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

26-240-KAN
Friday, February 13, 2026

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

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

Area prices rose 0.6 percent in December and January, up 2.6 percent over the year

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.

  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 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.

Energy

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.

All items less food and energy

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.


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 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.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, February 13, 2026