The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area advanced 0.1 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1.) Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that energy prices increased 1.4 percent while food prices were 0.2 percent lower in February. The all items less food and energy index was unchanged over the month. Within the all items less food and energy category, prices were higher for recreation and owners’ equivalent rent of residences while prices were lower for lodging away from home, public transportation, and medical care. (See table 1 and table 2.) (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area all items CPI-U increased 3.8 percent for the 12 months ending in February. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.6 percent over the year. Food prices rose 1.9 percent. Energy prices fell 0.7 percent.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, February 2022–February 2025

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Feb 2022	7.1	5.2
Mar 2022	7.8	5.3
Apr 2022	7.2	4.8
May 2022	8.0	4.7
Jun 2022	8.9	5.0
Jul 2022	8.4	5.0
Aug 2022	8.3	6.0
Sep 2022	8.2	6.4
Oct 2022	7.7	6.1
Nov 2022	6.8	5.7
Dec 2022	5.5	5.3
Jan 2023	5.4	5.3
Feb 2023	5.0	5.0
Mar 2023	4.4	5.5
Apr 2023	4.8	5.6
May 2023	3.3	5.2
Jun 2023	2.1	5.1
Jul 2023	2.2	4.7
Aug 2023	2.3	4.0
Sep 2023	2.3	3.6
Oct 2023	2.4	4.1
Nov 2023	2.5	4.1
Dec 2023	3.3	4.1
Jan 2024	3.3	3.9
Feb 2024	3.4	3.8
Mar 2024	3.1	3.2
Apr 2024	3.0	3.3
May 2024	3.1	3.3
Jun 2024	3.0	3.4
Jul 2024	3.7	3.9
Aug 2024	3.8	4.3
Sep 2024	4.1	5.0
Oct 2024	3.5	4.1
Nov 2024	3.8	4.5
Dec 2024	3.9	4.4
Jan 2025	4.3	4.8
Feb 2025	3.8	4.6

Food prices fell 0.2 percent for the month of February. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) fell 0.3 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, categories experiencing decreases included other fresh fruits, other beverage materials including tea, and frozen and freeze dried prepared foods.

Food prices rose 1.9 percent over the year. The food at home index rose 1.4 percent as four of the six major grocery store food group indexes advanced over the year. Increasing indexes included meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+6.3 percent); other food at home (+0.3 percent); dairy and related products (+1.0 percent); and cereals and bakery products (+0.7 percent). Prices for food away from home advanced 2.6 percent.

The energy index rose 1.4 percent over the month and was down 0.7 percent over the year. Gasoline prices were 0.7 percent lower in February and were down 4.9 percent compared to a year ago.

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged in February. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for recreation (+1.5 percent) and owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.3 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for lodging away from home, public transportation, and medical care (-0.5 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.6 percent over the year. Categories increasing over the year included shelter (+5.8 percent) and medical care services.

The March 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on April 10, 2025.

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 Consumer Price Index for Chicago is published monthly. The set of components and sub-aggregates published for regional and metropolitan indexes is more limited than at the U.S. city average level; these indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a much smaller sample size than the national or regional indexes and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local-area indexes are more volatile than the national or regional indexes. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. 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.

Percent changes for all-items data previously found in Table A of this release can be accessed in Chart 1 for this release and its attendant data table. A full all-items data series history for the original index value and for 1-month, 2-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month percent changes can be accessed via BLS data query tools. A direct link to the all-items series is provided in Table 1 of this release under historical data.

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Core Based Statistical Area includes 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.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

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. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U by expenditure category for February 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Dec. 2024	Jan. 2025	Feb. 2025	Feb. 2024	Dec. 2024	Jan. 2025
All items		294.757	298.213	298.457	3.8	1.3	0.1
All items (1967=100)		880.612	890.936	891.667	-	-	-
Food and beverages		323.117	326.737	326.163	1.9	0.9	-0.2
Food		323.521	327.091	326.484	1.9	0.9	-0.2
Food at home		298.089	303.419	302.432	1.4	1.5	-0.3
Cereals and bakery products		340.052	337.898	341.072	0.7	0.3	0.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		316.802	325.509	336.198	6.3	6.1	3.3
Dairy and related products		264.291	270.726	265.424	1.0	0.4	-2.0
Fruits and vegetables		362.401	361.892	354.313	-0.7	-2.2	-2.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		260.605	272.688	262.228	-0.1	0.6	-3.8
Other food at home		243.475	248.974	247.694	0.3	1.7	-0.5
Food away from home		351.389	351.352	351.515	2.6	0.0	0.0
Alcoholic beverages		316.265	320.845	320.906	1.5	1.5	0.0
Housing		316.611	320.229	320.734	4.9	1.3	0.2
Shelter		407.583	410.474	410.121	5.8	0.6	-0.1
Rent of primary residence		434.614	436.540	438.594	5.6	0.9	0.5
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		422.415	424.840	425.950	6.2	0.8	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		422.415	424.840	425.950	6.2	0.8	0.3
Household furnishings and operations		103.251	105.608	105.589	-0.3	2.3	0.0
Apparel		90.705	95.272	94.995	2.4	4.7	-0.3
Transportation		241.053	244.749	243.826	4.0	1.2	-0.4
Private transportation		244.783	246.859	246.954	3.9	0.9	0.0
New and used motor vehicles(3)		116.834	117.699	117.713	1.8	0.8	0.0
New vehicles(1)		213.165	213.847	214.059	-0.8	0.4	0.1
Used cars and trucks(1)		352.019	353.121	353.434	1.4	0.4	0.1
Motor fuel		288.419	288.933	286.996	-5.0	-0.5	-0.7
Gasoline (all types)		286.604	287.127	285.124	-4.9	-0.5	-0.7
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		275.037	275.618	273.646	-5.2	-0.5	-0.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		329.983	329.641	327.637	-2.6	-0.7	-0.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		326.302	326.128	324.354	-2.0	-0.6	-0.5
Medical care		571.876	573.568	570.981	3.0	-0.2	-0.5
Recreation(3)		135.545	137.148	139.238	3.1	2.7	1.5
Education and communication(3)		143.698	144.350	145.004	2.4	0.9	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,334.699	1,333.955	1,333.955	4.0	-0.1	0.0
Other goods and services		508.644	511.853	515.392	7.1	1.3	0.7
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U by special aggregate index for February 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Dec. 2024	Jan. 2025	Feb. 2025	Feb. 2024	Dec. 2024	Jan. 2025
All items		294.757	298.213	298.457	3.8	1.3	0.1
Food		323.521	327.091	326.484	1.9	0.9	-0.2
Energy		232.080	237.722	241.152	-0.7	3.9	1.4
All items less food and energy		299.960	303.262	303.375	4.6	1.1	0.0
All items less energy		302.886	306.221	306.234	4.2	1.1	0.0
All items less medical care		283.099	286.694	287.097	4.0	1.4	0.1
All items less shelter		256.405	260.005	260.435	2.8	1.6	0.2
Commodities		198.487	201.217	200.963	-0.1	1.2	-0.1
Commodities less food		146.322	148.603	148.475	-1.5	1.5	-0.1
Commodities less food & beverages		140.581	142.779	142.650	-1.6	1.5	-0.1
Durables		92.334	93.322	93.472	-3.7	1.2	0.2
Nondurables		257.275	261.085	260.499	0.8	1.3	-0.2
Nondurables less food		200.878	204.743	204.191	-0.3	1.6	-0.3
Nondurables less food & beverages		193.116	196.890	196.324	-0.5	1.7	-0.3
Services		386.109	390.212	390.971	5.9	1.3	0.2
Services less rent of shelter(1)		382.168	387.595	389.468	5.9	1.9	0.5
Services less medical care services		370.743	374.995	376.096	6.1	1.4	0.3
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.