The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the South region increased 0.3 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent over the month. The index for food rose 0.1 percent in January and the index for energy increased 0.2 percent. (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 1.9 percent for the 12 months ending January. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.0 percent over the last 12 months. The food index increased 2.8 percent for the 12 months ending January. The energy index declined 1.0 percent over the last year.

  

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
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
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

The index for food rose 0.1 percent in January. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) rose 0.2 percent over the month. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in January, including the index for fruits and vegetables (+1.6 percent). In comparison, the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs declined 0.8 percent over the month. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.1 percent in January.

The food index increased 2.8 percent over the last 12 months. The food away from home index rose 3.9 percent over the past year. The food at home index increased 2.1 percent for the 12 months ending January, as prices increased in five of the six major grocery store food groups.

The energy index rose 0.2 percent in January. The electricity index increased 1.9 percent over the month and the natural gas index rose 1.4 percent. The gasoline index declined 1.6 percent in January.

The energy index declined 1.0 percent over the past 12 months. The gasoline index fell 9.0 percent over the 12 months ending January. In contrast, the electricity index rose 6.4 percent over this 12-month span and the index for natural gas increased 9.5 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.4 percent in January. The shelter index increased 0.3 percent over the month, due in part to a 0.2-percent increase in the owners’ equivalent rent index. The indexes for other goods and services (+3.9 percent) and medical care (+0.8 percent) were among the indexes that increased in January. The index for used cars and trucks (-3.1 percent) was among the indexes to decline over the month.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.0 percent over the past 12 months. The shelter index increased 2.6 percent over the last year. The index for owners’ equivalent rent rose 2.9 percent over the same period. Other indexes with notable increases over the last year include other goods and services (+7.6 percent), household furnishings and operations (+4.6 percent), and medical care (+2.3 percent).

The Consumer Price Index for February 2026 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, March 11, 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 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 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		313.597	313.675	314.740	1.9	0.4	0.3
All items (December 1977 = 100)		508.697	508.824	510.552	-	-	-
Food and beverages		333.789	335.808	336.155	2.8	0.7	0.1
Food		337.856	340.017	340.422	2.8	0.8	0.1
Food at home		312.134	314.286	314.766	2.1	0.8	0.2
Cereals and bakery products		366.649	368.013	369.508	1.5	0.8	0.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		343.615	346.275	343.643	3.4	0.0	-0.8
Dairy and related products		270.847	271.234	272.677	-0.2	0.7	0.5
Fruits and vegetables		331.732	332.261	337.640	0.1	1.8	1.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		228.883	230.206	232.045	5.5	1.4	0.8
Other food at home		276.556	280.123	279.151	2.0	0.9	-0.3
Food away from home		381.488	383.662	383.916	3.9	0.6	0.1
Alcoholic beverages		277.257	277.282	276.746	2.6	-0.2	-0.2
Housing		326.902	327.911	329.384	3.2	0.8	0.4
Shelter		382.299	383.736	384.923	2.6	0.7	0.3
Rent of primary residence		405.003	406.324	406.689	1.9	0.4	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		387.136	388.201	388.924	2.9	0.5	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		387.048	388.098	388.819	2.9	0.5	0.2
Fuels and utilities		318.530	321.009	325.517	6.2	2.2	1.4
Household energy		258.491	260.673	265.296	6.7	2.6	1.8
Energy services		258.914	261.123	265.870	6.9	2.7	1.8
Electricity		252.433	253.546	258.368	6.4	2.4	1.9
Utility (piped) gas service		280.549	289.550	293.493	9.5	4.6	1.4
Household furnishings and operations		153.450	152.345	153.163	4.6	-0.2	0.5
Apparel		138.612	137.324	139.285	2.2	0.5	1.4
Transportation		270.391	267.121	265.442	-2.4	-1.8	-0.6
Private transportation		272.817	268.768	266.686	-2.6	-2.2	-0.8
New and used motor vehicles(2)		126.926	125.729	124.407	-1.1	-2.0	-1.1
New vehicles		185.610	185.016	185.771	0.3	0.1	0.4
New cars(3)		183.132	182.380	183.609	0.6	0.3	0.7
Used cars and trucks		185.184	181.816	176.177	-2.4	-4.9	-3.1
Motor fuel		249.340	237.849	233.971	-8.9	-6.2	-1.6
Gasoline (all types)		247.749	236.257	232.497	-9.0	-6.2	-1.6
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		239.956	228.377	224.587	-9.5	-6.4	-1.7
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		287.919	276.648	273.013	-6.7	-5.2	-1.3
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		285.509	275.397	272.240	-5.9	-4.6	-1.1
Medical care		545.836	548.027	552.374	2.3	1.2	0.8
Medical care commodities		381.418	383.672	388.972	1.0	2.0	1.4
Medical care services		600.941	603.091	607.090	2.6	1.0	0.7
Professional services		416.710	417.497	420.612	3.1	0.9	0.7
Recreation(2)		140.465	142.106	142.326	0.7	1.3	0.2
Education and communication(2)		142.133	140.423	140.755	0.1	-1.0	0.2
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(5)		1,588.886	1,586.098	1,586.872	2.0	-0.1	0.0
Other goods and services		559.468	560.320	581.978	7.6	4.0	3.9
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. Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. South region 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		313.597	313.675	314.740	1.9	0.4	0.3
Food		337.856	340.017	340.422	2.8	0.8	0.1
Energy		248.648	244.278	244.732	-1.0	-1.6	0.2
All items less food and energy		319.622	319.847	321.094	2.0	0.5	0.4
All items less energy		321.801	322.290	323.421	2.1	0.5	0.4
All items less medical care		300.612	300.585	301.474	1.9	0.3	0.3
All items less shelter		287.468	286.980	288.003	1.5	0.2	0.4
Commodities		222.508	221.713	221.659	0.8	-0.4	0.0
Commodities less food		177.242	175.575	175.385	-0.4	-1.0	-0.1
Commodities less food & beverages		174.225	172.528	172.345	-0.5	-1.1	-0.1
Durables		126.455	125.781	125.040	0.2	-1.1	-0.6
Nondurables		276.380	275.613	276.263	1.1	0.0	0.2
Nondurables less food		227.878	224.828	225.665	-0.9	-1.0	0.4
Nondurables less food & beverages		225.304	222.067	222.975	-1.1	-1.0	0.4
Services		405.627	406.612	408.838	2.5	0.8	0.5
Services less rent of shelter(1)		432.703	433.083	436.692	2.5	0.9	0.8
Services less medical care services		386.943	387.831	389.896	2.5	0.8	0.5
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.