The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area increased 0.4 percent for the two months ending in August 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner James B. Howard, Jr., noted that the index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.4 percent. The energy index rose 0.3 percent over the two-month period, while the food 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 advanced 1.3 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The energy index rose 17.2 percent, and the index for food increased 2.2 percent. The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.2 percent over the year.

  

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
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
Aug 2026	1.3	-0.2
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

Food prices were unchanged for the two months ending in August. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.1 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged for the same period. Within the food at home category, the index for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+3.3 percent) led the increases. The indexes for dairy and related products (-2.6 percent) and other food at home (-0.6 percent) led the declines over the two-month period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 2.2 percent. Prices for food at home rose 1.8 percent, and prices for food away from home increased 2.5 percent. Four of the six major grocery store food group categories increased over the same period, led by fruits and vegetables (+5.6 percent).

The energy index increased 0.3 percent for the two months ending in August. The index for gasoline decreased 1.0 percent over the same period.

From August 2025 to August 2026, energy prices rose 17.2 percent. Prices paid for gasoline were up 30.5 percent over the year.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for education and communication (+2.3 percent), apparel (+3.5 percent), and motor vehicle maintenance and repair. In contrast, prices were lower for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (-0.4 percent), other goods and services (-0.9 percent), and medical care services.

The index for all items less food and energy fell 0.2 percent over the year. Components contributing to the decrease included shelter (-0.6 percent), communication, and used cars and trucks (-2.0 percent). In contrast, prices were higher for household furnishings and operations (+5.1 percent), public transportation, and other goods and services (+6.0 percent).

The October 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 10, 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 August 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026	Aug. 2025	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026
All items		281.293	-	282.338	1.3	0.4	-
All items (1967=100)		902.210	-	905.560	-	-	-
Food and beverages		315.943	-	316.038	1.9	0.0	-
Food		319.426	-	319.572	2.2	0.0	-
Food at home		302.674	303.426	302.834	1.8	0.1	-0.2
Cereals and bakery products		334.141	337.401	336.292	2.9	0.6	-0.3
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		339.254	338.923	339.591	-1.0	0.1	0.2
Dairy and related products		245.450	242.277	239.038	-0.5	-2.6	-1.3
Fruits and vegetables		407.578	409.504	406.137	5.6	-0.4	-0.8
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		364.046	360.638	375.991	2.9	3.3	4.3
Other food at home		249.642	252.452	248.235	1.4	-0.6	-1.7
Food away from home		331.641	-	331.756	2.5	0.0	-
Alcoholic beverages		250.827	-	250.263	-2.4	-0.2	-
Housing		277.906	-	278.162	0.3	0.1	-
Shelter		332.813	331.247	331.814	-0.6	-0.3	0.2
Rent of primary residence		327.788	327.470	327.411	-0.6	-0.1	0.0
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		312.498	311.498	311.290	-0.7	-0.4	-0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		312.498	311.498	311.290	-0.7	-0.4	-0.1
Household furnishings and operations		169.016	-	171.383	5.1	1.4	-
Apparel		192.688	-	199.514	2.9	3.5	-
Transportation		242.078	-	244.293	3.0	0.9	-
Private transportation		243.118	-	244.837	2.1	0.7	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		100.966	-	101.108	-0.5	0.1	-
New vehicles(1)		195.933	-	196.407	0.2	0.2	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		297.258	-	301.104	-2.0	1.3	-
Motor fuel		319.412	308.414	316.638	30.9	-0.9	2.7
Gasoline (all types)		318.804	307.781	315.676	30.5	-1.0	2.6
Unleaded regular(4)		321.131	309.584	317.800	31.6	-1.0	2.7
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		358.743	347.356	354.505	25.7	-1.2	2.1
Unleaded premium(4)		363.618	354.103	361.414	23.9	-0.6	2.1
Medical care		568.808	-	567.472	1.6	-0.2	-
Recreation(3)		136.177	-	136.419	3.1	0.2	-
Education and communication(3)		110.695	-	113.293	-3.8	2.3	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,322.608	-	1,328.107	1.1	0.4	-
Other goods and services		534.248	-	529.696	6.0	-0.9	-
(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 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026	Aug. 2025	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026
All items		281.293	-	282.338	1.3	0.4	-
Food		319.426	-	319.572	2.2	0.0	-
Energy		237.036	233.353	237.743	17.2	0.3	1.9
All items less food and energy		284.629	-	285.868	-0.2	0.4	-
All items less energy		289.443	-	290.537	0.1	0.4	-
All items less medical care		266.997	-	268.141	1.3	0.4	-
All items less shelter		261.237	-	263.092	2.3	0.7	-
Commodities		217.066	-	217.711	4.0	0.3	-
Commodities less food		176.205	-	176.985	5.6	0.4	-
Commodities less food & beverages		173.566	-	174.375	6.0	0.5	-
Durables		113.812	-	114.775	0.8	0.8	-
Nondurables		278.509	-	278.716	5.3	0.1	-
Nondurables less food		241.980	-	242.234	9.0	0.1	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		241.960	-	242.268	10.0	0.1	-
Services		346.572	-	348.011	-0.3	0.4	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		356.307	-	360.660	0.2	1.2	-
Services less medical care services		320.867	-	322.505	-0.6	0.5	-
(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.