The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the St. Louis area advanced 2.3 percent for the two months ending in April 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Jerome Watters noted that the energy index increased 22.5 percent. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent, and the index for food was up 0.1 percent over the two-month period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The St. Louis area all items CPI-U advanced 3.5 percent for the 12 months ending in April. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.4 percent over the year. Energy prices rose 21.0 percent, while food prices were up 1.8 percent.

Food

The food index increased 0.1 percent for the two months ending in April. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) advanced 0.5 percent, and the index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) declined 0.5 percent for the same period. Within the food at home index, the categories for other food at home (+1.7 percent) and fruits and vegetables (+2.3 percent) led the increases. The index for cereals and bakery products declined 2.2 percent over the same period.

Food prices were up 1.8 percent over the year. Prices for food away from home increased 2.4 percent, and prices for food at home advanced 1.3 percent. Four of the six grocery store categories rose over the year, with the index for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+7.4 percent) leading the increases.

Energy

The energy index advanced 22.5 percent for the two months ending in April. The index for gasoline increased 44.0 percent, the largest two-month rise since the index began in March 1978. 

From April 2025 to April 2026, energy prices advanced 21.0 percent. Gasoline prices were up 32.1 percent over the 12-month period. This was the largest over-the-year increase since August 2022.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.3 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+1.6 percent), medical care services, and public transportation. In contrast, prices were lower for household furnishings and operations and apparel, with both indexes declining 0.9 percent in March and April.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.4 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+2.5 percent), medical care services, and household furnishings and operations (+6.2 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for used cars and trucks (-2.1 percent).

The June 2026 Consumer Price Index for the St. Louis area is scheduled to be released on July 14, 2026.

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 St. Louis 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 St. Louis, MO-IL, Core Based Statistical Area covered in this release includes Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties in Illinois; and Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis, and Warren counties and St. Louis City in Missouri.

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. St. Louis, MO-IL, CPI-U by expenditure category for April 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Feb. 2026	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	Apr. 2025	Feb. 2026	Mar. 2026
All items		293.679	-	300.496	3.5	2.3	-
All items (1967=100)		872.276	-	892.524	-	-	-
Food and beverages		343.706	-	345.093	1.9	0.4	-
Food		344.769	-	345.025	1.8	0.1	-
Food at home		302.225	302.807	303.819	1.3	0.5	0.3
Cereals and bakery products		263.389	264.353	257.631	-0.4	-2.2	-2.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		301.943	300.536	299.796	-0.6	-0.7	-0.2
Dairy and related products		189.173	189.692	190.480	2.3	0.7	0.4
Fruits and vegetables		434.596	431.112	444.437	0.5	2.3	3.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		244.263	237.922	245.771	7.4	0.6	3.3
Other food at home		316.817	323.386	322.070	0.6	1.7	-0.4
Food away from home		418.410	-	416.132	2.4	-0.5	-
Alcoholic beverages		297.432	-	317.414	5.1	6.7	-
Housing		297.852	-	301.350	3.3	1.2	-
Shelter		353.239	354.501	358.780	2.2	1.6	1.2
Rent of primary residence		322.661	323.401	328.436	1.9	1.8	1.6
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		371.708	373.162	377.630	2.5	1.6	1.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		371.708	373.162	377.630	2.5	1.6	1.2
Household furnishings and operations		153.128	-	151.794	6.2	-0.9	-
Apparel		153.277	-	151.935	6.4	-0.9	-
Transportation		241.695	-	263.378	5.1	9.0	-
Private transportation		246.252	-	267.853	4.9	8.8	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		114.329	-	115.477	-2.3	1.0	-
New vehicles(1)		262.608	-	263.336	0.0	0.3	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		385.786	-	390.781	-2.1	1.3	-
Motor fuel		262.065	328.996	377.731	32.9	44.1	14.8
Gasoline (all types)		256.458	321.776	369.417	32.1	44.0	14.8
Unleaded regular(4)		245.082	308.940	355.345	32.5	45.0	15.0
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		319.814	392.036	445.617	29.8	39.3	13.7
Unleaded premium(4)		282.439	340.356	384.496	28.3	36.1	13.0
Medical care		539.145	-	551.282	4.1	2.3	-
Recreation(3)		139.252	-	140.056	0.7	0.6	-
Education and communication(3)		154.853	-	154.452	3.3	-0.3	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,476.042	-	1,476.042	3.7	0.0	-
Other goods and services		403.561	-	415.117	2.1	2.9	-
(1) Index is on a March 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. St. Louis, MO-IL, CPI-U by special aggregate index for April 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Feb. 2026	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	Apr. 2025	Feb. 2026	Mar. 2026
All items		293.679	-	300.496	3.5	2.3	-
Food		344.769	-	345.025	1.8	0.1	-
Energy		261.410	295.345	320.336	21.0	22.5	8.5
All items less food and energy		293.393	-	297.086	2.4	1.3	-
All items less energy		300.521	-	303.715	2.4	1.1	-
All items less medical care		281.354	-	287.903	3.4	2.3	-
All items less shelter		275.312	-	282.597	4.0	2.6	-
Commodities		230.098	-	238.102	4.1	3.5	-
Commodities less food		182.046	-	192.033	4.9	5.5	-
Commodities less food & beverages		177.316	-	186.974	5.0	5.4	-
Durables		120.023	-	120.112	-0.2	0.1	-
Nondurables		292.546	-	307.152	6.1	5.0	-
Nondurables less food		246.719	-	273.039	10.5	10.7	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		241.535	-	267.913	10.8	10.9	-
Services		359.540	-	364.878	3.1	1.5	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		374.635	-	379.815	3.9	1.4	-
Services less medical care services		341.559	-	346.045	2.7	1.3	-
(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.