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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Southwest > News Release
News Release Information

26-1511-DAL
Friday, September 11, 2026

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (972) 850-4800

Consumer Price Index, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area — August 2026

Area prices rose 0.4 percent in July and August, up 1.3 percent over the year

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.

  Line chart of 12-month percent changes in the CPI-U all items and all items less food and energy for Houston, not seasonally adjusted. An accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data
Food

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).

Energy

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.

All items less food and energy

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.


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 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.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, September 11, 2026