The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the South region increased 0.2 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent over the month. The energy index increased 1.0 percent in August while the index for food was unchanged. (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 advanced 3.1 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.1 percent over the last 12 months. The energy index increased 15.8 percent for the 12 months ending August. The food index rose 2.3 percent over the last year.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, South region, August 2023–August 2026

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Jun 2025	2.3	2.6
Jul 2025	2.3	2.8
Aug 2025	2.6	2.8
Sep 2025	2.7	2.7
Oct 2025	-	-
Nov 2025	2.2	2.1
Dec 2025	2.2	2.2
Jan 2026	1.9	2.0
Feb 2026	1.8	1.9
Mar 2026	3.0	2.2
Apr 2026	3.6	2.4
May 2026	3.9	2.4
Jun 2026	3.2	2.2
Jul 2026	3.2	2.2
Aug 2026	3.1	2.1
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

The food index was unchanged in August. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) decreased 0.1 percent over the pricing period. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) was unchanged over the month.

Food prices advanced 2.3 percent over the year. The food away from home index rose 2.9 percent over the past year. The food at home index increased 1.9 percent for the 12 months ending August as prices increased in 5 of the 6 major grocery store food groups.

The index for energy increased 1.0 percent over the month. The gasoline index rose 1.6 percent over the same period. The index for electricity advanced 0.4 percent while the natural gas index fell 1.5 percent in August.

The energy index advanced 15.8 percent for the 12 months ending August. The gasoline index increased 28.5 percent over this 12-month span. The electricity index rose 2.5 percent, and the natural gas index rose 7.7 percent over the year.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in August. The shelter index increased 0.1 percent over the month, led by a 0.2-percent increase in the owners’ equivalent rent index. Education and communication (+1.5 percent) and apparel (+1.3 percent) were among the indexes that increased in August.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.1 percent over the last 12 months. The shelter index and the index for owners’ equivalent rent both increased 2.1 percent over the last year.

The September 2026 Consumer Price Index for the South Region is scheduled to be released on October 14, 2026.

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.

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.

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

Table 1. South region CPI-U by expenditure category for August 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026	Aug. 2025	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026
All items		322.280	322.638	323.394	3.1	0.3	0.2
All items (December 1977 = 100)		522.784	523.363	524.590	-	-	-
Food and beverages		340.288	340.454	340.304	2.2	0.0	0.0
Food		344.770	344.962	344.795	2.3	0.0	0.0
Food at home		318.594	318.144	317.838	1.9	-0.2	-0.1
Cereals and bakery products		372.270	373.125	370.046	2.0	-0.6	-0.8
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		347.662	346.807	347.685	1.1	0.0	0.3
Dairy and related products		269.340	271.303	270.327	-2.3	0.4	-0.4
Fruits and vegetables		344.418	345.140	345.258	3.6	0.2	0.0
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		234.733	232.862	235.675	4.0	0.4	1.2
Other food at home		284.435	283.354	281.390	2.1	-1.1	-0.7
Food away from home		389.187	390.607	390.710	2.9	0.4	0.0
Alcoholic beverages		277.612	277.355	277.473	0.9	-0.1	0.0
Housing		334.299	334.537	335.000	2.6	0.2	0.1
Shelter		389.290	389.215	389.729	2.1	0.1	0.1
Rent of primary residence		410.000	410.637	411.111	1.8	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		392.972	393.498	394.186	2.1	0.3	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		392.859	393.387	394.072	2.1	0.3	0.2
Fuels and utilities		331.521	332.783	333.636	3.9	0.6	0.3
Household energy		269.696	270.755	271.067	3.3	0.5	0.1
Energy services		270.082	271.164	271.393	3.2	0.5	0.1
Electricity		264.077	263.223	264.218	2.5	0.1	0.4
Utility (piped) gas service		288.073	301.134	296.583	7.7	3.0	-1.5
Household furnishings and operations		159.373	160.097	160.190	5.1	0.5	0.1
Apparel		146.872	144.453	146.391	4.6	-0.3	1.3
Transportation		286.290	286.930	288.242	5.9	0.7	0.5
Private transportation		287.253	288.439	289.884	5.2	0.9	0.5
New and used motor vehicles(2)		126.633	127.146	127.137	-0.5	0.4	0.0
New vehicles		186.250	186.404	186.629	0.5	0.2	0.1
New cars(3)		184.779	184.831	185.208	1.1	0.2	0.2
Used cars and trucks		182.032	183.615	183.702	-2.2	0.9	0.0
Motor fuel		324.742	327.124	332.947	29.0	2.5	1.8
Gasoline (all types)		322.502	325.040	330.146	28.5	2.4	1.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		314.656	317.293	322.441	29.4	2.5	1.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		365.861	368.129	373.079	25.9	2.0	1.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		356.573	358.627	363.221	24.1	1.9	1.3
Medical care		555.379	556.571	555.384	1.6	0.0	-0.2
Medical care commodities		378.158	377.547	377.316	-1.9	-0.2	-0.1
Medical care services		614.889	616.703	615.189	2.4	0.0	-0.2
Professional services		433.483	435.004	433.507	4.3	0.0	-0.3
Recreation(2)		143.496	144.085	143.944	2.3	0.3	-0.1
Education and communication(2)		140.432	141.078	143.220	1.3	2.0	1.5
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(5)		102.703	103.323	104.377	3.0	1.6	1.0
Other goods and services		585.926	588.161	590.344	6.8	0.8	0.4
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 2024=100 base.
- Data not available. Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. South region CPI-U by special aggregate index for August 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026	Aug. 2025	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026
All items		322.280	322.638	323.394	3.1	0.3	0.2
Food		344.770	344.962	344.795	2.3	0.0	0.0
Energy		290.434	292.105	295.052	15.8	1.6	1.0
All items less food and energy		324.989	325.230	325.897	2.1	0.3	0.2
All items less energy		327.374	327.609	328.161	2.2	0.2	0.2
All items less medical care		309.240	309.552	310.410	3.3	0.4	0.3
All items less shelter		296.908	297.446	298.308	3.7	0.5	0.3
Commodities		231.376	231.754	232.531	4.2	0.5	0.3
Commodities less food		186.267	186.683	187.709	5.2	0.8	0.5
Commodities less food & beverages		183.360	183.786	184.824	5.3	0.8	0.6
Durables		126.209	126.738	126.941	0.1	0.6	0.2
Nondurables		292.727	292.880	294.086	6.0	0.5	0.4
Nondurables less food		251.442	251.562	253.827	10.2	0.9	0.9
Nondurables less food & beverages		250.050	250.190	252.566	10.7	1.0	0.9
Services		414.023	414.355	415.082	2.5	0.3	0.2
Services less rent of shelter(1)		443.000	443.926	444.939	3.1	0.4	0.2
Services less medical care services		394.833	395.041	395.948	2.6	0.3	0.2
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.