The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area declined 0.1 percent in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that a 5.2-percent decrease in the energy index was the largest contributor to the monthly decline. The index for all items less food and energy was up 0.1 percent, while the index for food increased 0.5 percent in July. (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 2.5 percent for the 12 months ending in July. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.1 percent over the year. Energy prices advanced 7.4 percent, while food prices increased 2.6 percent.

  

View Chart Data

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Jun 2026	2.5	1.7
Jul 2026	2.5	2.1
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

The index for food increased 0.5 percent for the month of July. The food at home (grocery store purchases) index rose 0.9 percent, with higher prices seen in 4 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. Price increases over the month were led by the other food at home index (+2.2 percent) and the fruits and vegetables index (+3.4 percent). The food away from home index (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) decreased by 0.1 percent for the same period.

The index for food advanced 2.6 percent over the year. The food away from home index rose 4.6 percent while the food at home index rose 1.3 percent. Grocery food categories increasing over the year included meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+1.8 percent), cereals and bakery products (+2.8 percent), and other food at home (+1.6 percent). The index for dairy and related products was down 2.6 percent over the year.

The energy index declined 5.2 percent over the month. Gasoline prices fell 3.8 percent from June to July.

From July 2025 to July 2026, the energy index rose 7.4 percent. The gasoline index was up 16.4 percent over the year.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent in July. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for lodging away from home, apparel (+3.6 percent), and owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.4 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for public transportation and household furnishings and operations (-1.6 percent).

The all items less food and energy index advanced 2.1 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent (+4.4 percent), apparel (+12.4), and public transportation. In contrast, prices were lower for medical care (-1.8 percent) and tuition, other school fees, and childcare (-3.7 percent).

The August 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area is scheduled to be released on Friday, September 11, 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 July 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	May 2026	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Jul. 2025	May 2026	Jun. 2026
All items		312.867	309.915	309.462	2.5	-1.1	-0.1
All items (1967=100)		934.718	925.898	924.543	-	-	-
Food and beverages		338.235	337.128	338.799	2.4	0.2	0.5
Food		339.404	338.225	339.960	2.6	0.2	0.5
Food at home		307.450	306.103	308.929	1.3	0.5	0.9
Cereals and bakery products		352.654	359.153	349.121	2.8	-1.0	-2.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		346.590	340.333	340.883	1.8	-1.6	0.2
Dairy and related products		256.128	263.238	260.054	-2.6	1.5	-1.2
Fruits and vegetables		361.514	345.579	357.342	1.2	-1.2	3.4
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		285.447	272.680	278.502	0.7	-2.4	2.1
Other food at home		241.723	249.199	254.720	1.6	5.4	2.2
Food away from home		378.804	377.988	377.678	4.6	-0.3	-0.1
Alcoholic beverages		319.115	318.961	319.777	0.1	0.2	0.3
Housing		339.819	340.427	340.447	3.6	0.2	0.0
Shelter		434.635	435.119	438.674	4.9	0.9	0.8
Rent of primary residence		466.072	467.954	469.310	5.1	0.7	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		448.023	449.053	450.839	4.4	0.6	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		448.023	449.053	450.839	4.4	0.6	0.4
Household furnishings and operations		104.808	106.489	104.771	-1.3	0.0	-1.6
Apparel		101.937	95.759	99.203	12.4	-2.7	3.6
Transportation		264.466	254.061	248.448	1.3	-6.1	-2.2
Private transportation		262.741	252.256	249.124	-0.4	-5.2	-1.2
New and used motor vehicles(3)		117.709	118.205	118.586	0.7	0.7	0.3
New vehicles(1)		215.953	216.255	216.737	0.9	0.4	0.2
Used cars and trucks(1)		354.711	359.576	359.781	-2.0	1.4	0.1
Motor fuel		432.091	374.405	360.273	16.6	-16.6	-3.8
Gasoline (all types)		428.939	371.592	357.613	16.4	-16.6	-3.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		415.118	358.024	344.253	16.6	-17.1	-3.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		473.022	419.575	403.809	15.2	-14.6	-3.8
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		453.994	408.654	396.454	14.8	-12.7	-3.0
Medical care		566.596	567.919	565.100	-1.8	-0.3	-0.5
Recreation(3)		143.261	143.266	143.197	2.7	0.0	0.0
Education and communication(3)		140.376	139.681	140.414	-0.9	0.0	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(6)		95.383	95.786	95.880	-3.7	0.5	0.1
Other goods and services		543.923	527.303	524.889	-1.3	-3.5	-0.5
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 July 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	May 2026	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Jul. 2025	May 2026	Jun. 2026
All items		312.867	309.915	309.462	2.5	-1.1	-0.1
Food		339.404	338.225	339.960	2.6	0.2	0.5
Energy		326.789	299.679	284.143	7.4	-13.1	-5.2
All items less food and energy		312.199	310.953	311.399	2.1	-0.3	0.1
All items less energy		315.642	314.408	315.044	2.2	-0.2	0.2
All items less medical care		302.330	299.200	298.844	2.9	-1.2	-0.1
All items less shelter		271.515	267.517	265.813	1.3	-2.1	-0.6
Commodities		213.518	209.212	209.238	3.4	-2.0	0.0
Commodities less food		160.094	155.110	154.604	3.9	-3.4	-0.3
Commodities less food & beverages		154.451	149.406	148.873	4.1	-3.6	-0.4
Durables		93.053	93.631	94.027	0.0	1.0	0.4
Nondurables		282.859	274.769	274.429	4.5	-3.0	-0.1
Nondurables less food		233.246	220.139	218.241	7.0	-6.4	-0.9
Nondurables less food & beverages		227.206	213.344	211.285	7.7	-7.0	-1.0
Services		406.374	405.144	404.174	2.0	-0.5	-0.2
Services less rent of shelter(1)		397.004	393.946	388.246	-1.0	-2.2	-1.4
Services less medical care services		392.976	391.639	390.715	2.4	-0.6	-0.2
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.