The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area advanced 1.1 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the energy index rose 10.3 percent and the index for all items less food and energy increased 0.7 percent. The food index declined -0.4 percent in May. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area all items CPI-U increased 3.7 percent for the 12 months ending in May. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.4 percent over the year. The energy index was up 24.8 percent, and the food index also rose 2.4 percent.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, May 2023–May 2026

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Mar 2025	3.7	4.6
Apr 2025	3.1	3.7
May 2025	3.3	3.9
Jun 2025	3.5	3.8
Jul 2025	2.7	3.0
Aug 2025	3.1	3.2
Sep 2025	2.9	2.7
Oct 2025	-	-
Nov 2025	2.5	2.3
Dec 2025	2.2	1.9
Jan 2026	1.3	1.4
Feb 2026	2.0	1.8
Mar 2026	2.3	1.6
Apr 2026	3.1	2.2
May 2026	3.7	2.4
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

The index for food declined -0.4 percent for the month of May. The food at home index (grocery store purchases) was down -0.7 percent, with lower prices seen in 4 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. The food away from home index (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) was unchanged for the same period.

The index for food rose 2.4 percent over the year. Prices for food at home increased 0.7 percent as 4 of the 6 major grocery store food group indexes advanced over the year. Grocery store index increases ranged from 4.0 percent for fruits and vegetables to 2.0 percent for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs. Over the year, the indexes for other food at home (-3.8 percent) and dairy and related products (-3.7 percent) declined. Prices for food away from home rose 5.1 percent.

The energy index advanced 10.3 percent over the month. Gasoline prices increased 12.1 percent in May.

From May 2025 to May 2026, the index for energy rose 24.8 percent. The gasoline index rose 42.7 percent over the year.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.7 percent in May. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (+0.6 percent), apparel (+4.9 percent), and public transportation. In contrast, prices were lower for household furnishings and operations (-1.6 percent) and recreation (-0.4 percent).

The all items less food and energy index advanced 2.4 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+4.6 percent), public transportation, and apparel (+11.7 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for education and communication (-2.4 percent) and medical care (-1.1 percent).

The June 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

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.

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.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U by expenditure category for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		306.592	309.364	312.867	3.7	2.0	1.1
All items (1967=100)		915.969	924.251	934.718	-	-	-
Food and beverages		338.889	339.855	338.235	2.3	-0.2	-0.5
Food		340.000	340.839	339.404	2.4	-0.2	-0.4
Food at home		308.272	309.611	307.450	0.7	-0.3	-0.7
Cereals and bakery products		349.756	353.368	352.654	3.8	0.8	-0.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		340.773	345.738	346.590	2.0	1.7	0.2
Dairy and related products		262.743	258.651	256.128	-3.7	-2.5	-1.0
Fruits and vegetables		355.834	368.502	361.514	4.0	1.6	-1.9
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		276.543	279.176	285.447	2.9	3.2	2.2
Other food at home		253.040	247.598	241.723	-3.8	-4.5	-2.4
Food away from home		378.963	378.866	378.804	5.1	0.0	0.0
Alcoholic beverages		320.524	323.112	319.115	0.5	-0.4	-1.2
Housing		333.601	336.871	339.819	4.1	1.9	0.9
Shelter		428.799	432.065	434.635	4.6	1.4	0.6
Rent of primary residence		460.749	464.262	466.072	5.3	1.2	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		445.246	446.463	448.023	4.2	0.6	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		445.246	446.463	448.023	4.2	0.6	0.3
Household furnishings and operations		107.099	106.480	104.808	0.8	-2.1	-1.6
Apparel		97.199	97.156	101.937	11.7	4.9	4.9
Transportation		248.438	256.411	264.466	7.4	6.5	3.1
Private transportation		248.356	255.775	262.741	5.6	5.8	2.7
New and used motor vehicles(3)		116.937	117.346	117.709	-0.2	0.7	0.3
New vehicles(1)		215.346	215.727	215.953	0.4	0.3	0.1
Used cars and trucks(1)		345.687	349.147	354.711	-1.1	2.6	1.6
Motor fuel		339.158	385.562	432.091	42.9	27.4	12.1
Gasoline (all types)		336.711	382.805	428.939	42.7	27.4	12.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		324.378	369.725	415.118	43.7	28.0	12.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		377.578	425.249	473.022	38.1	25.3	11.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		370.973	412.403	453.994	34.1	22.4	10.1
Medical care		566.017	565.150	566.596	-1.1	0.1	0.3
Recreation(3)		143.734	143.900	143.261	2.7	-0.3	-0.4
Education and communication(3)		139.124	138.426	140.376	-2.4	0.9	1.4
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(6)		95.383	95.383	95.383	-4.2	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services		527.891	528.548	543.923	1.7	3.0	2.9
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. (6) Indexes on a December 2024=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 May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		306.592	309.364	312.867	3.7	2.0	1.1
Food		340.000	340.839	339.404	2.4	-0.2	-0.4
Energy		267.863	296.249	326.789	24.8	22.0	10.3
All items less food and energy		309.120	310.086	312.199	2.4	1.0	0.7
All items less energy		313.113	314.059	315.642	2.4	0.8	0.5
All items less medical care		295.816	298.740	302.330	4.1	2.2	1.2
All items less shelter		265.166	267.755	271.515	3.3	2.4	1.4
Commodities		208.036	210.354	213.518	5.7	2.6	1.5
Commodities less food		153.098	155.718	160.094	8.0	4.6	2.8
Commodities less food & beverages		147.330	149.921	154.451	8.4	4.8	3.0
Durables		93.967	93.285	93.053	-0.3	-1.0	-0.2
Nondurables		272.387	277.102	282.859	7.8	3.8	2.1
Nondurables less food		214.676	222.201	233.246	14.4	8.7	5.0
Nondurables less food & beverages		207.467	215.271	227.206	15.9	9.5	5.5
Services		399.586	402.702	406.374	2.5	1.7	0.9
Services less rent of shelter(1)		388.944	392.037	397.004	0.5	2.1	1.3
Services less medical care services		385.553	389.008	392.976	3.0	1.9	1.0
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.