The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area advanced 0.6 percent for the two months ending in January 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Jerome Watters noted that the all items less food and energy index increased 0.7 percent. The food index rose 2.1 percent in December and January, while the energy index decreased. (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 advanced 2.6 percent for the 12 months ending in January. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.3 percent and food prices rose 2.2 percent over the year. Energy prices declined 9.1 percent.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO, January 2023–January 2026

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
May 2025	2.2	2.7
Jul 2025	2.1	2.7
Sep 2025	3.1	3.7
Nov 2025	2.2	2.7
Jan 2026	2.6	3.3

The food index advanced 2.1 percent for the two months ending in January. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) rose 3.6 percent, with higher prices in 5 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) was up 0.2 percent for the same period. Within the food at home category, the indexes for other food at home (+4.2 percent), fruits and vegetables (+5.2 percent), and meats, poultry, fish and eggs (+4.5 percent) contributed most to the increase. The index for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials fell 1.8 percent over the 2-month period.

Over the year, food prices rose 2.2 percent. Prices for food away from home advanced 5.0 percent. Prices for food at home increased 0.2 percent, with the index for cereals and bakery products (+5.8 percent) contributing most to the 12-month change. The index for fruits and vegetables led the over-the-year declines, falling 3.7 percent.

The energy index decreased over the two-month pricing period. Gasoline prices declined 12.0 percent.

From January 2025 to January 2026, the energy index fell 9.1 percent. The index for gasoline declined 18.3 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.7 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for apparel (+9.3 percent), recreation (+2.2 percent), owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.4 percent), and public transportation. In contrast, prices were lower for lodging away from home and used cars and trucks (-4.4 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.3 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+4.3 percent), medical care services, and household furnishings and operations (+8.8 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for lodging away from home, communication, and used cars and trucks (-2.2 percent).

The March 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on Friday, April 10, 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 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.

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Table 1. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO, CPI-U by expenditure category for January 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Nov. 2025	Dec. 2025	Jan. 2026	Jan. 2025	Nov. 2025	Dec. 2025
All items		337.561	-	339.525	2.6	0.6	-
All items (1967=100)		1,125.625	-	1,132.173	-	-	-
Food and beverages		313.121	-	320.327	2.5	2.3	-
Food		321.560	-	328.426	2.2	2.1	-
Food at home		278.025	287.155	288.143	0.2	3.6	0.3
Cereals and bakery products		343.062	353.476	361.480	5.8	5.4	2.3
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		285.419	302.794	298.256	-0.4	4.5	-1.5
Dairy and related products		234.859	236.155	240.721	2.1	2.5	1.9
Fruits and vegetables		305.720	313.895	321.517	-3.7	5.2	2.4
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		199.116	203.232	195.599	-1.7	-1.8	-3.8
Other food at home		246.390	254.479	256.666	1.1	4.2	0.9
Food away from home		385.491	-	386.231	5.0	0.2	-
Alcoholic beverages		237.589	-	249.719	6.6	5.1	-
Housing		347.915	-	347.378	3.6	-0.2	-
Shelter		405.979	407.843	404.965	3.2	-0.2	-0.7
Rent of primary residence		413.726	414.161	414.165	1.7	0.1	0.0
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		407.884	410.034	409.719	4.3	0.4	-0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		407.884	410.034	409.719	4.3	0.4	-0.1
Household furnishings and operations		157.001	-	156.162	8.8	-0.5	-
Apparel		107.822	-	117.841	1.3	9.3	-
Transportation		331.216	-	328.867	-2.3	-0.7	-
Private transportation		338.822	-	333.530	-2.4	-1.6	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		133.752	-	132.425	-1.6	-1.0	-
New vehicles(1)		258.596	-	258.900	0.1	0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		369.599	-	353.248	-2.2	-4.4	-
Motor fuel		230.626	206.403	202.934	-18.0	-12.0	-1.7
Gasoline (all types)		227.202	202.969	199.845	-18.3	-12.0	-1.5
Unleaded regular(4)		217.494	193.032	189.537	-19.4	-12.9	-1.8
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		231.356	209.958	207.974	-15.8	-10.1	-0.9
Unleaded premium(4)		262.211	239.655	238.267	-14.2	-9.1	-0.6
Medical care		781.012	-	785.692	6.7	0.6	-
Recreation(3)		188.928	-	193.073	2.8	2.2	-
Education and communication(3)		129.199	-	129.685	-1.3	0.4	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,290.239	-	1,290.230	3.6	0.0	-
Other goods and services		481.560	-	489.128	6.2	1.6	-
(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 January 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Nov. 2025	Dec. 2025	Jan. 2026	Jan. 2025	Nov. 2025	Dec. 2025
All items		337.561	-	339.525	2.6	0.6	-
Food		321.560	-	328.426	2.2	2.1	-
Energy		-	-	195.177	-9.1	-	-
All items less food and energy		357.401	-	359.848	3.3	0.7	-
All items less energy		350.815	-	353.803	3.2	0.9	-
All items less medical care		317.319	-	319.164	2.3	0.6	-
All items less shelter		304.907	-	308.110	2.2	1.1	-
Commodities		211.642	-	213.081	0.2	0.7	-
Commodities less food		167.623	-	167.414	-0.9	-0.1	-
Commodities less food & beverages		164.754	-	164.197	-1.3	-0.3	-
Durables		129.441	-	129.826	0.8	0.3	-
Nondurables		256.179	-	258.431	-0.1	0.9	-
Nondurables less food		202.894	-	202.014	-2.6	-0.4	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		200.251	-	198.369	-3.4	-0.9	-
Services		450.384	-	452.743	3.7	0.5	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		510.716	-	518.105	5.0	1.4	-
Services less medical care services		423.842	-	425.646	3.3	0.4	-
(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.