The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area increased 0.6 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that the energy index was unchanged and the index for food rose 0.7 percent. The all items less food and energy index increased 0.6 percent. (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 3.1 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.2 percent over the year. Food prices rose 3.1 percent. Energy prices advanced 2.7 percent.

  

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Jun 2025	3.5	3.8
Jul 2025	2.7	3.0
Aug 2025	3.1	3.2

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

Food prices rose 3.1 percent over the year. Prices for food at home advanced 2.8 percent, and prices for food away from home rose 3.7 percent. Grocery food categories increasing over the year included meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+5.6 percent) and fruits and vegetables (+4.4 percent). Cereals and bakery products were down 2.4 percent compared to a year ago.

The energy index was unchanged over the month. Gasoline prices were 0.1 percent lower.

Energy prices advanced 2.7 percent over the year. Gasoline prices were down 10.4 percent compared to August 2024.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.6 percent in August. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for apparel (+8.4 percent), shelter (+0.7 percent), and airline fares. In contrast, prices were lower for education and communication (-0.8 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.2 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+4.5 percent) and medical care services. In contrast, prices were lower for education and communication (-3.4 percent).

The September 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 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 August 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jun. 2025	Jul. 2025	Aug. 2025	Aug. 2024	Jun. 2025	Jul. 2025
All items		302.442	301.871	303.636	3.1	0.4	0.6
All items (1967=100)		903.572	901.864	907.137	-	-	-
Food and beverages		329.434	330.821	333.055	3.0	1.1	0.7
Food		330.023	331.464	333.806	3.1	1.1	0.7
Food at home		303.762	304.877	307.063	2.8	1.1	0.7
Cereals and bakery products		337.141	339.692	335.552	-2.4	-0.5	-1.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		327.848	334.937	339.990	5.6	3.7	1.5
Dairy and related products		268.995	267.120	271.219	4.8	0.8	1.5
Fruits and vegetables		343.720	352.974	362.907	4.4	5.6	2.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		276.765	276.565	274.911	5.7	-0.7	-0.6
Other food at home		255.318	250.787	251.232	0.5	-1.6	0.2
Food away from home		359.060	361.032	363.524	3.7	1.2	0.7
Alcoholic beverages		319.043	319.382	319.538	0.2	0.2	0.0
Housing		328.471	328.719	330.345	5.2	0.6	0.5
Shelter		416.433	418.109	420.874	4.6	1.1	0.7
Rent of primary residence		444.439	446.745	449.407	5.5	1.1	0.6
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		429.951	431.680	434.071	4.5	1.0	0.6
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		429.951	431.680	434.071	4.5	1.0	0.6
Household furnishings and operations		107.307	106.150	105.828	2.2	-1.4	-0.3
Apparel		91.869	88.222	95.662	3.9	4.1	8.4
Transportation		246.303	245.310	246.516	-0.7	0.1	0.5
Private transportation		250.113	250.177	250.002	-1.5	0.0	-0.1
New and used motor vehicles(3)		117.816	117.771	117.648	0.7	-0.1	-0.1
New vehicles(1)		214.767	214.718	214.931	0.4	0.1	0.1
Used cars and trucks(1)		363.880	367.285	368.769	5.9	1.3	0.4
Motor fuel		308.044	309.065	308.935	-10.2	0.3	0.0
Gasoline (all types)		306.319	307.264	307.099	-10.4	0.3	-0.1
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		294.473	295.314	295.174	-10.7	0.2	0.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		348.868	350.608	350.265	-9.0	0.4	-0.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		343.560	345.270	344.907	-7.6	0.4	-0.1
Medical care		573.187	575.230	575.810	3.0	0.5	0.1
Recreation(3)		139.798	139.386	139.737	3.6	0.0	0.3
Education and communication(3)		144.332	141.661	140.547	-3.4	-2.6	-0.8
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,328.560	1,328.661	1,315.047	-0.4	-1.0	-1.0
Other goods and services		532.300	531.655	528.700	3.4	-0.7	-0.6
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 August 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jun. 2025	Jul. 2025	Aug. 2025	Aug. 2024	Jun. 2025	Jul. 2025
All items		302.442	301.871	303.636	3.1	0.4	0.6
Food		330.023	331.464	333.806	3.1	1.1	0.7
Energy		266.499	264.654	264.632	2.7	-0.7	0.0
All items less food and energy		305.658	304.861	306.712	3.2	0.3	0.6
All items less energy		308.689	308.205	310.123	3.2	0.5	0.6
All items less medical care		291.228	290.506	292.358	3.1	0.4	0.6
All items less shelter		263.649	262.376	263.809	2.2	0.1	0.5
Commodities		202.840	202.451	204.214	0.5	0.7	0.9
Commodities less food		149.712	148.793	150.255	-1.2	0.4	1.0
Commodities less food & beverages		143.910	142.990	144.442	-1.3	0.4	1.0
Durables		94.819	94.062	94.217	0.5	-0.6	0.2
Nondurables		262.480	262.524	265.445	0.6	1.1	1.1
Nondurables less food		204.973	203.997	207.248	-1.9	1.1	1.6
Nondurables less food & beverages		197.195	196.184	199.502	-2.1	1.2	1.7
Services		397.037	396.293	398.002	4.3	0.2	0.4
Services less rent of shelter(1)		395.497	392.362	393.459	4.2	-0.5	0.3
Services less medical care services		382.430	381.583	383.211	4.4	0.2	0.4
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.