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 reported today. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent over the month. The index for food increased 0.3 percent in July and the index for energy 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 rose 2.3 percent for the 12 months ending July, as it did for the 12 months ending June. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent over the last 12 months. The food index rose 2.8 percent for the 12 months ending July. The energy index declined 3.4 percent over the last year.

Food

The index for food rose 0.3 percent in July. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.3 percent over the month, as did the index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases). Within the food at home category, five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in July, including meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+1.0 percent).

The food index rose 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 2.0 percent over the same period, as five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased.

Energy

The energy index increased 0.1 percent in July. The natural gas index rose 0.5 percent over the month. The indexes for electricity and gasoline were unchanged in July.

The energy index decreased 3.4 percent over the past 12 months. The gasoline index fell 11.6 percent over this 12-month span. In contrast, the index for electricity rose 5.2 percent over the last 12 months and the index for natural gas increased 10.5 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in July. The shelter index rose 0.2 percent over the month, due in part to the 0.3-percent increase in the owners’ equivalent rent index. The index for used cars and trucks (+0.8 percent) was among the indexes with a notable increase in July. Apparel (-1.8 percent) was among the indexes to decline over the month.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent over the past 12 months. The shelter index increased 3.4 percent over the last year. The index for owners’ equivalent rent rose 3.8 percent over this 12-month period.

The Consumer Price Index for August 2025 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

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.

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