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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Mid-Atlantic > News Release
News Release Information

26-1519-PHI
Friday, September 11, 2026

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Consumer Price Index, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington — August 2026

Area prices were down 0.7 percent over the past two months, up 4.2 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington was down 0.7 percent for the two months ending in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Lori Keller noted that the all items less food and energy index also declined 0.7 percent, as the food and energy indexes decreased for the same period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The Philadelphia area all items CPI-U advanced 4.2 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.5 percent. The energy index increased 17.6 percent, and the food index was up 2.1 percent.

Food

From June to August, the food index declined 0.6 percent. The index for food at home was down 1.1 percent, with lower prices in fruits and vegetables (-5.3 percent). The food away from home index increased 0.2 percent for the same period.

The food index rose 2.1 percent over the year. The food away from home index advanced 2.5 percent. In comparison, the food at home index increased 1.7 percent, as prices were up 6.1 percent for other food at home and 7.4 percent for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials.

Energy

The energy index decreased 0.5 percent over the two-month pricing period ending in August. Gasoline prices were down 0.5 percent.

The energy index rose 17.6 percent from August 2025 to August 2026. Over the year, the gasoline index was up 29.4 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy was down 0.7 percent from June to August. Within the same period, declines included the shelter (-1.4 percent), household furnishings and operations (-0.8 percent), and public transportation indexes. In contrast, the index for education and communication rose 2.7 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.5 percent over the year. The shelter index (4.4 percent) was the largest contributor to the increase, due in part to the price increase in the owners’ equivalent rent of primary residences (4.4 percent) sub-index. Other price increases included medical care (3.1 percent) and household furnishings and operations (1.8 percent).

The Consumer Price Index for October 2026 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).


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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Core Based Statistical Area includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland.

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. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, CPI-U by expenditure category for August 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Expenditure category

 Indexes Percent change from:
Historical
data		 Jun.
2026		 Jul.
2026		 Aug.
2026		 Aug.
2025		 Jun.
2026		 Jul.
2026

All items

 342.280 - 340.008 4.2 -0.7 -

All items (1967=100)

 988.828 - 982.263 - - -

Food and beverages

 319.799 - 317.788 2.0 -0.6 -

Food

 323.159 - 321.284 2.1 -0.6 -

Food at home

 326.086 321.679 322.617 1.7 -1.1 0.3

Cereals and bakery products

 414.902 410.148 411.532 -0.5 -0.8 0.3

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

 371.861 371.490 368.645 -2.9 -0.9 -0.8

Dairy and related products

 243.910 242.117 244.642 0.4 0.3 1.0

Fruits and vegetables

 319.997 306.257 303.071 -0.9 -5.3 -1.0

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

 237.114 233.006 242.129 7.4 2.1 3.9

Other food at home

 313.886 312.220 312.205 6.1 -0.5 0.0

Food away from home

 308.910 - 309.656 2.5 0.2 -

Alcoholic beverages

 269.583 - 266.200 0.1 -1.3 -

Housing

 376.283 - 371.856 4.7 -1.2 -

Shelter

 461.579 447.405 455.318 4.4 -1.4 1.8

Rent of primary residence

 429.656 428.741 428.306 4.2 -0.3 -0.1

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

 467.493 468.716 468.552 4.4 0.2 0.0

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

 467.493 468.716 468.552 4.4 0.2 0.0

Household furnishings and operations

 162.318 - 160.944 1.8 -0.8 -

Apparel

 117.634 - 118.824 2.4 1.0 -

Transportation

 305.128 - 301.215 6.9 -1.3 -

Private transportation

 311.040 - 311.709 6.3 0.2 -

New and used motor vehicles(3)

 135.111 - 134.963 -0.4 -0.1 -

New vehicles(1)

 241.773 - 242.282 0.8 0.2 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

 345.244 - 348.412 -2.0 0.9 -

Motor fuel

 380.008 375.155 378.150 29.5 -0.5 0.8

Gasoline (all types)

 375.021 370.232 373.162 29.4 -0.5 0.8

Unleaded regular(4)

 368.912 364.249 366.988 30.0 -0.5 0.8

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

 392.572 386.488 390.137 27.6 -0.6 0.9

Unleaded premium(4)

 389.413 384.259 388.058 26.7 -0.3 1.0

Medical care

 625.103 - 625.319 3.1 0.0 -

Recreation(3)

 141.288 - 140.225 1.7 -0.8 -

Education and communication(3)

 141.607 - 145.395 1.4 2.7 -

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

 1,268.613 - 1,298.008 4.9 2.3 -

Other goods and services

 738.707 - 745.514 3.4 0.9 -

Footnotes
(1) Index is on a December 1977=100 base.
(2) Index is 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.

- Data not available.
NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
Table 2. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, CPI-U by special aggregate index for August 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Special aggregate index

 Indexes Percent change from:
Historical
data		 Jun.
2026		 Jul.
2026		 Aug.
2026		 Aug.
2025		 Jun.
2026		 Jul.
2026

All items

 342.280 - 340.008 4.2 -0.7 -

Food

 323.159 - 321.284 2.1 -0.6 -

Energy

 325.403 324.265 323.622 17.6 -0.5 -0.2

All items less food and energy

 356.090 - 353.651 3.5 -0.7 -

All items less energy

 348.392 - 346.049 3.3 -0.7 -

All items less medical care

 330.181 - 327.808 4.3 -0.7 -

All items less shelter

 300.717 - 300.071 4.0 -0.2 -

Commodities

 234.319 - 234.354 4.0 0.0 -

Commodities less food

 190.989 - 191.631 4.8 0.3 -

Commodities less food & beverages

 187.594 - 188.355 5.0 0.4 -

Durables

 128.986 - 129.736 0.7 0.6 -

Nondurables

 283.268 - 282.680 5.3 -0.2 -

Nondurables less food & beverages

 242.291 - 242.921 8.8 0.3 -

Nondurables less food

 244.052 - 244.412 8.1 0.1 -

Services

 448.095 - 443.737 4.2 -1.0 -

Services less rent of shelter(1)

 441.794 - 439.790 3.9 -0.5 -

Services less medical care services

 432.820 - 428.201 4.2 -1.1 -

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: Friday, September 11, 2026