Today, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) released September 2015 values for its Case-Shiller Home Price Index, which tracks the prices of existing single-family homes in 20 U.S. metro areas. The index in each metropolitan area extends from a base value of 100 in January 2000. For example, Chicago’s September 2015 index value was 132.50 before seasonal adjustment; this translates to a 32.50 percent appreciation since January 2000 for a typical home in the Chicago market.

  • All 20 cities tracked and both composite indices showed positive year-over-year returns. In Chicago, the index increased 1.1 percent from 131.03 in September 2014 to 132.50 in September 2015. This was slightly higher than last month’s YOY growth rate of 1.0 percent.
  • Chicago was among four cities that experienced decreasing monthly rates of change. Chicago’s September 2015 level decreased by -0.4 percent from the previous month, also falling behind the 10-City and 20-City Composites’ respective +0.2 percent growth rates.
  • In a press release, Standard & Poor’s Index Committee Chairman David M. Blitzer said “home prices and housing continue to show strength with home prices rising at more than double the rate of inflation. The general economy appeared to slow slightly earlier in the fall, but is now showing renewed strength.”

The following charts illustrate home price comparison and trends.

 CaseShillerPrice 112415
CaseShiller2yr 112415

Source: S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices

The full press release and additional data can be found on the S&P website.

Note: values reflect non-seasonally adjusted data, which are typically more appropriate for annual comparisons than monthly ones; however, due to heightened volatility in recent housing values that can skew the seasonal adjustments, S&P recommends using the non-seasonally adjusted numbers, even for month-to-month comparisons.

Chaired by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, World Business Chicago is the public-private partnership leading the Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs in order to drive business development, cultivate talent, and put Chicago at the forefront of the global economy.

WBC’s “Economic Briefs” track indicators from month to month to gauge the strength of several aspects of Chicago’s economy, including unemployment, population, venture capital, job openings and new hires, home sales, tourism, etc. This data provides a clear analytic framework for specific Plan strategies and initiatives. For a summary of these and other economic indicators, refer to WBC’s monthly Chicago By The Numbers.  

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