The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area advanced 0.3 percent for the two months ending in July 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Lori Keller noted food index prices were up 1.0 percent. The all items less food and energy index and the energy index also saw increases for the same period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area all items CPI-U rose 4.0 percent for the 12 months ending in July. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.8 percent, as the energy index advanced 22.9 percent and the food index was up 5.0 percent for the same period.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, July 2023–July 2026

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Jul 2023	1.8	2.9
Sep 2023	3.3	3.6
Nov 2023	2.8	3.3
Jan 2024	3.6	4.6
Mar 2024	3.4	3.5
May 2024	3.3	3.5
Jul 2024	3.7	3.8
Sep 2024	2.6	3.1
Nov 2024	2.7	3.0
Jan 2025	2.7	2.8
Mar 2025	2.4	2.7
May 2025	1.9	2.1
Jul 2025	2.0	2.3
Sep 2025	2.5	2.6
Nov 2025	2.4	2.3
Jan 2026	2.7	2.4
Mar 2026	3.0	2.0
May 2026	4.1	2.9
Jul 2026	4.0	2.8

Food prices increased 1.0 percent from May to July, as did prices for food away from home. Prices for food at home were up 1.0 percent as well, with higher prices for other food at home (+3.0 percent) and cereals and bakery products (+3.7 percent).

Food prices advanced 5.0 percent over the year. Prices for food at home increased 5.6 percent as prices for five of the six major food subindexes rose. Within the food at home index, nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials prices were up 17.6 percent, and other food at home prices rose 7.5 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 4.2 percent.

The energy index increased 0.5 percent for the two months ending in July. Gasoline prices declined 9.9 percent.

Energy prices advanced 22.9 percent from July 2025 to July 2026. Over the year, the gasoline index was up 24.8 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for new and used motor vehicles (+1.0 percent), household furnishings and operations (+1.8 percent), and other goods and services (+2.3 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for apparel (-3.3 percent) and shelter (-0.2 percent) for the same period.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.8 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+2.8 percent), household furnishings and operations (+8.6 percent), and other goods and services (+11.4 percent). In contrast, prices for recreation decreased 3.8 percent over the year.

The September 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area is scheduled to be released on October 14, 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 Washington is published bi-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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, Core Based Statistical Area includes the District of Columbia; the counties of Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the county of Jefferson in West Virginia.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

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Table 1. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 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		334.707	-	335.716	4.0	0.3	-
All items (1967=100)		988.148	-	991.128	-	-	-
Food and beverages		328.137	-	331.208	4.7	0.9	-
Food		338.696	-	342.151	5.0	1.0	-
Food at home		313.553	315.428	316.730	5.6	1.0	0.4
Cereals and bakery products		420.340	437.613	435.972	3.1	3.7	-0.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		347.147	338.257	344.780	2.8	-0.7	1.9
Dairy and related products		294.974	290.474	291.453	-2.4	-1.2	0.3
Fruits and vegetables		311.627	311.265	313.645	6.8	0.6	0.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		310.417	315.906	309.715	17.6	-0.2	-2.0
Other food at home		256.204	262.828	263.826	7.5	3.0	0.4
Food away from home		373.363	-	377.208	4.2	1.0	-
Alcoholic beverages		230.578	-	230.512	1.7	0.0	-
Housing		355.746	-	358.621	4.6	0.8	-
Shelter		421.657	422.933	420.950	2.8	-0.2	-0.5
Rent of primary residence		445.206	446.328	445.589	1.5	0.1	-0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		434.857	435.370	434.875	3.1	0.0	-0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		434.857	435.370	434.875	3.1	0.0	-0.1
Household furnishings and operations		140.896	-	143.491	8.6	1.8	-
Apparel		171.964	-	166.279	7.8	-3.3	-
Transportation		291.609	-	286.280	4.7	-1.8	-
Private transportation		295.507	-	292.410	1.9	-1.0	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		126.360	-	127.675	-0.6	1.0	-
New vehicles(1)		228.328	-	228.625	0.3	0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		395.126	-	403.929	-1.8	2.2	-
Motor fuel		412.847	375.388	371.624	24.3	-10.0	-1.0
Gasoline (all types)		408.212	371.430	367.782	24.8	-9.9	-1.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		400.280	362.547	358.886	25.3	-10.3	-1.0
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		413.717	385.177	381.266	22.9	-7.8	-1.0
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		429.822	401.462	398.232	21.7	-7.3	-0.8
Medical care		526.942	-	531.607	-0.4	0.9	-
Recreation(3)		133.244	-	134.565	-3.8	1.0	-
Education and communication(3)		174.562	-	176.096	3.2	0.9	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(6)		102.188	-	102.385	0.1	0.2	-
Other goods and services		587.135	-	600.406	11.4	2.3	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 1977=100 base. (2) Indexes on a November 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. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 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		334.707	-	335.716	4.0	0.3	-
Food		338.696	-	342.151	5.0	1.0	-
Energy		345.320	337.576	347.148	22.9	0.5	2.8
All items less food and energy		341.181	-	341.703	2.8	0.2	-
All items less energy		339.677	-	340.659	3.1	0.3	-
All items less medical care		325.739	-	326.579	4.4	0.3	-
All items less shelter		298.572	-	300.200	4.6	0.5	-
Commodities		223.818	-	223.955	4.9	0.1	-
Commodities less food		175.983	-	175.054	4.8	-0.5	-
Commodities less food & beverages		173.684	-	172.718	5.1	-0.6	-
Durables		118.559	-	119.919	2.1	1.1	-
Nondurables		281.377	-	280.219	6.2	-0.4	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		238.164	-	232.483	8.6	-2.4	-
Nondurables less food		236.404	-	231.350	7.7	-2.1	-
Services		434.457	-	436.435	3.5	0.5	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		463.408	-	469.149	4.3	1.2	-
Services less medical care services		423.294	-	425.388	3.8	0.5	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.