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News Release Information

23-1772-CHI
Thursday, August 10, 2023

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

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

Area prices were unchanged over the past month, up 2.2 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), were unchanged in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the food index rose 0.9 percent, the energy index fell 2.4 percent, and the all items less food and energy index was unchanged over the month. Within the all items less food and energy category, the indexes for household furnishings and operations and other goods and services were higher in July. Indexes for public transportation, apparel, and lodging away from home were lower. (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 advanced 2.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) The index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.7 percent over the year. Food prices advanced 4.4 percent. Energy prices fell 21.7 percent, largely the result of decreases in the indexes for utility (piped) gas service and gasoline. (See table 1.)


Food

Food prices advanced 0.9 percent for the month of July. (See table 1.) Prices for food at home (groceries) advanced 1.5 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged for the same period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 4.4 percent. Prices for food at home also rose 4.4 percent since a year ago. All six major grocery store food group indexes advanced over the year. Other food at home (includes sugar, sweets, fats, and oils, for example) had the largest contribution with an increase of 6.1 percent, followed by cereals and bakery products (+ 4.8 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+3.0 percent). Prices for food away from home increased 4.4 percent.

Energy

The energy index fell 2.4 percent over the month. The decrease was mainly due to lower prices for gasoline (-3.4 percent). Prices for utility (piped) gas service rose 1.3 percent, while prices for electricity decreased 2.7 percent for the same period.

Energy prices fell 21.7 percent over the year, largely due to lower prices for gasoline (-22.3 percent) and utility (piped) gas service (-44.7 percent). Prices paid for electricity increased 10.3 percent, partially offsetting these declines.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in July. Indexes that increased included household furnishings and operations (+1.5 percent) and other goods and services (+1.5 percent). Indexes that declined included public transportation, apparel (-2.1 percent), and lodging away from home.

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.7 percent. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+6.2 percent) and recreation (+11.6 percent). Partly offsetting the increases was a decline in costs for public transportation.

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

-0.10.8-0.90.31.04.60.47.20.84.8

May

0.81.21.00.41.04.71.88.00.43.3

June

-0.41.00.31.10.44.71.38.90.12.1

July

0.31.60.21.00.44.9-0.28.40.02.2

August

0.21.60.11.00.14.80.18.3

September

0.21.40.61.40.34.50.28.2

October

0.31.8-0.11.00.75.30.17.7

November

-0.22.2-0.40.80.26.0-0.66.8

December

-0.22.2-0.20.90.46.6-0.85.5

The August 2023 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on September 13, 2023.


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-
May
2023
Jun.
2023
Jul.
2023
Jul.
2022
May
2023
Jun.
2023

Expenditure category

All items

283.415283.627283.5282.20.00.0

All items (1967=100)

846.727847.359847.063---

Food and beverages

315.750314.655317.1614.60.40.8

Food

316.149315.066318.0254.40.60.9

Food at home

293.901292.285296.7804.41.01.5

Cereals and bakery products

334.140330.096336.9514.80.82.1

Meats, poultry, fish and eggs

311.343312.245319.7813.02.72.4

Dairy and related products

266.193255.609268.5804.20.95.1

Fruits and vegetables

361.991353.955358.2712.6-1.01.2

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

250.622247.601251.7134.60.41.7

Other food at home

240.348243.865243.2336.11.2-0.3

Food away from home

338.613338.613338.4614.40.00.0

Alcoholic beverages

309.664308.443305.8758.4-1.2-0.8

Housing

297.965298.425298.6433.00.20.1

Shelter

374.557376.865376.7326.20.60.0

Rent of primary residence(2)

399.320400.467401.1887.30.50.2

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

384.708386.614387.2866.60.70.2

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

384.708386.614387.2866.60.70.2

Fuels and utilities

257.999248.661246.375-15.7-4.5-0.9

Household energy

205.160194.925192.579-20.6-6.1-1.2

Energy services(2)

209.623198.952196.349-20.6-6.3-1.3

Electricity(2)

204.778191.259186.03910.3-9.2-2.7

Utility (piped) gas service(2)

188.098184.017186.432-44.7-0.91.3

Household furnishings and operations

107.297107.531109.1591.71.71.5

Apparel

91.50091.14089.2102.1-2.5-2.1

Transportation

240.347243.171240.252-3.40.0-1.2

Private transportation

241.776245.128243.449-2.70.7-0.7

New and used motor vehicles(4)

123.399124.020124.2152.20.70.2

New vehicles(1)

216.688217.153217.3774.00.30.1

Used cars and trucks(1)

387.342391.335391.735-4.61.10.1

Motor fuel

357.407364.601352.151-22.8-1.5-3.4

Gasoline (all types)

355.613362.997350.502-22.3-1.4-3.4

Gasoline, unleaded regular(5)

343.688350.940338.517-22.7-1.5-3.5

Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(5)(6)

390.942398.168387.247-20.2-0.9-2.7

Gasoline, unleaded premium(5)

377.480384.037374.606-18.0-0.8-2.5

Medical care

538.231538.335537.939-0.5-0.1-0.1

Recreation(4)

136.113135.091134.80111.6-1.0-0.2

Education and communication(4)

140.928140.150141.0091.10.10.6

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

1,256.1981,256.1981,256.7121.70.00.0

Other goods and services

456.411454.365461.3025.91.11.5

Commodity and service group

All items

283.415283.627283.5282.20.00.0

Commodities

203.469203.216203.441-0.50.00.1

Commodities less food and beverages

149.206149.246148.719-4.0-0.3-0.4

Nondurables less food and beverages

203.830203.171200.827-6.7-1.5-1.2

Durables

99.965100.445101.126-1.21.20.7

Services

358.454359.163358.7144.20.1-0.1

Special aggregate indexes

All items less medical care

272.689272.905272.8182.50.00.0

All items less shelter

252.572252.066251.9790.4-0.20.0

Commodities less food

154.630154.637154.054-3.6-0.4-0.4

Nondurables

260.171259.297259.066-0.3-0.4-0.1

Nondurables less food

210.526209.832207.470-5.8-1.5-1.1

Services less rent of shelter(3)

358.988357.909357.0831.9-0.5-0.2

Services less medical care services

344.198344.938344.5564.80.1-0.1

Energy

263.473259.595253.485-21.7-3.8-2.4

All items less energy

288.106288.633288.9954.60.30.1

All items less food and energy

283.990284.778284.7214.70.30.0

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, August 10, 2023