The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Urban Alaska increased 0.8 percent for the two months ending in August 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.2 percent during the two-month period. The food index rose 0.1 percent, while the energy index fell 2.3 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Anchorage area all items CPI-U advanced 3.3 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.3 percent over the year. Food prices rose 1.6 percent. Energy prices rose 18.5 percent.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Urban Alaska, August 2023–August 2026

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
Aug 2023	2.0	2.7
Oct 2023	1.1	2.2
Dec 2023	1.8	2.5
Feb 2024	1.7	2.0
Apr 2024	3.2	2.7
Jun 2024	2.9	3.2
Aug 2024	1.5	2.4
Oct 2024	2.1	3.0
Dec 2024	2.3	2.5
Feb 2025	2.9	3.0
Apr 2025	1.6	2.3
Jun 2025	1.6	1.9
Aug 2025	2.4	2.3
Oct 2025	-	-
Dec 2025	1.9	1.6
Feb 2026	1.5	1.3
Apr 2026	4.3	3.0
Jun 2026	3.3	1.6
Aug 2026	3.3	2.3
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

Food prices increased 0.1 percent for the two months ending in August. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.2 percent, with higher prices in 3 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) decreased 0.2 percent for the same period.

Food prices rose 1.6 percent over the year. Prices for food at home advanced 1.7 percent, with higher prices in 4 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. Prices for food away from home rose 1.4 percent.

The energy index declined 2.3 percent for the two months ending in August. Gasoline prices fell 6.1 percent.

Energy prices rose 18.5 percent over the year. Gasoline prices increased 27.6 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.2 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for education and communication (+2.7 percent), recreation (+2.3 percent), and shelter (+1.5 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for apparel (-4.0 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-2.1 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.3 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included recreation (+8.5 percent) and shelter (+4.0 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for new and used motor vehicles (-2.7 percent) and household furnishings and operations (-1.6 percent).

The October 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Anchorage area is scheduled to be released on 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 Urban Alaska 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.

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 Urban Alaska area covered in this release consists of Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the State of Alaska.

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. Urban Alaska, 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		280.761	-	282.910	3.3	0.8	-
All items (1967=100)		749.391	-	755.125
Food and beverages		276.216	-	276.519	1.5	0.1	-
Food		287.030	-	287.226	1.6	0.1	-
Food at home		269.350	265.263	269.896	1.7	0.2	1.7
Cereals and bakery products		285.071	258.334	267.336	-0.6	-6.2	3.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		247.546	253.316	254.880	0.9	3.0	0.6
Dairy and related products		255.062	252.082	266.837	2.3	4.6	5.9
Fruits and vegetables		406.062	404.559	400.362	1.0	-1.4	-1.0
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		197.675	197.951	206.112	15.8	4.3	4.1
Other food at home		224.800	218.867	220.916	-2.4	-1.7	0.9
Food away from home		322.771	-	322.168	1.4	-0.2	-
Alcoholic beverages		172.931	-	174.076	-	0.7	-
Housing		253.582	-	257.973	3.6	1.7	-
Shelter		261.347	261.641	265.225	4.0	1.5	1.4
Rent of primary residence		259.490	260.635	262.460	3.4	1.1	0.7
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		261.021	262.524	263.548	3.8	1.0	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		261.021	262.524	263.548	3.8	1.0	0.4
Household furnishings and operations		134.544	-	138.297	-1.6	2.8	-
Apparel		174.414	-	167.427	-1.0	-4.0	-
Transportation		294.978	-	293.706	6.2	-0.4	-
Private transportation		314.665	-	305.727	3.3	-2.8	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		123.985	-	121.355	-2.7	-2.1	-
New vehicles(1)		264.318	-	263.703	-1.7	-0.2	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		341.915	-	340.637	-3.4	-0.4	-
Motor fuel		428.528	395.620	401.955	28.0	-6.2	1.6
Gasoline (all types)		429.586	396.615	403.307	27.6	-6.1	1.7
Unleaded regular(4)		413.672	381.163	387.722	28.2	-6.3	1.7
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		415.415	385.346	390.927	26.9	-5.9	1.4
Unleaded premium(4)		439.751	408.836	415.300	25.6	-5.6	1.6
Medical Care		809.409	-	801.621	-1.3	-1.0	-
Recreation(3)		148.087	-	151.510	8.5	2.3	-
Education and communication(3)		113.027	-	116.126	-1.1	2.7	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		-	-	-	-	-	-
Other goods and services		554.697	-	552.830	5.1	-0.3	-
Footnotes (1) Index is on a January 1978=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. Urban Alaska, 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		280.761	-	282.910	3.3	0.8	-
Food		287.030	-	287.226	1.6	0.1	-
Energy		428.255	414.075	418.339	18.5	-2.3	1.0
All items less food and energy		271.151	-	274.421	2.3	1.2	-
All items less energy		272.609	-	275.460	2.2	1.0	-
All items less medical care		262.624	-	265.047	3.6	0.9	-
All items less shelter		287.482	-	288.626	3.0	0.4	-
Commodities		225.697	-	224.037	3.4	-0.7	-
Commodities less food		198.677	-	196.421	4.3	-1.1	-
Commodities less food & beverages		199.413	-	197.009	4.5	-1.2	-
Durables		135.311	-	136.555	-2.2	0.9	-
Nondurables		282.217	-	278.239	5.9	-1.4	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		284.055	-	275.697	10.9	-2.9	-
Nondurables less food		275.383	-	267.935	10.1	-2.7	-
Services		330.795	-	336.486	3.4	1.7	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		443.223	-	452.072	2.6	2.0	-
Services less medical care services		301.666	-	307.759	3.7	2.0	-
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.