The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the South region increased 0.1 percent in July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent over the month. The energy index increased 0.6 percent in July, and the food index rose 0.1 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 advanced 3.2 percent for the 12 months ending in July. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.2 percent over the year. The energy index increased 14.6 percent for the 12 months ending July. The food index rose 2.7 percent over the last year.

  

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

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

Food prices increased 0.1 percent in July. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.4 percent over the month. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) decreased 0.1 percent over the pricing period. Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes declined in July, including nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (-0.8 percent).

Food prices advanced 2.7 percent over the year. The index for food at home increased 2.3 percent over the last 12 months, as prices increased in 5 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. The index for food away from home increased 3.4 percent over the year.

The energy index rose 0.6 percent in July. The gasoline index increased 0.8 percent. The index for natural gas rose 4.5 percent over the month. In contrast, the index for electricity declined 0.3 percent over the same period.

The energy index advanced 14.6 percent for the 12 months ending July, led by a 26.4-percent increase in the gasoline index. The indexes for electricity (+1.9 percent) and natural gas (+10.4 percent) also increased over the past year.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent in July. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.1 percent), used cars and trucks (+0.9 percent), and education and communication (+0.5 percent). Other indexes with notable increases over the last month include medical care services (+0.3 percent), household furnishings and operations (+0.5 percent), and recreation (+0.4 percent). In comparison, the index for apparel declined 1.6 percent over the month.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.2 percent over the year. The shelter index increased 2.7 percent over the last year, led by a 2.7-percent increase in the owners’ equivalent rent of residences index.

The Consumer Price Index for August 2026 is scheduled to be released on Friday, September 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 July 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	May 2026	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Jul. 2025	May 2026	Jun. 2026
All items		323.705	322.280	322.638	3.2	-0.3	0.1
All items (December 1977 = 100)		525.095	522.784	523.363	-	-	-
Food and beverages		338.653	340.288	340.454	2.7	0.5	0.0
Food		343.057	344.770	344.962	2.7	0.6	0.1
Food at home		316.527	318.594	318.144	2.3	0.5	-0.1
Cereals and bakery products		369.075	372.270	373.125	1.9	1.1	0.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		347.436	347.662	346.807	1.6	-0.2	-0.2
Dairy and related products		266.000	269.340	271.303	-1.5	2.0	0.7
Fruits and vegetables		343.518	344.418	345.140	3.0	0.5	0.2
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		234.187	234.733	232.862	4.3	-0.6	-0.8
Other food at home		280.689	284.435	283.354	3.2	0.9	-0.4
Food away from home		388.181	389.187	390.607	3.4	0.6	0.4
Alcoholic beverages		277.147	277.612	277.355	2.0	0.1	-0.1
Housing		332.990	334.299	334.537	3.0	0.5	0.1
Shelter		388.654	389.290	389.215	2.7	0.1	0.0
Rent of primary residence		409.819	410.000	410.637	2.1	0.2	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		392.132	392.972	393.498	2.7	0.3	0.1
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		392.020	392.859	393.387	2.7	0.3	0.1
Fuels and utilities		327.531	331.521	332.783	3.8	1.6	0.4
Household energy		265.677	269.696	270.755	3.2	1.9	0.4
Energy services		265.919	270.082	271.164	3.1	2.0	0.4
Electricity		259.462	264.077	263.223	1.9	1.4	-0.3
Utility (piped) gas service		287.033	288.073	301.134	10.4	4.9	4.5
Household furnishings and operations		157.257	159.373	160.097	4.8	1.8	0.5
Apparel		148.348	146.872	144.453	4.5	-2.6	-1.6
Transportation		296.248	286.290	286.930	5.3	-3.1	0.2
Private transportation		297.248	287.253	288.439	4.6	-3.0	0.4
New and used motor vehicles(2)		125.508	126.633	127.146	-0.7	1.3	0.4
New vehicles		186.107	186.250	186.404	0.4	0.2	0.1
New cars(3)		184.756	184.779	184.831	0.9	0.0	0.0
Used cars and trucks		179.122	182.032	183.615	-1.7	2.5	0.9
Motor fuel		367.002	324.742	327.124	26.6	-10.9	0.7
Gasoline (all types)		364.709	322.502	325.040	26.4	-10.9	0.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		357.521	314.656	317.293	27.1	-11.3	0.8
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		405.973	365.861	368.129	24.3	-9.3	0.6
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		392.475	356.573	358.627	22.5	-8.6	0.6
Medical care		555.696	555.379	556.571	1.6	0.2	0.2
Medical care commodities		378.928	378.158	377.547	-2.1	-0.4	-0.2
Medical care services		615.046	614.889	616.703	2.5	0.3	0.3
Professional services		433.493	433.483	435.004	4.7	0.3	0.4
Recreation(2)		142.958	143.496	144.085	1.8	0.8	0.4
Education and communication(2)		141.636	140.432	141.078	-0.1	-0.4	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(5)		102.478	102.703	103.323	2.6	0.8	0.6
Other goods and services		587.256	585.926	588.161	6.7	0.2	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 July 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	May 2026	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Jul. 2025	May 2026	Jun. 2026
All items		323.705	322.280	322.638	3.2	-0.3	0.1
Food		343.057	344.770	344.962	2.7	0.6	0.1
Energy		308.679	290.434	292.105	14.6	-5.4	0.6
All items less food and energy		325.064	324.989	325.230	2.2	0.1	0.1
All items less energy		327.206	327.374	327.609	2.3	0.1	0.1
All items less medical care		310.721	309.240	309.552	3.3	-0.4	0.1
All items less shelter		299.194	296.908	297.446	3.4	-0.6	0.2
Commodities		234.178	231.376	231.754	4.1	-1.0	0.2
Commodities less food		190.301	186.267	186.683	4.9	-1.9	0.2
Commodities less food & beverages		187.457	183.360	183.786	4.9	-2.0	0.2
Durables		125.575	126.209	126.738	0.1	0.9	0.4
Nondurables		298.456	292.727	292.880	5.9	-1.9	0.1
Nondurables less food		262.905	251.442	251.562	9.5	-4.3	0.0
Nondurables less food & beverages		262.134	250.050	250.190	10.0	-4.6	0.1
Services		413.993	414.023	414.355	2.6	0.1	0.1
Services less rent of shelter(1)		443.811	443.000	443.926	2.6	0.0	0.2
Services less medical care services		394.787	394.833	395.041	2.6	0.1	0.1
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.