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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Midwest > News Release
News Release Information

26-791-CHI
Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (312) 353-1138

Consumer Price Index, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin — May 2026

Area prices were up 1.1 percent over the past month, up 3.7 percent from a year ago

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.

  Line chart of over-the-year percent changes in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI, CPI-U all items and all items less food and energy indexes, from May 2023 through May 2026. An accessible version is available in the View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

Food

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.

Energy

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.

All items less food and energy

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.


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 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.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2026