The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the South region increased 0.5 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. The energy index rose 3.8 percent over the month. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in May. The food index was unchanged over the pricing period. (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 3.9 percent for the 12 months ending May, after increasing 3.6 percent for the 12 months ending April. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.4 percent over the last 12 months. The energy index increased 22.9 percent for the 12 months ending May. The food index rose 2.7 percent over the last year.

  

View Chart Data

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Feb 2026	1.8	1.9
Mar 2026	3.0	2.2
Apr 2026	3.6	2.4
May 2026	3.9	2.4
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

The food index was unchanged in May. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.3 percent over the month. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) decreased 0.2 percent over the pricing period. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes declined in May, including dairy and related products (-2.3 percent).

The food index increased 2.7 percent over the last 12 months. The food away from home index rose 3.6 percent over the past year. The food at home index increased 2.0 percent for the 12 months ending May as prices increased in 5 of the 6 major grocery store food groups.

The energy index rose 3.8 percent in May, largely due to a 6.8-percent increase in the gasoline index. The index for electricity rose 0.6 percent over the month. In contrast, the index for natural gas declined 1.6 percent over the same period.

The energy index advanced 22.9 percent for the 12 months ending May, led by a 42.4-percent increase in the gasoline index. The indexes for electricity (+3.3 percent) and natural gas (+6.1 percent) also increased over the past year.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in May. The shelter index increased 0.2 percent over the month, due in part to a 0.2-percent increase in the owners’ equivalent rent index. Medical care services (+1.0 percent) and used cars and trucks (+1.6 percent) were among the indexes that increased in May.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.4 percent over the last 12 months. The shelter index increased 2.7 percent over the last year. The index for owners’ equivalent rent rose 2.8 percent over the same period.

The Consumer Price Index for June 2026 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 14, 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 May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=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		319.643	322.170	323.705	3.9	1.3	0.5
All items (December 1977 = 100)		518.506	522.605	525.095	-	-	-
Food and beverages		337.016	338.692	338.653	2.6	0.5	0.0
Food		341.299	343.038	343.057	2.7	0.5	0.0
Food at home		315.028	317.138	316.527	2.0	0.5	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		367.797	370.378	369.075	1.6	0.3	-0.4
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		343.031	346.877	347.436	2.7	1.3	0.2
Dairy and related products		269.386	272.337	266.000	-3.2	-1.3	-2.3
Fruits and vegetables		336.830	340.783	343.518	2.7	2.0	0.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		234.840	234.655	234.187	5.7	-0.3	-0.2
Other food at home		280.977	281.496	280.689	1.6	-0.1	-0.3
Food away from home		385.957	386.955	388.181	3.6	0.6	0.3
Alcoholic beverages		277.366	278.090	277.147	1.6	-0.1	-0.3
Housing		331.030	332.467	332.990	3.0	0.6	0.2
Shelter		386.234	387.791	388.654	2.7	0.6	0.2
Rent of primary residence		407.132	408.775	409.819	2.2	0.7	0.3
Owners' equivalent rent of residences(1)		389.972	391.247	392.132	2.8	0.6	0.2
Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence(1)		389.866	391.138	392.020	2.8	0.6	0.2
Fuels and utilities		327.830	326.572	327.531	4.1	-0.1	0.3
Household energy		266.482	264.950	265.677	3.8	-0.3	0.3
Energy services		266.854	265.181	265.919	3.7	-0.4	0.3
Electricity		258.716	257.846	259.462	3.3	0.3	0.6
Utility (piped) gas service		298.375	291.819	287.033	6.1	-3.8	-1.6
Household furnishings and operations		155.580	158.079	157.257	4.5	1.1	-0.5
Apparel		149.478	148.738	148.348	5.1	-0.8	-0.3
Transportation		283.503	291.856	296.248	9.1	4.5	1.5
Private transportation		285.331	293.178	297.248	8.5	4.2	1.4
New and used motor vehicles(2)		124.328	124.873	125.508	-1.0	0.9	0.5
New vehicles		186.052	186.216	186.107	0.1	0.0	-0.1
New cars(3)		184.386	184.625	184.756	0.8	0.2	0.1
Used cars and trucks		174.478	176.360	179.122	-2.1	2.7	1.6
Motor fuel		308.541	344.098	367.002	42.7	18.9	6.7
Gasoline (all types)		306.193	341.338	364.709	42.4	19.1	6.8
Gasoline, unleaded regular(3)		298.804	333.924	357.521	43.8	19.7	7.1
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(3)(4)		345.543	382.384	405.973	37.9	17.5	6.2
Gasoline, unleaded premium(3)		338.243	371.579	392.475	34.9	16.0	5.6
Medical care		552.622	552.092	555.696	2.1	0.6	0.7
Medical care commodities		383.242	382.829	378.928	-1.6	-1.1	-1.0
Medical care services		609.416	608.847	615.046	2.9	0.9	1.0
Professional services		424.858	426.498	433.493	5.2	2.0	1.6
Recreation(2)		142.455	142.518	142.958	1.2	0.4	0.3
Education and communication(2)		140.828	140.594	141.636	0.9	0.6	0.7
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(5)		102.393	102.440	102.478	2.3	0.1	0.0
Other goods and services		574.244	580.681	587.256	6.9	2.3	1.1
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 May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		319.643	322.170	323.705	3.9	1.3	0.5
Food		341.299	343.038	343.057	2.7	0.5	0.0
Energy		281.063	297.338	308.679	22.9	9.8	3.8
All items less food and energy		323.204	324.359	325.064	2.4	0.6	0.2
All items less energy		325.362	326.595	327.206	2.5	0.6	0.2
All items less medical care		306.614	309.299	310.721	4.1	1.3	0.5
All items less shelter		294.425	297.370	299.194	4.6	1.6	0.6
Commodities		228.982	232.288	234.178	5.6	2.3	0.8
Commodities less food		184.311	187.934	190.301	7.2	3.2	1.3
Commodities less food & beverages		181.381	185.040	187.457	7.4	3.3	1.3
Durables		124.957	125.165	125.575	0.0	0.5	0.3
Nondurables		289.644	295.437	298.456	8.2	3.0	1.0
Nondurables less food		248.669	257.577	262.905	14.3	5.7	2.1
Nondurables less food & beverages		247.145	256.479	262.134	15.1	6.1	2.2
Services		411.159	412.845	413.993	2.9	0.7	0.3
Services less rent of shelter(1)		440.450	442.277	443.811	3.3	0.8	0.3
Services less medical care services		392.202	394.064	394.787	2.9	0.7	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.