The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area increased 0.3 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the all items less food and energy index advanced 0.4 percent. The energy index increased 1.7 percent, while the food index fell 0.5 percent in October. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

Food

The index for food decreased 0.5 percent for the month of October. The food at home index (grocery store purchases) was down 1.8 percent, with declines led by a 2.0-percent decrease in the index for other food at home (includes sugar, sweets, fats, and oils, for example), cereals and bakery products (-4.1 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-1.9 percent). The food away from home index (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 1.5 percent for the same period.

Energy

The energy index advanced 1.7 percent over the month. Gasoline prices rose 3.3 percent from September to October.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent in October. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.8 percent), medical care (+0.5 percent) and recreation (+0.5 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for apparel (-4.6 percent) and used cars and trucks (-2.3 percent).

The Consumer Price Index for November 2026 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, December 10, 2026, at 7:30 a.m. (CT).

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 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 October 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Aug. 2026	Sep. 2026	Oct. 2026	Oct. 2025	Aug. 2026	Sep. 2026
All items		310.890	313.415	314.384	-	1.1	0.3
All items (1967=100)		928.809	936.353	939.248	-	-	-
Food and beverages		339.760	341.567	340.262	-	0.1	-0.4
Food		340.966	343.063	341.372	-	0.1	-0.5
Food at home		309.741	311.833	306.142	-	-1.2	-1.8
Cereals and bakery products		351.689	364.116	349.023	-	-0.8	-4.1
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		342.199	346.195	339.744	-	-0.7	-1.9
Dairy and related products		273.063	263.751	261.814	-	-4.1	-0.7
Fruits and vegetables		351.850	357.799	359.123	-	2.1	0.4
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		276.381	278.946	271.749	-	-1.7	-2.6
Other food at home		254.115	253.458	248.282	-	-2.3	-2.0
Food away from home		378.979	380.974	386.538	-	2.0	1.5
Alcoholic beverages		320.144	318.173	321.875	-	0.5	1.2
Housing		341.138	341.330	343.223	-	0.6	0.6
Shelter		438.194	439.210	441.918	-	0.8	0.6
Rent of primary residence		471.853	473.536	475.311	-	0.7	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		452.677	453.752	457.312	-	1.0	0.8
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		452.677	453.752	457.312	-	1.0	0.8
Household furnishings and operations		106.491	107.506	108.413	-	1.8	0.8
Apparel		98.230	102.771	98.075	-	-0.2	-4.6
Transportation		250.980	254.375	258.812	-	3.1	1.7
Private transportation		251.943	256.162	257.924	-	2.4	0.7
New and used motor vehicles(3)		118.432	118.429	118.015	-	-0.4	-0.3
New vehicles(1)		217.124	217.335	217.839	1.3	0.3	0.2
Used cars and trucks(1)		359.122	358.463	350.344	-4.2	-2.4	-2.3
Motor fuel		375.940	399.613	412.665	-	9.8	3.3
Gasoline (all types)		373.151	396.557	409.528	42.3	9.7	3.3
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		359.523	382.581	395.242	43.2	9.9	3.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		419.328	442.241	457.022	37.6	9.0	3.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		410.605	431.426	443.990	34.7	8.1	2.9
Medical care		566.793	579.508	582.405	-	2.8	0.5
Recreation(3)		144.947	145.991	146.758	-	1.2	0.5
Education and communication(3)		142.305	144.604	144.360	-	1.4	-0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(6)		96.747	98.423	98.859	-	2.2	0.4
Other goods and services		529.057	529.987	528.499	-	-0.1	-0.3
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.
Note: Dashes (-) indicate data not available. Note: October 2026 12-month percent change values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations. 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 October 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Aug. 2026	Sep. 2026	Oct. 2026	Oct. 2025	Aug. 2026	Sep. 2026
All items		310.890	313.415	314.384	-	1.1	0.3
Food		340.966	343.063	341.372	-	0.1	-0.5
Energy		293.707	299.711	304.715	-	3.7	1.7
All items less food and energy		312.229	314.573	315.677	-	1.1	0.4
All items less energy		315.898	318.202	318.889	-	0.9	0.2
All items less medical care		300.261	302.363	303.251	-	1.0	0.3
All items less shelter		267.823	270.795	271.209	-	1.3	0.2
Commodities		210.827	213.867	213.556	-	1.3	-0.1
Commodities less food		156.267	159.394	159.532	-	2.1	0.1
Commodities less food & beverages		150.549	153.765	153.815	-	2.2	0.0
Durables		94.380	94.919	94.467	-	0.1	-0.5
Nondurables		276.865	281.656	281.552	-	1.7	0.0
Nondurables less food		221.697	228.403	229.500	-	3.5	0.5
Nondurables less food & beverages		214.920	222.139	223.072	-	3.8	0.4
Services		405.329	407.113	409.476	-	1.0	0.6
Services less rent of shelter(1)		391.145	393.798	395.933	-	1.2	0.5
Services less medical care services		391.783	392.721	395.193	-	0.9	0.6
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
Note: Dashes (-) indicate data not available. Note: October 2026 12-month percent change values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.