The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area fell 1.6 percent for the two months ending in June 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Jerome Watters noted that the index for all items less food and energy declined 1.8 percent. The energy index fell 2.5 percent, and the index for food declined 0.2 percent over the two-month period. (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 0.8 percent for the 12 months ending in June. Energy prices rose 14.4 percent, and food prices advanced 2.5 percent. The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.6 percent over the year.

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX, June 2023–June 2026

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Oct 2025	-	-
Dec 2025	1.6	1.2
Feb 2026	1.3	1.3
Apr 2026	2.8	1.5
Jun 2026	0.8	-0.6
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

Food prices fell 0.2 percent for the two months ending in June. Food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) fell 0.7 percent, while prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) rose 0.1 percent over the same period. Within the food at home category, the index other food at home (+0.9 percent) led the increases, while the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (-1.1 percent) led the declines.

The index for food advanced 2.5 percent over the year. Prices for food at home rose 2.4 percent, and prices for food away from home increased 2.5 percent. Within the food at home category, the index for fruits and vegetables (+6.5 percent) was the largest contributor to the rise.

The energy index declined 2.5 percent for the two months ending in June. Gasoline prices were down 5.2 percent.

From June 2025 to June 2026, energy prices increased 14.4 percent. Gasoline prices were up 30.8 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy fell 1.8 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for public transportation, apparel (-5.1 percent), and lodging away from home. In contrast, prices were higher for recreation (+2.4 percent) and used cars and trucks (+3.1 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.6 percent over the year. Components contributing most to the decrease included communication, new and used motor vehicles (-0.6 percent), and lodging away from home. In contrast, prices were higher for other goods and services (+6.5 percent), medical care services, and recreation (+3.0 percent).

The August 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area is scheduled to be released on Friday, September 11, 2026.

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.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX, CPI-U by expenditure category for June 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Apr. 2026	May 2026	Jun. 2026	Jun. 2025	Apr. 2026	May 2026
All items		285.974	-	281.293	0.8	-1.6	-
All items (1967=100)		917.221	-	902.210	-	-	-
Food and beverages		316.891	-	315.943	2.2	-0.3	-
Food		320.148	-	319.426	2.5	-0.2	-
Food at home		302.476	303.189	302.674	2.4	0.1	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		329.626	330.966	334.141	-1.1	1.4	1.0
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		343.197	341.606	339.254	0.9	-1.1	-0.7
Dairy and related products		241.214	243.464	245.450	5.1	1.8	0.8
Fruits and vegetables		407.399	410.133	407.578	6.5	0.0	-0.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		370.375	357.567	364.046	1.6	-1.7	1.8
Other food at home		247.390	252.317	249.642	2.5	0.9	-1.1
Food away from home		333.846	-	331.641	2.5	-0.7	-
Alcoholic beverages		254.703	-	250.827	-3.0	-1.5	-
Housing		278.977	-	277.906	0.0	-0.4	-
Shelter		334.859	332.020	332.813	-0.1	-0.6	0.2
Rent of primary residence		329.846	328.688	327.788	-0.4	-0.6	-0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		312.976	311.688	312.498	0.3	-0.2	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		312.976	311.688	312.498	0.3	-0.2	0.3
Household furnishings and operations		169.200	-	169.016	3.0	-0.1	-
Apparel		203.121	-	192.688	4.7	-5.1	-
Transportation		260.317	-	242.078	2.2	-7.0	-
Private transportation		260.409	-	243.118	1.6	-6.6	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		100.091	-	100.966	-0.6	0.9	-
New vehicles(1)		196.184	-	195.933	-0.1	-0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		288.192	-	297.258	-1.8	3.1	-
Motor fuel		337.062	350.910	319.412	31.2	-5.2	-9.0
Gasoline (all types)		336.225	350.435	318.804	30.8	-5.2	-9.0
Unleaded regular(4)		339.765	354.783	321.131	31.9	-5.5	-9.5
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		371.948	384.698	358.743	27.2	-3.6	-6.7
Unleaded premium(4)		376.586	388.290	363.618	24.6	-3.4	-6.4
Medical care		572.634	-	568.808	1.6	-0.7	-
Recreation(3)		133.014	-	136.177	3.0	2.4	-
Education and communication(3)		112.289	-	110.695	-9.5	-1.4	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,320.027	-	1,322.608	0.2	0.2	-
Other goods and services		528.213	-	534.248	6.5	1.1	-
(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 June 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Apr. 2026	May 2026	Jun. 2026	Jun. 2025	Apr. 2026	May 2026
All items		285.974	-	281.293	0.8	-1.6	-
Food		320.148	-	319.426	2.5	-0.2	-
Energy		243.069	249.787	237.036	14.4	-2.5	-5.1
All items less food and energy		289.819	-	284.629	-0.6	-1.8	-
All items less energy		294.039	-	289.443	-0.2	-1.6	-
All items less medical care		271.689	-	266.997	0.7	-1.7	-
All items less shelter		266.966	-	261.237	1.3	-2.1	-
Commodities		219.453	-	217.066	4.0	-1.1	-
Commodities less food		179.033	-	176.205	5.4	-1.6	-
Commodities less food & beverages		176.354	-	173.566	5.8	-1.6	-
Durables		113.118	-	113.812	-0.2	0.6	-
Nondurables		283.497	-	278.509	5.8	-1.8	-
Nondurables less food		250.329	-	241.980	9.8	-3.3	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		250.620	-	241.960	10.8	-3.5	-
Services		353.491	-	346.572	-1.0	-2.0	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		368.904	-	356.307	-2.0	-3.4	-
Services less medical care services		328.148	-	320.867	-1.4	-2.2	-
(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.