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Consumer prices up 3.3 percent over the year, 0.9 percent over the month, in March 2026

April 14, 2026

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 3.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted, over the 12 months from March 2025 to March 2026. On a monthly basis, the all items index increased 0.9 percent, seasonally adjusted, in March 2026, after rising 0.3 percent in February and 0.2 percent in January.

Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, 1-month and 12-month percent changes, March 2026
Category 1-month seasonally adjusted change 12-month change,
Mar 2025–Mar 2026,
not seasonally adjusted
 Jan 2026   Feb 2026   Mar 2026 

All items

0.2 0.3 0.9 3.3

Food

0.2 0.4 0.0 2.7

Food at home

0.2 0.4 -0.2 1.9

Food away from home[1]

0.1 0.3 0.2 3.8

Energy

-1.5 0.6 10.9 12.5

Energy commodities

-3.3 1.1 21.3 19.4

Gasoline (all types)

-3.2 0.8 21.2 18.9

Fuel oil

-5.7 11.1 30.7 44.2

Energy services

0.2 0.2 0.4 5.0

Electricity

-0.1 -0.7 0.8 4.6

Utility (piped) gas service

1.0 3.1 -0.9 6.4

All items less food and energy

0.3 0.2 0.2 2.6

Commodities less food and energy commodities

0.0 0.1 0.1 1.2

New vehicles

0.1 0.0 0.1 0.5

Used cars and trucks

-1.8 -0.4 -0.4 -3.2

Apparel

0.3 1.3 1.0 3.4

Medical care commodities[1]

-0.1 0.0 -1.0 0.3

Services less energy services

0.4 0.3 0.2 3.0

Shelter

0.2 0.2 0.3 3.0

Transportation services

1.4 0.2 0.6 4.1

Medical care services

0.3 0.6 0.0 3.7

[1] Food away from home and medical care commodities data are not seasonally adjusted.

Overall, food prices increased 2.7 percent over the year but were unchanged in March after rising 0.4 percent in February.

Prices for food at home rose 1.9 percent over the year. Prices for fruits and vegetables, nonalcoholic beverages, cereals and bakery products increased over the year, while prices for dairy and related products, meats, poultry, fish, and eggs decreased.

Prices for food away from home rose 3.8 percent over the last year, with prices for both full-service meals and limited-service meals increasing.

Energy prices increased 12.5 percent for the 12 months ending in March. Over the month, energy prices increased 10.9 percent in March, the largest monthly increase since September 2005.

Gasoline prices rose 21.2 percent in March, the largest monthly increase since these data were first published in 1967. Over the year, gasoline prices were 18.9 percent higher in March 2026 than in March 2025. Electricity prices increased 4.6 percent over the last 12 months, while natural gas prices rose 6.4 percent.

Prices for all other items, not including food and energy, rose 2.6 percent over the past 12 months. Shelter prices (including rent, owners' equivalent rent of residences, tenants' and household insurance, and lodging away from home) increased 3.0 percent over the last year. Prices for transportation services were up 4.1 percent over the year, while prices for medical care services increased 3.7 percent.

These data are from the Consumer Price Index program. One-month data are seasonally adjusted (except as noted) and 12-month data are not seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see "Consumer Price Index — March 2026." Also see these charts of consumer prices data.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Consumer prices up 3.3 percent over the year, 0.9 percent over the month, in March 2026 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/consumer-prices-up-3-3-percent-over-the-year-0-9-percent-over-the-month-in-march-2026.htm (visited April 17, 2026).