The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater rose 1.5 percent from March to May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.1 percent over the two-month span. The index for energy rose 9.5 percent from March to May. The index for food increased 0.5 percent over the same period.  (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The Tampa area all items CPI-U advanced 3.2 percent for the 12 months ending May. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent over the last 12 months. The energy index increased 13.1 percent for the 12 months ending May. The food index rose 1.4 percent over the last year.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, May 2023–May 2026

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
May 2023	7.3	9.0
Jul 2023	5.9	7.3
Sep 2023	6.7	7.3
Nov 2023	5.2	6.0
Jan 2024	3.9	4.8
Mar 2024	3.7	4.3
May 2024	1.8	2.0
Jul 2024	2.4	3.0
Sep 2024	1.2	2.0
Nov 2024	1.6	2.0
Jan 2025	2.3	2.8
Mar 2025	2.1	2.1
May 2025	2.6	2.8
Jul 2025	3.3	3.3
Sep 2025	3.3	3.0
Nov 2025	3.0	2.7
Jan 2026	2.3	1.8
Mar 2026	2.1	2.0
May 2026	3.2	2.8

The index for food rose 0.5 percent from March to May. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.6 percent over the two-month period. Prices rose in 3 of the 6 major grocery store food groups, including other food at home (+3.9 percent). The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.3 percent from March to May.

The food index rose 1.4 percent over the past year. The index for food away from home increased 4.2 percent over the last 12 months. In comparison, the index for food at home declined 0.5 percent over the same period. Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes declined over the year, including dairy and related products (-7.0 percent) and cereals and bakery products (-4.5 percent).

The energy index increased 9.5 percent from March to May. The gasoline index rose 16.8 percent over the two-month pricing period.

The energy index increased 13.1 percent over the past 12 months. The gasoline index increased 41.0 percent over this 12-month span.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.1 percent from March to May. Among the notable indexes to increase over the two-month pricing period include recreation (+4.4 percent) and medical care (+2.1 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.8 percent over the past 12 months. The shelter index increased 2.1 percent over this 12-month span. The index for owners’ equivalent rent increased 3.1 percent over the past year and the index for rent increased 3.5 percent. Other indexes with notable increases over the last year include recreation (+6.9 percent), medical care (+3.2 percent), and other goods and services (+11.1 percent).

The Consumer Price Index for June 2026 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. (ET). The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Consumer Price Index for July 2026 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, 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 Tampa 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Core Based Statistical Area includes Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties in Florida.

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. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, CPI-U by expenditure category for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1987=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		311.681	-	316.435	3.2	1.5	-
Food and beverages		312.080	-	313.691	1.5	0.5	-
Food		314.112	-	315.777	1.4	0.5	-
Food at home		313.439	318.315	315.451	-0.5	0.6	-0.9
Cereals and bakery products		316.146	320.841	319.006	-4.5	0.9	-0.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		344.519	346.755	339.066	3.5	-1.6	-2.2
Dairy and related products		288.238	304.995	277.728	-7.0	-3.6	-8.9
Fruits and vegetables		407.977	411.150	416.595	1.1	2.1	1.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		232.723	230.652	231.116	2.7	-0.7	0.2
Other food at home		245.046	251.300	254.554	-0.3	3.9	1.3
Food away from home		316.181	-	317.269	4.2	0.3	-
Alcoholic beverages		269.235	-	269.817	3.5	0.2	-
Housing		345.647	-	347.306	1.1	0.5	-
Shelter		410.372	410.526	411.527	2.1	0.3	0.2
Rent of primary residence		426.354	426.828	428.265	3.5	0.4	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences		431.031	431.287	433.258	3.1	0.5	0.5
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence		431.031	431.287	433.258	3.1	0.5	0.5
Household furnishings and operations		161.538	-	164.370	0.3	1.8	-
Apparel		152.886	-	149.446	4.1	-2.3	-
Transportation		272.784	-	284.990	10.1	4.5	-
Private transportation		281.701	-	291.881	9.5	3.6	-
New and used motor vehicles(1)		132.855	-	132.352	-0.4	-0.4	-
New vehicles		149.302	-	148.882	0.3	-0.3	-
Used cars and trucks		162.066	-	166.492	-1.9	2.7	-
Motor fuel		401.279	442.736	467.916	41.2	16.6	5.7
Gasoline (all types)		390.525	429.952	456.022	41.0	16.8	6.1
Unleaded regular(2)		378.313	417.051	443.038	42.1	17.1	6.2
Unleaded midgrade(2)(3)		394.864	434.396	457.804	36.7	15.9	5.4
Unleaded premium(2)		435.188	475.264	499.461	34.4	14.8	5.1
Medical care		552.289	-	563.784	3.2	2.1	-
Recreation(1)		134.575	-	140.540	6.9	4.4	-
Education and communication(1)		133.297	-	136.059	2.9	2.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare		-	-	-	-	-	-
Other goods and services		400.829	-	420.810	11.1	5.0	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (2) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (3) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available. Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL, CPI-U by special aggregate index for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1987=100)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		311.681	-	316.435	3.2	1.5	-
Food		314.112	-	315.777	1.4	0.5	-
Energy		275.646	291.966	301.842	13.1	9.5	3.4
All items less food and energy		314.774	-	318.194	2.8	1.1	-
All items less energy		314.226	-	317.372	2.6	1.0	-
All items less medical care		298.751	-	303.163	3.2	1.5	-
All items less shelter		270.132	-	276.197	3.8	2.2	-
Commodities		217.787	-	222.711	4.6	2.3	-
Commodities less food		178.046	-	183.837	6.5	3.3	-
Commodities less food & beverages		173.855	-	179.652	6.6	3.3	-
Durables		103.901	-	106.179	0.5	2.2	-
Nondurables		290.402	-	297.055	6.4	2.3	-
Nondurables less food		267.482	-	278.849	12.4	4.2	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		267.004	-	278.932	12.8	4.5	-
Services		395.315	-	399.459	2.2	1.0	-
Services less rent of shelter		367.146	-	375.147	2.6	2.2	-
Services less medical care services		380.157	-	383.452	2.0	0.9	-
- Data not available. Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.