The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Urban Hawaii advanced 2.2 percent for the two months ending in May 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the energy index increased 21.6 percent during the two-month period. The food index rose 0.4 percent, and the index for all items less food and energy increased 1.3 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Honolulu area all items CPI-U increased 5.1 percent for the 12 months ending in May. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.0 percent over the year. Food prices rose 3.0 percent. Energy prices advanced 28.8 percent.

  

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

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
May 2023	2.0	2.5
Jul 2023	2.1	3.3
Sep 2023	2.2	3.0
Nov 2023	3.6	4.8
Jan 2024	3.9	4.7
Mar 2024	4.8	5.6
May 2024	5.2	5.8
Jul 2024	4.5	5.0
Sep 2024	4.2	4.9
Nov 2024	3.5	4.4
Jan 2025	4.1	4.7
Mar 2025	2.6	2.5
May 2025	2.7	2.9
Jul 2025	2.3	2.5
Sep 2025	2.2	2.4
Nov 2025	2.4	2.3
Jan 2026	2.4	2.7
Mar 2026	3.7	3.7
May 2026	5.1	4.0

Food prices increased 0.4 percent for the two months ending in May. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) advanced 0.8 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 0.3 percent for the same period.

Food prices rose 3.0 percent over the year. Prices for food at home advanced 3.0 percent, with higher prices in all six major grocery store food groups. Prices for food away from home rose 2.9 percent.

The energy index advanced 21.6 percent for the two months ending in May. Gasoline prices rose 16.1 percent.

Energy prices advanced 28.8 percent over the year. Gasoline prices rose 25.9 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.3 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for other goods and services (+4.2 percent) and shelter (+0.8 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for household furnishings and operations (-2.3 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 4.0 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (+6.5 percent) and shelter (+5.4 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for new and used motor vehicles (-1.3 percent).

The July 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Honolulu area is scheduled to be released on August 12, 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 Hawaii 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 Urban Hawaii Core Based Statistical Area includes Honolulu County in the State of Hawaii.

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

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Table 1. Urban Hawaii, CPI-U by expenditure category for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from -
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All Items		359.495	-	367.429	5.1	2.2	-
All items (1967=100)		989.679	-	1,011.522
Food and beverages		392.479	-	393.695	2.8	0.3	-
Food		397.513	-	398.977	3.0	0.4	-
Food at home		376.683	378.012	379.806	3.0	0.8	0.5
Cereals and bakery products		410.974	422.495	426.134	2.3	3.7	0.9
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		361.565	364.280	372.712	6.9	3.1	2.3
Dairy and related products		307.924	312.500	303.474	1.7	-1.4	-2.9
Fruits and vegetables		450.098	445.447	448.024	3.3	-0.5	0.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		464.072	473.372	470.714	3.3	1.4	-0.6
Other food at home		377.222	371.879	371.262	0.6	-1.6	-0.2
Food away from home		414.355	-	413.240	2.9	-0.3	-
Alcoholic beverages		311.582	-	309.447	-0.1	-0.7	-
Housing		396.318	-	403.924	6.3	1.9	-
Shelter		435.094	437.809	438.574	5.4	0.8	0.2
Rent of primary residence		428.109	432.135	440.562	5.2	2.9	2.0
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		440.690	445.007	446.817	4.4	1.4	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		440.690	445.007	446.817	4.4	1.4	0.4
Household furnishings and operations		179.060	-	175.011	-0.1	-2.3	-
Apparel		141.994	-	142.875	9.7	0.6	-
Transportation		283.333	-	298.600	4.6	5.4	-
Private transportation		285.539	-	300.281	5.9	5.2	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		121.090	-	121.428	-1.3	0.3	-
New vehicles(1)		188.691	-	187.737	-0.5	-0.5	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		302.612	-	309.851	-3.1	2.4	-
Motor fuel		380.039	438.324	442.413	26.1	16.4	0.9
Gasoline (all types)		390.323	449.177	453.217	25.9	16.1	0.9
Unleaded regular(4)		405.505	467.543	471.499	26.5	16.3	0.8
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		323.697	372.090	375.932	24.5	16.1	1.0
Unleaded premium(4)		365.168	417.324	421.858	23.9	15.5	1.1
Medical Care		548.501	-	555.886	6.5	1.3	-
Recreation(3)		163.609	-	167.869	5.1	2.6	-
Education and communication(3)		151.574	-	154.559	1.1	2.0	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)		103.492	-	103.492	2.9	0.0	-
Other goods and services		635.891	-	662.572	2.4	4.2	-
Footnotes (1) Index is on a December 1977=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. (6) Indexes on a December 2024=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 Hawaii, CPI-U by special aggregate index for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from -
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		359.495	-	367.429	5.1	2.2	-
Food		397.513	-	398.977	3.0	0.4	-
Energy		377.213	432.626	458.665	28.8	21.6	6.0
All items less food and energy		356.370	-	360.905	4.0	1.3	-
All items less energy		360.614	-	364.629	3.8	1.1	-
All items less medical care		349.312	-	357.230	5.0	2.3	-
All items less shelter		326.197	-	336.130	4.9	3.0	-
Commodities		263.924	-	267.913	3.7	1.5	-
Commodities less food		194.172	-	198.845	4.3	2.4	-
Commodities less food & beverages		189.697	-	194.546	4.5	2.6	-
Durables		123.826	-	125.032	-0.9	1.0	-
Nondurables		329.503	-	335.133	5.5	1.7	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		261.374	-	272.225	10.4	4.2	-
Nondurables less food		264.113	-	273.949	9.5	3.7	-
Services		443.570	-	455.247	6.0	2.6	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		447.972	-	471.947	7.0	5.4	-
Services less medical care services		433.689	-	445.103	5.8	2.6	-
Footnotes (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.