The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area declined 0.1 percent for the two months ending in August 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that a 2.1-percent fall in the energy index was the leading factor in the all items decrease. The index for food rose 0.4 percent over the same period, while the all items less food and energy index was unchanged. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area all items CPI-U increased 1.1 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.3 percent and food prices rose 2.6 percent. Energy prices fell 3.4 percent over the same period.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX, August 2022–August 2025

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Aug 2022	9.5	7.0
Oct 2022	7.6	6.9
Dec 2022	5.3	5.2
Feb 2023	5.2	5.4
Apr 2023	4.0	5.3
Jun 2023	1.7	5.4
Aug 2023	2.7	4.5
Oct 2023	3.0	3.9
Dec 2023	4.5	5.2
Feb 2024	3.5	3.7
Apr 2024	2.9	2.7
Jun 2024	2.1	1.8
Aug 2024	1.7	2.2
Oct 2024	2.1	2.8
Dec 2024	1.0	1.3
Feb 2025	1.0	1.3
Apr 2025	1.2	1.5
Jun 2025	1.8	2.1
Aug 2025	1.1	1.3

Food prices rose 0.4 percent for the two months ending in August. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.7 percent, with 5 of the 6 grocery categories contributing to the rise. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) was unchanged for the same period. Within the food at home index, the category for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+2.0 percent) led the rise, followed by dairy and related products (+2.9 percent) and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+1.9 percent). The index for cereals and bakery products (-3.2 percent) declined over the two-month period.

The food index rose 2.6 percent over the year. The indexes for food at home and food away from home both advanced, up 2.5 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively, since August 2024. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs contributed most to the 12-month increase in the food at home category, rising 9.5 percent.

The energy index decreased 2.1 percent for the two months ending in August. Prices paid for gasoline fell 0.7 percent for the same period.

From August 2024 to August 2025, energy prices declined 3.4 percent. The index for gasoline decreased 9.4 percent over the year.

The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.6 percent), apparel (+5.3 percent), and motor vehicle maintenance and repair. In contrast, prices were lower for education and communication (-3.7 percent), lodging away from home, and household furnishings and operations (-0.6 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.3 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+1.5 percent), medical care services, and household furnishings and operations (+4.9 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for education and communication (-4.5 percent).

The October 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area is scheduled to be released on Thursday, November 13, 2025.

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 Houston 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 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas, Core Based Statistical Area includes the counties of Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX, CPI-U by expenditure category for August 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jun. 2025	Jul. 2025	Aug. 2025	Aug. 2024	Jun. 2025	Jul. 2025
All items		279.067	-	278.771	1.1	-0.1	-
All items (1967=100)		895.068	-	894.120	-	-	-
Food and beverages		309.113	-	310.066	2.5	0.3	-
Food		311.559	-	312.719	2.6	0.4	-
Food at home		295.556	298.049	297.590	2.5	0.7	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		337.886	337.745	326.936	-4.4	-3.2	-3.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		336.355	340.852	343.137	9.5	2.0	0.7
Dairy and related products		233.552	240.272	240.261	4.6	2.9	0.0
Fruits and vegetables		382.831	375.140	384.506	4.1	0.4	2.5
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		358.442	366.217	365.256	1.1	1.9	-0.3
Other food at home		243.628	247.461	244.914	-1.4	0.5	-1.0
Food away from home		323.613	-	323.656	2.7	0.0	-
Alcoholic beverages		258.682	-	256.516	2.9	-0.8	-
Housing		277.779	-	277.251	2.0	-0.2	-
Shelter		333.230	333.472	333.980	1.1	0.2	0.2
Rent of primary residence		329.048	330.218	329.301	0.9	0.1	-0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		311.688	313.291	313.416	1.5	0.6	0.0
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		311.688	313.291	313.416	1.5	0.6	0.0
Household furnishings and operations		164.055	-	163.035	4.9	-0.6	-
Apparel		184.032	-	193.815	2.6	5.3	-
Transportation		236.829	-	237.190	-1.5	0.2	-
Private transportation		239.190	-	239.693	-1.8	0.2	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		101.532	-	101.585	0.8	0.1	-
New vehicles(1)		196.144	-	196.001	0.7	-0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		302.655	-	307.129	5.6	1.5	-
Motor fuel		243.497	244.748	241.904	-9.3	-0.7	-1.2
Gasoline (all types)		243.732	244.871	241.974	-9.4	-0.7	-1.2
Unleaded regular(4)		243.513	244.418	241.462	-10.1	-0.8	-1.2
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		281.951	284.667	282.118	-6.1	0.1	-0.9
Unleaded premium(4)		291.712	294.674	291.584	-5.2	0.0	-1.0
Medical care		560.025	-	558.808	2.7	-0.2	-
Recreation(3)		132.207	-	132.334	1.6	0.1	-
Education and communication(3)		122.327	-	117.776	-4.5	-3.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,320.534	-	1,313.099	-3.2	-0.6	-
Other goods and services		501.712	-	499.528	4.3	-0.4	-
(1) Index is on a April 1978=100 base. (2) Index is on a December 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX, CPI-U by special aggregate index for August 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jun. 2025	Jul. 2025	Aug. 2025	Aug. 2024	Jun. 2025	Jul. 2025
All items		279.067	-	278.771	1.1	-0.1	-
Food		311.559	-	312.719	2.6	0.4	-
Energy		207.142	203.691	202.776	-3.4	-2.1	-0.4
All items less food and energy		286.366	-	286.389	1.3	0.0	-
All items less energy		290.079	-	290.226	1.5	0.1	-
All items less medical care		265.025	-	264.764	1.0	-0.1	-
All items less shelter		257.965	-	257.246	1.1	-0.3	-
Commodities		208.618	-	209.252	0.5	0.3	-
Commodities less food		167.134	-	167.594	-0.6	0.3	-
Commodities less food & beverages		164.081	-	164.577	-0.7	0.3	-
Durables		113.983	-	113.880	1.7	-0.1	-
Nondurables		263.214	-	264.765	0.3	0.6	-
Nondurables less food		220.404	-	222.204	-1.8	0.8	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		218.303	-	220.311	-2.2	0.9	-
Services		350.145	-	348.947	1.4	-0.3	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		363.527	-	359.928	1.7	-1.0	-
Services less medical care services		325.577	-	324.399	1.1	-0.4	-
(1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.