The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington increased 3.9 percent for the 12 months ending in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the index for all items less food and energy rose 3.7 percent over the year. The energy index increased 10.6 percent, and the food index was up 2.2 percent over the same period.

BLS did not collect survey data for October 2025 due to a lapse in appropriations. BLS is unable to retroactively collect these data. For a few indexes, BLS uses nonsurvey data sources instead of survey data to make the index calculations. BLS was able to retroactively acquire most of the nonsurvey data for October. Accordingly, all analysis in this release is over the year and not seasonally adjusted.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, December 2022–December 2025

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Dec 2022	6.4	5.2
Feb 2023	6.9	6.3
Apr 2023	4.7	5.0
Jun 2023	3.1	4.6
Aug 2023	3.9	4.6
Oct 2023	3.5	4.4
Dec 2023	3.9	4.7
Feb 2024	3.4	4.2
Apr 2024	4.1	4.6
Jun 2024	3.6	4.0
Aug 2024	3.4	4.0
Oct 2024	3.4	4.0
Dec 2024	3.3	3.6
Feb 2025	3.1	3.1
Apr 2025	2.9	3.1
Jun 2025	3.3	3.3
Aug 2025	3.3	3.2
Oct 2025	-	-
Dec 2025	3.9	3.7
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations

Food prices advanced 2.2 percent over the year. Prices for food away from home rose 3.3 percent and prices for food at home increased 1.3 percent for the 12 months ending in December.

The energy index rose 10.6 percent from December 2024 to December 2025, the largest published month index increase since December 2022. Over the year, the gasoline index was up 0.3 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.7 percent over the year, as the shelter index (4.6 percent) was the largest contributor to the increase. Within shelter, the index for the owners’ equivalent rent of residences also rose 4.6 percent and rent of primary residence was up 4.0 percent. Other index increases included medical care (2.8 percent) and household furnishings and operations (5.8 percent).

The Consumer Price Index for February 2026 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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 the Philadelphia area 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.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, CPI-U by expenditure category for December 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Oct. 2025	Nov. 2025	Dec. 2025	Dec. 2024	Oct. 2025	Nov. 2025
All items		-	-	328.861	3.9	-	-
All items (1967=100)		-	-	950.060	-	-	-
Food and beverages		-	-	313.223	2.1	-	-
Food		-	-	316.486	2.2	-	-
Food at home		-	318.169	316.672	1.3	-	-0.5
Cereals and bakery products		-	401.357	411.674	-2.7	-	2.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		-	372.085	371.141	5.7	-	-0.3
Dairy and related products		-	242.818	245.632	-0.4	-	1.2
Fruits and vegetables		-	325.532	292.174	-2.0	-	-10.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		-	231.674	235.830	2.6	-	1.8
Other food at home		-	290.481	299.901	2.1	-	3.2
Food away from home		-	-	306.843	3.3	-	-
Alcoholic beverages		-	-	264.337	1.4	-	-
Housing		-	-	359.371	5.6	-	-
Shelter		-	439.812	442.864	4.6	-	0.7
Rent of primary residence		-	416.287	417.061	4.0	-	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		-	453.756	457.301	4.6	-	0.8
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		-	453.756	457.301	4.6	-	0.8
Household furnishings and operations		-	-	149.476	5.8	-	-
Apparel		-	-	115.522	4.4	-	-
Transportation		-	-	283.384	3.0	-	-
Private transportation		-	-	293.862	2.8	-	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		-	-	134.205	0.6	-	-
New vehicles(1)		240.385	-	239.870	0.7	-0.2	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		353.173	-	347.960	1.7	-1.5	-
Motor fuel		-	289.874	279.419	0.4	-	-3.6
Gasoline (all types)		285.021	286.063	275.750	0.3	-3.3	-3.6
Unleaded regular(4)		278.554	279.589	268.924	0.1	-3.5	-3.8
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		304.278	305.201	296.496	0.7	-2.6	-2.9
Unleaded premium(4)		305.925	306.966	299.148	1.6	-2.2	-2.5
Medical care		-	-	613.005	2.8	-	-
Recreation(3)		-	-	139.254	1.5	-	-
Education and communication(3)		-	-	140.256	-0.6	-	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		-	-	1,261.717	5.6	-	-
Other goods and services		-	-	733.019	5.8	-	-
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. NOTE: October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

Table 2. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, CPI-U by special aggregate index for December 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Oct. 2025	Nov. 2025	Dec. 2025	Dec. 2024	Oct. 2025	Nov. 2025
All items		-	-	328.861	3.9	-	-
Food		-	-	316.486	2.2	-	-
Energy		-	274.331	275.893	10.6	-	0.6
All items less food and energy		-	-	344.656	3.7	-	-
All items less energy		-	-	337.675	3.5	-	-
All items less medical care		-	-	316.723	4.0	-	-
All items less shelter		-	-	289.188	3.4	-	-
Commodities		-	-	224.130	1.3	-	-
Commodities less food		-	-	180.330	0.6	-	-
Commodities less food & beverages		-	-	176.825	0.6	-	-
Durables		-	-	126.776	0.2	-	-
Nondurables		-	-	268.025	1.7	-	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		-	-	220.319	1.0	-	-
Nondurables less food		-	-	223.208	1.1	-	-
Services		-	-	431.399	5.0	-	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		-	-	427.426	5.6	-	-
Services less medical care services		-	-	416.248	5.1	-	-
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. NOTE: October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.