The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area advanced 0.2 percent for the two months ending in March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the all items less food and energy index rose 0.2 percent. The energy index advanced 0.6 percent in February and March, while the food index decreased 0.1 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area all items CPI-U increased 1.9 percent for the 12 months ending in March. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.3 percent over the year, and the index for food rose 3.3 percent. Energy prices decreased 8.4 percent for the same period.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO, March 2022–March 2025

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Mar 2022	9.1	8.0
May 2022	8.3	7.1
Jul 2022	8.2	6.6
Sep 2022	7.7	7.2
Nov 2022	6.9	6.7
Jan 2023	6.4	5.9
Mar 2023	5.7	5.6
May 2023	5.1	5.6
Jul 2023	4.7	5.8
Sep 2023	5.4	5.4
Nov 2023	4.5	4.8
Jan 2024	3.5	4.1
Mar 2024	2.8	3.4
May 2024	2.6	2.7
Jul 2024	1.9	2.4
Sep 2024	1.4	2.0
Nov 2024	2.0	2.5
Jan 2025	2.3	2.4
Mar 2025	1.9	2.3

Food prices fell 0.1 percent for the two months ending in March. The food at home index (grocery store purchases) was down 1.6 percent, with lower prices seen in 4 of the 6 major grocery store categories. The food away from home index (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 2.0 percent for the same period. The indexes for fruits and vegetables (-5.3 percent) and other food at home (-2.4 percent) led declines within the food at home category. The cereals and bakery products index saw a rise of 0.8 percent over the two-month period.

The food index rose 3.3 percent over the year, with prices for food away from home (+5.0 percent) leading the change. Prices for food at home increased 1.9 percent, primarily driven by a 9.2-percent rise in the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.

The energy index advanced 0.6 percent for the two months ending in March. Prices paid for gasoline rose 2.3 percent.

From March 2024 to March 2025, energy prices decreased 8.4 percent. The index for gasoline declined 1.0 percent over the same period.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.2 percent during the two-month period. Index component increases were led by shelter (+0.8 percent), hospital services, and other goods and services (+3.6 percent). Declines were led by lower prices for airline fares, recreation (-1.3 percent), and medical care commodities.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.3 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+2.3 percent), medical care (+5.6 percent), and other goods and services (+12.4 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for public transportation and lodging away from home.

The May 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

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 Denver 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 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO, Core Based Statistical Area is comprised of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Park counties in Colorado.

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. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO, CPI-U by expenditure category for March 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jan. 2025	Feb. 2025	Mar. 2025	Mar. 2024	Jan. 2025	Feb. 2025
All items		330.850	-	331.575	1.9	0.2	-
All items (1967=100)		1,103.246	-	1,105.665	-	-	-
Food and beverages		312.608	-	312.246	3.0	-0.1	-
Food		321.317	-	321.042	3.3	-0.1	-
Food at home		287.501	283.047	282.961	1.9	-1.6	0.0
Cereals and bakery products		341.644	345.727	344.255	2.3	0.8	-0.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		299.326	296.923	298.527	9.2	-0.3	0.5
Dairy and related products		235.730	232.289	235.441	2.5	-0.1	1.4
Fruits and vegetables		333.901	316.646	316.269	-4.0	-5.3	-0.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		198.951	199.765	199.657	4.6	0.4	-0.1
Other food at home		253.986	249.593	248.017	-0.5	-2.4	-0.6
Food away from home		367.842	-	375.221	5.0	2.0	-
Alcoholic beverages		234.300	-	233.030	-0.6	-0.5	-
Housing		335.206	-	336.974	0.6	0.5	-
Shelter		392.535	395.731	395.497	1.6	0.8	-0.1
Rent of primary residence		407.227	408.559	409.400	0.8	0.5	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		392.989	394.401	394.947	2.3	0.5	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		392.989	394.401	394.947	2.3	0.5	0.1
Household furnishings and operations		143.525	-	142.650	-0.5	-0.6	-
Apparel		116.378	-	116.210	2.5	-0.1	-
Transportation		336.673	-	333.692	2.6	-0.9	-
Private transportation		341.902	-	342.355	4.0	0.1	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		134.597	-	133.673	0.7	-0.7	-
New vehicles(1)		258.601	-	257.869	0.4	-0.3	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		361.365	-	362.009	0.5	0.2	-
Motor fuel		247.341	257.656	252.929	-1.5	2.3	-1.8
Gasoline (all types)		244.494	254.682	250.015	-1.0	2.3	-1.8
Unleaded regular(4)		235.104	245.559	240.936	-1.2	2.5	-1.9
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		247.012	255.617	251.829	-0.8	2.0	-1.5
Unleaded premium(4)		277.702	286.574	281.779	-0.5	1.5	-1.7
Medical care		736.541	-	743.449	5.6	0.9	-
Recreation(3)		187.862	-	185.479	-0.3	-1.3	-
Education and communication(3)		131.437	-	132.081	0.2	0.5	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,245.397	-	1,245.397	3.3	0.0	-
Other goods and services		460.527	-	476.939	12.4	3.6	-
(1) Index is on a January 1978=100 base. (2) Index is 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.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO, CPI-U by special aggregate index for March 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jan. 2025	Feb. 2025	Mar. 2025	Mar. 2024	Jan. 2025	Feb. 2025
All items		330.850	-	331.575	1.9	0.2	-
Food		321.317	-	321.042	3.3	-0.1	-
Energy		214.769	218.615	216.144	-8.4	0.6	-1.1
All items less food and energy		348.415	-	349.247	2.3	0.2	-
All items less energy		342.991	-	343.678	2.5	0.2	-
All items less medical care		312.125	-	312.605	1.6	0.2	-
All items less shelter		301.580	-	301.171	2.0	-0.1	-
Commodities		212.711	-	212.023	0.8	-0.3	-
Commodities less food		169.019	-	168.248	-0.5	-0.5	-
Commodities less food & beverages		166.281	-	165.528	-0.6	-0.5	-
Durables		128.742	-	128.110	-1.8	-0.5	-
Nondurables		258.747	-	258.112	2.0	-0.2	-
Nondurables less food		207.410	-	206.533	0.7	-0.4	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		205.353	-	204.506	0.8	-0.4	-
Services		436.385	-	438.445	2.3	0.5	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		493.446	-	493.568	3.3	0.0	-
Services less medical care services		412.126	-	413.259	1.9	0.3	-
(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.