The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area advanced 0.6 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that the energy index increased 1.0 percent and the index for food rose 0.7 percent. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.5 percent in May. (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 rose 3.3 percent for the 12 months ending in May. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.9 percent over the year. Food prices rose 3.3 percent. Energy prices fell 2.5 percent.

  

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Mar 2025	3.7	4.6
Apr 2025	3.1	3.7
May 2025	3.3	3.9

Food prices increased 0.7 percent for the month of May. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.7 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) advanced 0.6 percent for the same period.

Food prices rose 3.3 percent over the year. Prices for food at home rose 2.7 percent, and prices for food away from home advanced 4.2 percent. Grocery food categories increasing over the year included meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+10.0 percent) and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+6.0 percent). Fruits and vegetable prices were down 2.2 percent compared to a year ago.

The energy index rose 1.0 percent over the month. Gasoline prices were down 0.4 percent in May.

Energy prices fell 2.5 percent over the year. Gasoline prices were down 15.2 percent compared to May 2024.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.5 percent in May. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for shelter (+0.7 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for household furnishings and operations (-0.5 percent) and apparel (-0.4 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.9 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+5.4 percent) and medical care services. In contrast, prices were lower for apparel (-0.3 percent).

The June 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 15, 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 May 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2025	Apr. 2025	May 2025	May 2024	Mar. 2025	Apr. 2025
All items		299.831	299.983	301.650	3.3	0.6	0.6
All items (1967=100)		895.771	896.223	901.205	-	-	-
Food and beverages		327.974	328.923	330.660	3.2	0.8	0.5
Food		328.261	329.237	331.397	3.3	1.0	0.7
Food at home		304.082	303.030	305.179	2.7	0.4	0.7
Cereals and bakery products		336.747	342.461	339.757	-0.3	0.9	-0.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		341.453	331.775	339.896	10.0	-0.5	2.4
Dairy and related products		261.525	265.558	265.969	0.7	1.7	0.2
Fruits and vegetables		348.598	348.238	347.772	-2.2	-0.2	-0.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		270.575	273.607	277.362	6.0	2.5	1.4
Other food at home		251.537	249.631	251.198	1.2	-0.1	0.6
Food away from home		353.422	358.222	360.262	4.2	1.9	0.6
Alcoholic beverages		323.353	323.808	317.406	0.9	-1.8	-2.0
Housing		322.684	324.051	326.380	5.3	1.1	0.7
Shelter		412.501	412.531	415.622	5.4	0.8	0.7
Rent of primary residence		440.096	441.395	442.452	5.5	0.5	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		427.744	429.390	430.094	5.8	0.5	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		427.744	429.390	430.094	5.8	0.5	0.2
Household furnishings and operations		104.520	104.519	103.976	1.3	-0.5	-0.5
Apparel		96.548	91.656	91.280	-0.3	-5.5	-0.4
Transportation		244.141	244.296	246.212	-2.3	0.8	0.8
Private transportation		247.176	247.256	248.721	-2.7	0.6	0.6
New and used motor vehicles(3)		117.515	117.903	117.984	-0.1	0.4	0.1
New vehicles(1)		214.294	215.140	215.159	0.2	0.4	0.0
Used cars and trucks(1)		354.629	356.492	358.758	1.8	1.2	0.6
Motor fuel		293.765	303.644	302.292	-15.1	2.9	-0.4
Gasoline (all types)		292.005	301.934	300.633	-15.2	3.0	-0.4
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		280.475	290.267	288.883	-15.7	3.0	-0.5
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		333.942	343.378	342.645	-12.5	2.6	-0.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		329.909	338.591	338.481	-10.7	2.6	0.0
Medical care		572.963	573.099	572.846	3.3	0.0	0.0
Recreation(3)		139.486	139.192	139.517	3.5	0.0	0.2
Education and communication(3)		144.677	143.049	143.830	0.6	-0.6	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,333.955	1,328.560	1,328.560	2.8	-0.4	0.0
Other goods and services		519.012	529.813	534.958	7.1	3.1	1.0
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 May 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2025	Apr. 2025	May 2025	May 2024	Mar. 2025	Apr. 2025
All items		299.831	299.983	301.650	3.3	0.6	0.6
Food		328.261	329.237	331.397	3.3	1.0	0.7
Energy		247.837	259.374	261.885	-2.5	5.7	1.0
All items less food and energy		304.248	303.290	304.830	3.9	0.2	0.5
All items less energy		307.232	306.545	308.170	3.8	0.3	0.5
All items less medical care		288.454	288.608	290.402	3.3	0.7	0.6
All items less shelter		261.479	261.667	262.871	2.1	0.5	0.5
Commodities		202.041	201.691	201.983	-0.5	0.0	0.1
Commodities less food		149.263	148.534	148.236	-3.0	-0.7	-0.2
Commodities less food & beverages		143.396	142.663	142.468	-3.3	-0.6	-0.1
Durables		93.319	93.946	93.340	-1.1	0.0	-0.6
Nondurables		262.522	261.314	262.399	-0.3	0.0	0.4
Nondurables less food		206.328	203.565	203.833	-3.9	-1.2	0.1
Nondurables less food & beverages		198.414	195.571	196.093	-4.3	-1.2	0.3
Services		392.610	393.283	396.339	5.2	0.9	0.8
Services less rent of shelter(1)		390.438	391.761	394.886	5.0	1.1	0.8
Services less medical care services		377.597	378.226	381.698	5.3	1.1	0.9
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.