The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area advanced 1.8 percent for the two months ending in May 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Jerome Watters noted that the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.4 percent, and the index for energy rose 15.0 percent. The index for food was up 0.4 percent over the two-month period. (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 5.0 percent for the 12 months ending in May. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.7 percent over the year. Energy prices rose 25.3 percent, while food prices were up 1.8 percent.

  

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Mar 2026	4.2	4.2
May 2026	5.0	4.7

The food index increased 0.4 percent for the two months ending in May. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) advanced 0.7 percent, and the index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.2 percent for the same period. Within the food at home index, the index for fruits and vegetables (+5.7 percent) led the rise. The indexes for other food at home (-1.1 percent) and cereals and bakery products (-2.9 percent) declined over the two-month period.

The index for food rose 1.8 percent over the year. The index for food away from home increased 2.9 percent, and the food at home index advanced 1.1 percent. A 4.0-percent rise in the index for fruits and vegetables contributed most to the 12-month increase in the food at home category.

The energy index rose 15.0 percent for the two months ending in May. The index for gasoline increased 24.3 percent for the same period.

From May 2025 to May 2026, energy prices advanced 25.3 percent. Gasoline prices were up 41.8 percent over the 12-month period.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for public transportation, owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.7 percent), and other goods and services (+2.4 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for household furnishings and operations (-2.7 percent) and medical care (-0.9 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.7 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+4.2 percent), public transportation, and recreation (+5.6 percent).

The July 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 12, 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 May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		345.416	-	351.621	5.0	1.8	-
All items (1967=100)		1,151.818	-	1,172.509	-	-	-
Food and beverages		318.338	-	319.795	2.2	0.5	-
Food		326.251	-	327.716	1.8	0.4	-
Food at home		284.322	283.601	286.210	1.1	0.7	0.9
Cereals and bakery products		348.868	349.082	338.650	0.0	-2.9	-3.0
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		296.518	300.494	301.003	0.3	1.5	0.2
Dairy and related products		239.470	232.826	238.212	-1.4	-0.5	2.3
Fruits and vegetables		313.133	326.721	330.936	4.0	5.7	1.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		195.712	200.655	199.004	0.8	1.7	-0.8
Other food at home		253.933	243.867	251.085	1.4	-1.1	3.0
Food away from home		387.057	-	387.713	2.9	0.2	-
Alcoholic beverages		249.721	-	251.184	8.0	0.6	-
Housing		352.695	-	354.513	3.7	0.5	-
Shelter		411.650	408.877	414.936	3.8	0.8	1.5
Rent of primary residence		411.436	410.721	411.339	0.2	0.0	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		410.017	411.746	412.982	4.2	0.7	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		410.017	411.746	412.982	4.2	0.7	0.3
Household furnishings and operations		158.017	-	153.810	2.8	-2.7	-
Apparel		123.746	-	126.961	13.9	2.6	-
Transportation		348.623	-	374.815	10.8	7.5	-
Private transportation		352.760	-	367.941	6.9	4.3	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		132.336	-	133.207	-1.0	0.7	-
New vehicles(1)		258.964	-	259.258	0.2	0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		348.456	-	357.430	-2.5	2.6	-
Motor fuel		304.161	326.298	377.541	42.4	24.1	15.7
Gasoline (all types)		299.772	320.729	372.726	41.8	24.3	16.2
Unleaded regular(4)		290.191	311.359	363.458	43.2	25.2	16.7
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		299.683	319.255	368.611	39.9	23.0	15.5
Unleaded premium(4)		332.498	352.174	402.798	37.0	21.1	14.4
Medical care		780.537	-	773.349	3.1	-0.9	-
Recreation(3)		194.025	-	196.027	5.6	1.0	-
Education and communication(3)		129.616	-	130.655	0.2	0.8	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		103.530	-	103.498	3.6	0.0	-
Other goods and services		496.930	-	508.841	4.9	2.4	-
(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 May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		345.416	-	351.621	5.0	1.8	-
Food		326.251	-	327.716	1.8	0.4	-
Energy		244.769	254.380	281.557	25.3	15.0	10.7
All items less food and energy		364.086	-	369.032	4.7	1.4	-
All items less energy		357.110	-	361.539	4.3	1.2	-
All items less medical care		325.372	-	331.974	5.2	2.0	-
All items less shelter		313.608	-	321.060	5.7	2.4	-
Commodities		218.386	-	222.393	4.3	1.8	-
Commodities less food		174.841	-	179.473	5.9	2.6	-
Commodities less food & beverages		171.792	-	176.488	5.9	2.7	-
Durables		129.687	-	129.448	-0.5	-0.2	-
Nondurables		268.258	-	275.817	6.8	2.8	-
Nondurables less food		221.902	-	234.588	13.7	5.7	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		219.818	-	233.385	14.2	6.2	-
Services		458.882	-	467.036	5.3	1.8	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		523.164	-	538.734	7.8	3.0	-
Services less medical care services		432.268	-	441.053	5.4	2.0	-
(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.