The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area increased 1.3 percent for the two months ending in October 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner James B. Howard, Jr., noted that the all items less food and energy index rose 1.2 percent. The index for energy advanced 3.5 percent, while the index for food was up 0.4 percent over the two-month period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Food

The food index rose 0.4 percent for the two months ending in October. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.8 percent, and the food at home index (grocery store purchases) advanced 0.1 percent for the same period. Within the food at home category, the index for fruits and vegetables (+4.5 percent) led the rise. The index for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (-4.9 percent) saw the largest decline over the two-month period.

Energy

The energy index advanced 3.5 percent for the two months ending in October. The index for gasoline increased 6.3 percent over the same period.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.2 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for owners' equivalent rent of residences (+1.4 percent) and education and communication (+1.3 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for used cars and trucks (-1.7 percent) and other goods and services (-1.5 percent).

The Consumer Price Index for November 2026 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, December 10, 2026, at 7:30 a.m. (CT).
The December 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 13, 2027.

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 October 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Aug. 2026	Sep. 2026	Oct. 2026	Oct. 2025	Aug. 2026	Sep. 2026
All items		282.338	-	285.903	-	1.3	-
All items (1967=100)		905.560	-	916.994	-	-	-
Food and beverages		316.038	-	317.236	-	0.4	-
Food		319.572	-	320.889	-	0.4	-
Food at home		302.834	304.893	303.233	-	0.1	-0.5
Cereals and bakery products		336.292	336.340	333.355	-	-0.9	-0.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		339.591	344.808	345.100	-	1.6	0.1
Dairy and related products		239.038	239.343	238.596	-	-0.2	-0.3
Fruits and vegetables		406.137	410.884	424.357	-	4.5	3.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		375.991	368.728	357.671	-	-4.9	-3.0
Other food at home		248.235	251.341	245.515	-	-1.1	-2.3
Food away from home		331.756	-	334.524	-	0.8	-
Alcoholic beverages		250.263	-	249.825	-	-0.2	-
Housing		278.162	-	280.377	-	0.8	-
Shelter		331.814	334.413	335.157	-	1.0	0.2
Rent of primary residence		327.411	328.715	328.270	-	0.3	-0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		311.290	314.527	315.681	-	1.4	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		311.290	314.527	315.681	-	1.4	0.4
Household furnishings and operations		171.383	-	172.020	-	0.4	-
Apparel		199.514	-	201.823	-	1.2	-
Transportation		244.293	-	255.533	-	4.6	-
Private transportation		244.837	-	259.059	-	5.8	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		101.108	-	100.113	-	-1.0	-
New vehicles(1)		196.407	-	197.167	0.6	0.4	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		301.104	-	296.004	-2.5	-1.7	-
Motor fuel		316.638	337.426	337.253	-	6.5	-0.1
Gasoline (all types)		315.676	336.034	335.707	43.0	6.3	-0.1
Unleaded regular(4)		317.800	339.123	338.367	44.7	6.5	-0.2
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		354.505	372.914	375.730	36.2	6.0	0.8
Unleaded premium(4)		361.414	379.379	381.650	33.6	5.6	0.6
Medical care		567.472	-	567.615	-	0.0	-
Recreation(3)		136.419	-	136.224	-	-0.1	-
Education and communication(3)		113.293	-	114.788	-	1.3	-
Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)		1,328.107	-	1,342.096	-	1.1	-
Other goods and services		529.696	-	521.881	-	-1.5	-
(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. October 2026 12-month percent change values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

Table 2. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX, CPI-U by special aggregate index for October 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from:
	Historical data	Aug. 2026	Sep. 2026	Oct. 2026	Oct. 2025	Aug. 2026	Sep. 2026
All items		282.338	-	285.903	-	1.3	-
Food		319.572	-	320.889	-	0.4	-
Energy		237.743	245.629	245.991	-	3.5	0.1
All items less food and energy		285.868	-	289.258	-	1.2	-
All items less energy		290.537	-	293.651	-	1.1	-
All items less medical care		268.141	-	271.838	-	1.4	-
All items less shelter		263.092	-	266.749	-	1.4	-
Commodities		217.711	-	219.997	-	1.1	-
Commodities less food		176.985	-	179.493	-	1.4	-
Commodities less food & beverages		174.375	-	176.945	-	1.5	-
Durables		114.775	-	115.166	-	0.3	-
Nondurables		278.716	-	282.449	-	1.3	-
Nondurables less food		242.234	-	247.859	-	2.3	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		242.268	-	248.301	-	2.5	-
Services		348.011	-	352.840	-	1.4	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		360.660	-	367.127	-	1.8	-
Services less medical care services		322.505	-	327.588	-	1.6	-
(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. October 2026 12-month percent change values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.