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

26-631-DAL
Friday, April 10, 2026

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

Consumer Price Index, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area — March 2026

Area prices were up 2.9 percent in February and March, up 3.0 percent over the year

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area advanced 2.9 percent for the two months ending in March 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Jerome Watters noted that the all items less food and energy index increased 2.2 percent. The energy index was up 16.3 percent, while the food index rose 0.4 percent over the two-month period. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area all items CPI-U increased 3.0 percent for the 12 months ending in March. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.3 percent, and the energy index rose 11.7 percent. The food index was up 2.8 percent over the same period.

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

Food prices advanced 0.4 percent for the two months ending in March. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.5 percent, and the index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.4 percent for the same period. Within the food at home index, the category for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+4.2 percent) led the rise, followed by meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+0.9 percent). The index for other food at home (-0.7 percent) saw the largest decline over the two-month period.

Over the year, food prices advanced 2.8 percent. Prices for food at home rose 3.3 percent, and prices for food away from home advanced 2.2 percent. Four of the six major grocery store food group categories increased over the same period, led by meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+5.7 percent).

Energy

The energy index advanced 16.3 percent for the two months ending in March. The index for gasoline increased 37.0 percent over the same period.

From March 2025 to March 2026, energy prices rose 11.7 percent. Prices paid for gasoline were up 19.7 percent over the year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.2 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for apparel (+11.0 percent), medical care services, and lodging away from home. In contrast, prices were lower for other goods and services (-5.3 percent) and used cars and trucks (-1.0 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.3 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included medical care services, public transportation, and apparel (+3.1 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for shelter (-0.6 percent) and used cars and trucks (-3.8 percent).

The May 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 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 Dallas-Fort Worth 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Core Based Statistical Area includes the counties of Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant, and Wise in Texas.

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. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, CPI-U by expenditure category for March 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Expenditure category

 Indexes Percent change from:
Historical
data		 Jan.
2026		 Feb.
2026		 Mar.
2026		 Mar.
2025		 Jan.
2026		 Feb.
2026

All items

 303.255 - 312.058 3.0 2.9 -

All items (1967=100)

 951.294 - 978.908 - - -

Food and beverages

 343.808 - 345.666 2.7 0.5 -

Food

 340.661 - 342.172 2.8 0.4 -

Food at home

 278.397 278.367 279.711 3.3 0.5 0.5

Cereals and bakery products

 318.678 320.134 318.209 -0.6 -0.1 -0.6

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs

 343.217 350.723 346.255 5.7 0.9 -1.3

Dairy and related products

 241.052 241.962 240.869 -0.5 -0.1 -0.5

Fruits and vegetables

 226.085 219.394 225.690 4.0 -0.2 2.9

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)

 238.063 242.941 248.171 4.4 4.2 2.2

Other food at home

 275.012 271.137 273.070 3.1 -0.7 0.7

Food away from home

 437.421 - 439.189 2.2 0.4 -

Alcoholic beverages

 372.957 - 382.965 1.4 2.7 -

Housing

 313.289 - 314.729 0.1 0.5 -

Shelter

 349.362 350.583 350.634 -0.6 0.4 0.0

Rent of primary residence

 371.794 371.322 371.387 -0.6 -0.1 0.0

Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)

 374.735 374.256 374.734 -0.7 0.0 0.1

Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)

 374.735 374.256 374.734 -0.7 0.0 0.1

Household furnishings and operations

 145.655 - 146.816 0.0 0.8 -

Apparel

 115.303 - 128.043 3.1 11.0 -

Transportation

 263.666 - 295.070 9.6 11.9 -

Private transportation

 267.285 - 300.853 8.9 12.6 -

New and used motor vehicles(3)

 123.866 - 124.337 -1.3 0.4 -

New vehicles(1)

 222.858 - 223.088 0.0 0.1 -

Used cars and trucks(1)

 412.473 - 408.393 -3.8 -1.0 -

Motor fuel

 229.299 240.480 314.319 19.9 37.1 30.7

Gasoline (all types)

 227.358 238.432 311.479 19.7 37.0 30.6

Unleaded regular(4)

 216.274 227.024 299.257 20.1 38.4 31.8

Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)

 253.898 265.915 336.060 18.6 32.4 26.4

Unleaded premium(4)

 261.047 272.173 337.290 17.4 29.2 23.9

Medical care

 527.541 - 543.264 6.3 3.0 -

Recreation(3)

 134.197 - 135.517 -0.3 1.0 -

Education and communication(3)

 133.230 - 133.077 0.8 -0.1 -

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare(1)

 1,584.555 - 1,585.852 6.2 0.1 -

Other goods and services

 557.127 - 527.568 0.4 -5.3 -

(1) Index is on a February 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. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, CPI-U by special aggregate index for March 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)
Special aggregate index

 Indexes Percent change from:
Historical
data		 Jan.
2026		 Feb.
2026		 Mar.
2026		 Mar.
2025		 Jan.
2026		 Feb.
2026

All items

 303.255 - 312.058 3.0 2.9 -

Food

 340.661 - 342.172 2.8 0.4 -

Energy

 287.913 295.975 334.733 11.7 16.3 13.1

All items less food and energy

 305.584 - 312.351 2.3 2.2 -

All items less energy

 310.175 - 316.242 2.3 2.0 -

All items less medical care

 292.115 - 300.574 2.7 2.9 -

All items less shelter

 281.812 - 293.799 5.0 4.3 -

Commodities

 204.796 - 212.608 2.4 3.8 -

Commodities less food

 155.111 - 163.964 1.9 5.7 -

Commodities less food & beverages

 149.797 - 158.465 1.9 5.8 -

Durables

 119.437 - 119.331 -2.1 -0.1 -

Nondurables

 256.140 - 270.920 4.6 5.8 -

Nondurables less food

 194.681 - 218.086 6.5 12.0 -

Nondurables less food & beverages

 186.462 - 209.856 6.7 12.5 -

Services

 398.513 - 407.865 3.3 2.3 -

Services less rent of shelter(1)

 463.140 - 485.400 8.3 4.8 -

Services less medical care services

 380.813 - 389.151 2.7 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.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, April 10, 2026