The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for San Diego-Carlsbad was up 0.8 percent from January to March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the all items less food and energy index increased 0.6 percent. The food index rose 0.7 percent, and the energy index increased 4.2 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The San Diego area all items CPI-U increased 3.8 percent for the 12 months ending in March. The index for all items less food and energy increased 4.1 percent. The food index rose 4.8 percent, while the energy index declined 2.8 percent.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, San Diego-Carlsbad, CA, March 2022–March 2025

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Mar 2022	7.9	5.6
May 2022	8.3	5.8
Jul 2022	7.3	5.9
Sep 2022	8.2	7.6
Nov 2022	6.7	6.5
Jan 2023	6.4	6.5
Mar 2023	5.3	6.7
May 2023	5.2	7.1
Jul 2023	4.3	5.6
Sep 2023	4.7	4.8
Nov 2023	5.2	5.6
Jan 2024	3.8	5.0
Mar 2024	3.6	3.8
May 2024	3.2	3.1
Jul 2024	3.5	3.9
Sep 2024	2.5	3.4
Nov 2024	2.6	3.2
Jan 2025	3.8	4.0
Mar 2025	3.8	4.1

The food index advanced 0.7 percent from January to March. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.9 percent, with higher prices in 4 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. The food away from home index (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.2 percent for the same period.

The food index advanced 4.8 percent from March 2024 to March 2025. The food at home index increased 3.7 percent, with higher prices in all six major grocery store food groups. The food away from home index rose 6.3 percent.

The energy index advanced 4.2 percent from January to March. Gasoline prices increased 4.3 percent.

The energy index decreased 2.8 percent from March 2024 to March 2025. Over the year, gasoline prices declined 5.2 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.6 percent from January to March. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for recreation (+1.6 percent) and shelter (+0.9 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for apparel (-3.7 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.4 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy increased 4.1 percent from March 2024 to March 2025, reflecting higher prices for other goods and services (+7.3 percent) and shelter (+4.9 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for apparel (-4.0 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-0.7 percent).

The May 2025 Consumer Price Index for the San Diego area is scheduled to be released on June 11, 2025.

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 San Diego 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.

Percent changes for all-items data previously found in Table A of this release can be accessed in Chart 1 for this release and its attendant data table. A full all-items data series history for the original index value and for 1-month, 2-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month percent changes can be accessed via BLS data query tools. A direct link to the all-items series is provided in Table 1 of this release under historical data.

The San Diego-Carlsbad, CA Core Based Statistical Area includes San Diego County in California.

Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA, CPI-U by expenditure category for March 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from -
	Historical data	Jan. 2025	Feb. 2025	Mar. 2025	Mar. 2024	Jan. 2025	Feb. 2025
All Items		381.952	-	384.880	3.8	0.8	-
All items (1967=100)		1,291.497	-	1,301.398
Food and beverages		337.419	-	340.334	4.8	0.9	-
Food		336.889	-	339.124	4.8	0.7	-
Food at home		295.020	295.434	297.817	3.7	0.9	0.8
Cereals and bakery products		384.897	380.830	390.628	1.7	1.5	2.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		304.940	300.131	297.545	7.1	-2.4	-0.9
Dairy and related products		241.853	237.379	236.183	1.2	-2.3	-0.5
Fruits and vegetables		288.008	294.423	296.007	3.3	2.8	0.5
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		319.294	320.181	330.444	2.4	3.5	3.2
Other food at home		287.460	290.041	291.935	4.4	1.6	0.7
Food away from home		394.639	-	395.580	6.3	0.2	-
Alcoholic beverages		323.314	-	338.010	5.0	4.5	-
Housing		466.749	-	471.110	4.3	0.9	-
Shelter		536.433	538.882	541.327	4.9	0.9	0.5
Rent of primary residence		537.553	538.839	541.253	5.9	0.7	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		570.495	572.896	573.277	4.5	0.5	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		570.495	572.896	573.277	4.5	0.5	0.1
Household furnishings and operations		215.873	-	214.929	-0.7	-0.4	-
Apparel		174.434	-	168.036	-4.0	-3.7	-
Transportation		302.076	-	303.842	3.1	0.6	-
Private transportation		299.610	-	304.656	2.9	1.7	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		131.913	-	132.110	1.0	0.1	-
New vehicles(1)		259.716	-	260.371	0.1	0.3	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		302.412	-	304.748	1.4	0.8	-
Motor fuel		359.989	375.424	374.807	-5.3	4.1	-0.2
Gasoline (all types)		359.276	374.978	374.698	-5.2	4.3	-0.1
Unleaded regular(4)		370.941	387.586	387.421	-5.3	4.4	0.0
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		315.081	327.929	327.340	-5.2	3.9	-0.2
Unleaded premium(4)		371.389	386.110	385.398	-5.0	3.8	-0.2
Medical Care		574.020	-	577.250	1.0	0.6	-
Recreation(3)		192.504	-	195.511	3.2	1.6	-
Education and communication(3)		146.325	-	146.533	3.5	0.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,824.961	-	1,824.961	9.2	0.0	-
Other goods and services		531.046	-	544.269	7.3	2.5	-
Footnotes (1) Index is on a November 1977=100 base. (2) Index is on a November 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. Data not seasonally adjusted.

Table 2. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA, CPI-U by special aggregate index for March 2025, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from -
	Historical data	Jan. 2025	Feb. 2025	Mar. 2025	Mar. 2024	Jan. 2025	Feb. 2025
All items		381.952	-	384.880	3.8	0.8	-
Food		336.889	-	339.124	4.8	0.7	-
Energy		387.355	402.426	403.598	-2.8	4.2	0.3
All items less food and energy		394.783	-	397.036	4.1	0.6	-
All items less energy		384.907	-	387.151	4.2	0.6	-
All items less medical care		372.719	-	375.632	4.0	0.8	-
All items less shelter		319.379	-	321.508	2.9	0.7	-
Commodities		245.089	-	246.360	1.0	0.5	-
Commodities less food		204.548	-	205.411	-1.3	0.4	-
Commodities less food & beverages		199.308	-	199.840	-1.5	0.3	-
Durables		156.827	-	156.635	-0.1	-0.1	-
Nondurables		290.458	-	292.667	1.4	0.8	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		241.259	-	242.750	-2.7	0.6	-
Nondurables less food		248.702	-	250.891	-2.2	0.9	-
Services		502.758	-	507.180	5.1	0.9	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		485.972	-	490.033	5.2	0.8	-
Services less medical care services		490.800	-	495.257	5.4	0.9	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.