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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Mountain-Plains > News Release
News Release Information

26-1404-KAN
Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (816) 285-7000

Consumer Price Index, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area — July 2026

Area prices were down 0.7 percent in June and July, up 3.9 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area fell 0.7 percent for the two months ending in July 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Jerome Watters noted that the energy index decreased 9.6 percent. The all items less food and energy index was down 0.4 percent, while the food index rose 0.8 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 3.9 percent for the 12 months ending in July. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.5 percent, and the energy index was up 17.2 percent. The food index rose 3.4 percent over the same period.

  Line chart of 12-month percent changes in the CPI-U all items and all items less food and energy for Denver, not seasonally adjusted. An accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data
Food

The food index increased 0.8 percent for the two months ending in July. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) advanced 1.0 percent, and the index for food at home (grocery store purchases) rose 0.6 percent for the same period. Within the food at home index, the categories for cereals and bakery products (+4.4 percent) and dairy and related products (+2.7 percent) led the increases. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs declined 0.9 percent over the same period.

Food prices were up 3.4 percent over the year. Prices for food away from home increased 4.1 percent, and prices for food at home advanced 2.9 percent. Five of the six grocery store categories rose over the year, with the index for fruits and vegetables (+7.3 percent) leading the increases.

Energy

The energy index declined 9.6 percent for the two months ending in July. The index for gasoline was down 14.4 percent.

From July 2025 to July 2026, energy prices increased 17.2 percent. Gasoline prices were up 25.6 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.4 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for lodging away from home, public transportation, and apparel (-3.6 percent). In contrast, prices were higher for medical care (+2.8 percent), education and communication (+3.1 percent), and household furnishings and operations (+2.9 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy rose 3.5 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners' equivalent rent of residences (+2.7 percent), public transportation, and medical care services. In contrast, prices were lower for lodging away from home.

The September 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 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 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.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services

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

 Indexes Percent change from:
Historical
data		 May
2026		 Jun.
2026		 Jul.
2026		 Jul.
2025		 May
2026		 Jun.
2026

All items

 351.621 - 349.209 3.9 -0.7 -

All items (1967=100)

 1,172.509 - 1,164.467 - - -

Food and beverages

 319.795 - 322.140 3.6 0.7 -

Food

 327.716 - 330.311 3.4 0.8 -

Food at home

 286.210 284.218 287.973 2.9 0.6 1.3

Cereals and bakery products

 338.650 359.121 353.450 4.9 4.4 -1.6

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

 301.003 299.690 298.310 2.0 -0.9 -0.5

Dairy and related products

 238.212 235.969 244.554 5.3 2.7 3.6

Fruits and vegetables

 330.936 323.683 331.585 7.3 0.2 2.4

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

 199.004 195.815 198.418 -0.3 -0.3 1.3

Other food at home

 251.085 246.024 251.512 0.9 0.2 2.2

Food away from home

 387.713 - 391.674 4.1 1.0 -

Alcoholic beverages

 251.184 - 250.817 7.4 -0.1 -

Housing

 354.513 - 351.163 2.6 -0.9 -

Shelter

 414.936 406.595 409.398 2.0 -1.3 0.7

Rent of primary residence

 411.339 411.376 412.153 0.3 0.2 0.2

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

 412.982 412.581 413.591 2.7 0.1 0.2

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

 412.982 412.581 413.591 2.7 0.1 0.2

Household furnishings and operations

 153.810 - 158.218 6.3 2.9 -

Apparel

 126.961 - 122.394 11.3 -3.6 -

Transportation

 374.815 - 361.505 5.8 -3.6 -

Private transportation

 367.941 - 359.160 3.1 -2.4 -

New and used motor vehicles(3)

 133.207 - 134.723 -0.9 1.1 -

New vehicles(1)

 259.258 - 259.674 0.5 0.2 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

 357.430 - 366.659 -2.4 2.6 -

Motor fuel

 377.541 324.949 322.904 25.8 -14.5 -0.6

Gasoline (all types)

 372.726 320.887 318.974 25.6 -14.4 -0.6

Unleaded regular(4)

 363.458 311.126 309.077 26.2 -15.0 -0.7

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

 368.611 320.300 318.554 24.7 -13.6 -0.5

Unleaded premium(4)

 402.798 353.885 352.570 23.3 -12.5 -0.4

Medical care

 773.349 - 794.869 3.8 2.8 -

Recreation(3)

 196.027 - 197.438 3.5 0.7 -

Education and communication(3)

 130.655 - 134.649 4.2 3.1 -

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(6)

 103.498 - 104.356 3.5 0.8 -

Other goods and services

 508.841 - 500.261 3.1 -1.7 -

(1) Indexes 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) Index on a December 1993=100 base.
(6) Index on a December 2024=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 July 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Special aggregate index

 Indexes Percent change from:
Historical
data		 May
2026		 Jun.
2026		 Jul.
2026		 Jul.
2025		 May
2026		 Jun.
2026

All items

 351.621 - 349.209 3.9 -0.7 -

Food

 327.716 - 330.311 3.4 0.8 -

Energy

 281.557 256.105 254.406 17.2 -9.6 -0.7

All items less food and energy

 369.032 - 367.505 3.5 -0.4 -

All items less energy

 361.539 - 360.606 3.4 -0.3 -

All items less medical care

 331.974 - 328.740 3.9 -1.0 -

All items less shelter

 321.060 - 320.050 4.9 -0.3 -

Commodities

 222.393 - 221.511 4.4 -0.4 -

Commodities less food

 179.473 - 177.535 5.2 -1.1 -

Commodities less food & beverages

 176.488 - 174.516 5.1 -1.1 -

Durables

 129.448 - 132.514 1.7 2.4 -

Nondurables

 275.817 - 271.120 5.9 -1.7 -

Nondurables less food

 234.588 - 223.786 9.6 -4.6 -

Nondurables less food & beverages

 233.385 - 221.764 9.8 -5.0 -

Services

 467.036 - 463.146 3.5 -0.8 -

Services less rent of shelter(1)

 538.734 - 537.699 5.4 -0.2 -

Services less medical care services

 441.053 - 435.524 3.4 -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.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, August 12, 2026