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

25-472-KAN
Thursday, April 10, 2025

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

Consumer Price Index, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood — March 2025

Area prices rose 0.2 percent in February and March, up 1.9 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area advanced 0.2 percent for the two months ending in March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the all items less food and energy index rose 0.2 percent. The energy index advanced 0.6 percent in February and March, while the food index decreased 0.1 percent. (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 1.9 percent for the 12 months ending in March. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.3 percent over the year, and the index for food rose 3.3 percent. Energy prices decreased 8.4 percent for 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

Food prices fell 0.1 percent for the two months ending in March. The food at home index (grocery store purchases) was down 1.6 percent, with lower prices seen in 4 of the 6 major grocery store categories. The food away from home index (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 2.0 percent for the same period. The indexes for fruits and vegetables (-5.3 percent) and other food at home (-2.4 percent) led declines within the food at home category. The cereals and bakery products index saw a rise of 0.8 percent over the two-month period.

The food index rose 3.3 percent over the year, with prices for food away from home (+5.0 percent) leading the change. Prices for food at home increased 1.9 percent, primarily driven by a 9.2-percent rise in the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.

Energy

The energy index advanced 0.6 percent for the two months ending in March. Prices paid for gasoline rose 2.3 percent.

From March 2024 to March 2025, energy prices decreased 8.4 percent. The index for gasoline declined 1.0 percent over the same period.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.2 percent during the two-month period. Index component increases were led by shelter (+0.8 percent), hospital services, and other goods and services (+3.6 percent). Declines were led by lower prices for airline fares, recreation (-1.3 percent), and medical care commodities.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.3 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+2.3 percent), medical care (+5.6 percent), and other goods and services (+12.4 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for public transportation and lodging away from home.

The May 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.


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.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO, CPI-U by expenditure category for March 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Expenditure category

 Indexes Percent change from:
Historical
data		 Jan.
2025		 Feb.
2025		 Mar.
2025		 Mar.
2024		 Jan.
2025		 Feb.
2025

All items

 330.850 - 331.575 1.9 0.2 -

All items (1967=100)

 1,103.246 - 1,105.665 - - -

Food and beverages

 312.608 - 312.246 3.0 -0.1 -

Food

 321.317 - 321.042 3.3 -0.1 -

Food at home

 287.501 283.047 282.961 1.9 -1.6 0.0

Cereals and bakery products

 341.644 345.727 344.255 2.3 0.8 -0.4

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

 299.326 296.923 298.527 9.2 -0.3 0.5

Dairy and related products

 235.730 232.289 235.441 2.5 -0.1 1.4

Fruits and vegetables

 333.901 316.646 316.269 -4.0 -5.3 -0.1

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

 198.951 199.765 199.657 4.6 0.4 -0.1

Other food at home

 253.986 249.593 248.017 -0.5 -2.4 -0.6

Food away from home

 367.842 - 375.221 5.0 2.0 -

Alcoholic beverages

 234.300 - 233.030 -0.6 -0.5 -

Housing

 335.206 - 336.974 0.6 0.5 -

Shelter

 392.535 395.731 395.497 1.6 0.8 -0.1

Rent of primary residence

 407.227 408.559 409.400 0.8 0.5 0.2

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

 392.989 394.401 394.947 2.3 0.5 0.1

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

 392.989 394.401 394.947 2.3 0.5 0.1

Household furnishings and operations

 143.525 - 142.650 -0.5 -0.6 -

Apparel

 116.378 - 116.210 2.5 -0.1 -

Transportation

 336.673 - 333.692 2.6 -0.9 -

Private transportation

 341.902 - 342.355 4.0 0.1 -

New and used motor vehicles(3)

 134.597 - 133.673 0.7 -0.7 -

New vehicles(1)

 258.601 - 257.869 0.4 -0.3 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

 361.365 - 362.009 0.5 0.2 -

Motor fuel

 247.341 257.656 252.929 -1.5 2.3 -1.8

Gasoline (all types)

 244.494 254.682 250.015 -1.0 2.3 -1.8

Unleaded regular(4)

 235.104 245.559 240.936 -1.2 2.5 -1.9

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

 247.012 255.617 251.829 -0.8 2.0 -1.5

Unleaded premium(4)

 277.702 286.574 281.779 -0.5 1.5 -1.7

Medical care

 736.541 - 743.449 5.6 0.9 -

Recreation(3)

 187.862 - 185.479 -0.3 -1.3 -

Education and communication(3)

 131.437 - 132.081 0.2 0.5 -

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

 1,245.397 - 1,245.397 3.3 0.0 -

Other goods and services

 460.527 - 476.939 12.4 3.6 -

(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 March 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Special aggregate index

 Indexes Percent change from:
Historical
data		 Jan.
2025		 Feb.
2025		 Mar.
2025		 Mar.
2024		 Jan.
2025		 Feb.
2025

All items

 330.850 - 331.575 1.9 0.2 -

Food

 321.317 - 321.042 3.3 -0.1 -

Energy

 214.769 218.615 216.144 -8.4 0.6 -1.1

All items less food and energy

 348.415 - 349.247 2.3 0.2 -

All items less energy

 342.991 - 343.678 2.5 0.2 -

All items less medical care

 312.125 - 312.605 1.6 0.2 -

All items less shelter

 301.580 - 301.171 2.0 -0.1 -

Commodities

 212.711 - 212.023 0.8 -0.3 -

Commodities less food

 169.019 - 168.248 -0.5 -0.5 -

Commodities less food & beverages

 166.281 - 165.528 -0.6 -0.5 -

Durables

 128.742 - 128.110 -1.8 -0.5 -

Nondurables

 258.747 - 258.112 2.0 -0.2 -

Nondurables less food

 207.410 - 206.533 0.7 -0.4 -

Nondurables less food & beverages

 205.353 - 204.506 0.8 -0.4 -

Services

 436.385 - 438.445 2.3 0.5 -

Services less rent of shelter(1)

 493.446 - 493.568 3.3 0.0 -

Services less medical care services

 412.126 - 413.259 1.9 0.3 -

(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: Thursday, April 10, 2025