45.0

March

0.11.5-0.71.10.62.61.47.80.84.4

April

-0.10.8-0.90.31.04.60.47.2

May

0.81.21.00.41.04.71.88.0

June

-0.41.00.31.10.44.71.3(r)8.9(r)

July

0.31.60.21.00.44.9-0.2(r)8.4(r)

August

0.21.60.11.00.14.80.1(r)8.3(r)

September

0.21.40.61.40.34.50.2(r)8.2(r)

October

0.31.8-0.11.00.75.30.1(r)7.7(r)

November

-0.22.2-0.40.80.26.0-0.66.8

December

-0.22.2-0.20.90.46.6-0.85.5

(r) Revised

The April 2023 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at 7:30 a.m. (CT).


Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index for Chicago is published monthly. 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 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 87 urban areas across the country from about 4,000 housing units and approximately 26,000 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/homch17_a.htm.

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 consists 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

IndexesPercent change from-
Jan.
2023
Feb.
2023
Mar.
2023
Mar.
2022
Jan.
2023
Feb.
2023

Expenditure category

All items

276.982277.978280.2794.41.20.8

All items (1967=100)

827.506830.484837.357---

Food and beverages

309.456311.499311.4686.20.70.0

Food

309.578311.791311.7265.90.70.0

Food at home

287.840291.142290.3095.80.9-0.3

Cereals and bakery products

330.703330.576333.23010.40.80.8

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

309.076311.086313.9142.71.60.9

Dairy and related products

264.850260.253257.2676.0-2.9-1.1

Fruits and vegetables

349.816353.925344.566-2.7-1.5-2.6

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

240.337247.001246.6387.42.6-0.1

Other food at home

234.725240.023239.76010.62.1-0.1

Food away from home

331.484331.484332.8856.20.40.4

Alcoholic beverages

306.495306.641306.98210.30.20.1

Housing

293.590293.660297.1276.11.21.2

Shelter

367.385369.630373.2217.61.61.0

Rent of primary residence(2)

390.122393.765396.5668.01.70.7

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

378.824380.396382.6897.21.00.6

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

378.824380.396382.6897.21.00.6

Fuels and utilities

256.695252.486259.3841.21.02.7

Household energy

204.428200.106207.1880.21.43.5

Energy services(2)

208.692204.038211.7460.41.53.8

Electricity(2)

172.951178.717205.42111.518.814.9

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

242.141219.659192.541-18.1-20.5-12.3

Household furnishings and operations

107.930105.456106.8101.8-1.01.3

Apparel

91.30791.66991.0712.5-0.3-0.7

Transportation

225.631228.110231.571-0.32.61.5

Private transportation

227.656228.679233.240-0.42.52.0

New and used motor vehicles(4)

117.941117.430120.2381.91.92.4

New vehicles(1)

214.150214.688215.3066.30.50.3

Used cars and trucks(1)

359.802354.406358.048-10.7-0.51.0

Motor fuel

310.160315.220323.483-16.74.32.6

Gasoline (all types)

307.122312.531321.030-16.54.52.7

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

296.068301.311309.745-16.94.62.8

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

340.324347.283355.688-13.24.52.4

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

334.955340.359346.772-11.23.51.9

Medical care

542.230537.090540.0100.7-0.40.5

Recreation(4)

126.628129.991130.5508.53.10.4

Education and communication(4)

141.514141.196141.5641.50.00.3

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,250.8801,250.8801,250.8802.00.00.0

Other goods and services

444.674446.052452.4796.01.81.4

Commodity and service group

All items

276.982277.978280.2794.41.20.8

Commodities

198.372198.595199.8951.60.80.7

Commodities less food and beverages

144.951144.569146.179-1.60.81.1

Nondurables less food and beverages

194.530195.539197.622-2.21.61.1

Durables

99.33298.10399.255-1.3-0.11.2

Services

350.837352.635355.9286.41.50.9

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

265.817267.072269.3464.81.30.9

All items less shelter

246.383246.954248.8153.01.00.8

Commodities less food

150.367149.995151.587-1.20.81.1

Nondurables

251.950253.454254.6472.71.10.5

Nondurables less food

201.579202.537204.520-1.41.51.0

Services less rent of shelter(3)

350.544351.909355.0025.01.30.9

Services less medical care services

335.343337.777341.2827.11.81.0

Energy

245.508244.620252.206-8.62.73.1

All items less energy

282.485283.638285.5585.61.10.7

All items less food and energy

278.515279.499281.7415.51.20.8

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: Wednesday, April 12, 2023