The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the South region increased 0.1 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent over the month. The food index increased 0.3 percent in May. In contrast, the energy index declined 0.5 percent in May. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The South all items CPI-U rose 2.0 percent for the 12 months ending May, the same increase as the 12 months ending in April. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.5 percent over the last 12 months. The food index increased 2.8 percent for the 12 months ending May. The energy index fell 4.3 percent over the last year.

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, South region, May 2022–May 2025

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
May 2022	9.2	6.7
Jun 2022	9.8	6.7
Jul 2022	9.4	6.8
Aug 2022	8.9	7.1
Sep 2022	8.7	7.4
Oct 2022	8.1	7.1
Nov 2022	7.7	6.9
Dec 2022	7.0	6.5
Jan 2023	6.9	6.3
Feb 2023	6.4	6.2
Mar 2023	5.3	6.3
Apr 2023	5.5	6.3
May 2023	4.4	6.0
Jun 2023	3.3	5.5
Jul 2023	3.4	5.0
Aug 2023	4.1	4.8
Sep 2023	4.2	4.6
Oct 2023	3.7	4.5
Nov 2023	3.4	4.4
Dec 2023	3.7	4.2
Jan 2024	3.4	4.3
Feb 2024	3.7	4.4
Mar 2024	3.8	4.0
Apr 2024	3.3	3.6
May 2024	3.2	3.3
Jun 2024	2.9	3.1
Jul 2024	2.9	3.1
Aug 2024	2.3	2.9
Sep 2024	2.1	3.0
Oct 2024	2.5	3.1
Nov 2024	2.7	3.1
Dec 2024	2.8	3.1
Jan 2025	2.8	3.1
Feb 2025	2.3	2.6
Mar 2025	1.9	2.4
Apr 2025	2.0	2.5
May 2025	2.0	2.5

The index for food rose 0.3 percent in May. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.3 percent over the month. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) rose 0.2 percent in May. Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in May, including fruits and vegetables (+1.0 percent) and other food at home (+0.5 percent). In comparison, the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs declined 0.4 percent over the month.

The index for food rose 2.8 percent over the last 12 months. The food away from home index rose 3.6 percent over the past year. The food at home index increased 2.2 percent over the same period, as four of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased. Within the food at home category, the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 6.4 percent over the last 12 months.

The energy index declined 0.5 percent in May. The gasoline index fell 1.0 percent over the month. The index for natural gas declined 0.8 percent in May, while the index for electricity rose 0.2 percent.  

The energy index declined 4.3 percent over the past 12 months. The gasoline index fell 13.3 percent over this 12-month span. In contrast, the index for electricity rose 5.9 percent over the last 12 months and the index for natural gas increased 12.0 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in May. The index for owners’ equivalent rent increased 0.3 percent over the month. Other indexes with notable increases in May include recreation (+0.8 percent), used cars and trucks (+0.7 percent), and medical care (+0.2 percent). In comparison, the apparel index declined 1.0 percent in May.   

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.5 percent over the past 12 months. The shelter index (+3.7 percent) was the largest contributor to the total 12-month increase in the all items less food and energy index. The index for owners’ equivalent rent increased 4.0 percent over the last year. The index for rent increased 2.8 percent over this 12-month span.

The Consumer Price Index for June 2025 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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 the South region is published 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.

Percent changes for all-items data previously found in Table A of this release can be accessed in Chart 1 for this release and its attendant data table. A full all-items data series history for the original index value and for 1-month, 2-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month percent changes can be accessed via BLS data query tools. A direct link to the all-items series is provided in Table 1 of this release under historical data.

The South region is comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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. South region CPI-U by expenditure category for May 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2025	Apr. 2025	May 2025	May 2024	Mar. 2025	Apr. 2025
All items		310.183	311.087	311.514	2.0	0.4	0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		503.161	504.626	505.320	-	-	-
Food and beverages		328.811	329.159	329.978	2.7	0.4	0.2
Food		332.860	333.203	334.098	2.8	0.4	0.3
Food at home		309.531	309.515	310.189	2.2	0.2	0.2
Cereals and bakery products		364.296	362.349	363.087	-0.7	-0.3	0.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		341.813	339.900	338.443	6.4	-1.0	-0.4
Dairy and related products		271.425	275.328	274.807	3.0	1.2	-0.2
Fruits and vegetables		333.037	331.094	334.496	0.0	0.4	1.0
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		221.845	221.402	221.456	2.5	-0.2	0.0
Other food at home		273.186	274.860	276.144	1.1	1.1	0.5
Food away from home		372.381	373.342	374.616	3.6	0.6	0.3
Alcoholic beverages		272.519	272.935	272.699	1.5	0.1	-0.1
Housing		321.598	322.648	323.191	4.0	0.5	0.2
Shelter		376.747	377.595	378.346	3.7	0.4	0.2
Rent of primary residence		400.242	400.996	401.118	2.8	0.2	0.0
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		379.796	380.456	381.490	4.0	0.4	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		379.733	380.387	381.417	3.9	0.4	0.3
Fuels and utilities		312.596	314.495	314.751	6.2	0.7	0.1
Household energy		254.037	255.903	256.038	6.5	0.8	0.1
Energy services		254.318	256.241	256.468	6.7	0.8	0.1
Electricity		247.978	250.587	251.205	5.9	1.3	0.2
Utility (piped) gas service		275.406	272.828	270.552	12.0	-1.8	-0.8
Household furnishings and operations		149.253	150.526	150.544	3.4	0.9	0.0
Apparel		143.383	142.585	141.106	-1.8	-1.6	-1.0
Transportation		269.429	271.702	271.654	-2.1	0.8	0.0
Private transportation		271.908	274.143	274.061	-2.0	0.8	0.0
New and used motor vehicles(2)		125.892	126.382	126.749	0.2	0.7	0.3
New vehicles		185.367	185.980	185.837	0.4	0.3	-0.1
New cars(3)		182.537	183.462	183.239	0.4	0.4	-0.1
Used cars and trucks		181.024	181.684	183.027	1.4	1.1	0.7
Motor fuel		253.256	259.694	257.100	-13.3	1.5	-1.0
Gasoline (all types)		251.915	258.601	256.094	-13.3	1.7	-1.0
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		244.556	251.310	248.659	-13.9	1.7	-1.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		289.622	296.209	294.474	-11.3	1.7	-0.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		286.450	292.245	290.867	-10.1	1.5	-0.5
Medical care		540.453	543.438	544.384	2.3	0.7	0.2
Medical care commodities		381.241	383.574	384.904	0.0	1.0	0.3
Medical care services		593.717	596.913	597.713	2.9	0.7	0.1
Professional services		410.314	411.866	412.053	3.0	0.4	0.0
Recreation(2)		140.756	140.214	141.302	1.7	0.4	0.8
Education and communication(2)		140.989	140.461	140.326	-1.0	-0.5	-0.1
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(5)		1,560.521	1,560.186	1,560.692	2.8	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services		548.562	547.746	549.467	3.4	0.2	0.3
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (3) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (4) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base. (5) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base.
- Data not available. Note: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. South region CPI-U by special aggregate index for May 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2025	Apr. 2025	May 2025	May 2024	Mar. 2025	Apr. 2025
All items		310.183	311.087	311.514	2.0	0.4	0.1
Food		332.860	333.203	334.098	2.8	0.4	0.3
Energy		248.270	252.272	251.106	-4.3	1.1	-0.5
All items less food and energy		316.103	316.772	317.300	2.5	0.4	0.2
All items less energy		318.083	318.706	319.284	2.6	0.4	0.2
All items less medical care		297.313	298.108	298.508	2.0	0.4	0.1
All items less shelter		284.919	285.853	286.149	1.1	0.4	0.1
Commodities		220.956	221.645	221.770	-0.7	0.4	0.1
Commodities less food		176.816	177.582	177.464	-2.6	0.4	-0.1
Commodities less food & beverages		173.898	174.668	174.554	-2.8	0.4	-0.1
Durables		125.185	125.339	125.588	-0.9	0.3	0.2
Nondurables		274.837	275.928	275.907	-0.6	0.4	0.0
Nondurables less food		229.033	230.706	229.970	-4.0	0.4	-0.3
Nondurables less food & beverages		226.811	228.562	227.794	-4.4	0.4	-0.3
Services		400.306	401.424	402.163	3.6	0.5	0.2
Services less rent of shelter(1)		427.500	428.989	429.753	3.5	0.5	0.2
Services less medical care services		381.817	382.766	383.494	3.7	0.4	0.2
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.