The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario advanced 1.0 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 8.6 percent during the two-month period. The food index rose 1.5 percent, and the index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Riverside area all items CPI-U increased 3.4 percent for the 12 months ending in May. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.0 percent over the year. Food prices rose 1.9 percent. Energy prices advanced 20.9 percent.

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in CPI-U, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, May 2023–May 2026

Month	All items	All items less food and energy
May 2023	3.9	5.8
Jul 2023	3.4	5.1
Sep 2023	4.9	5.5
Nov 2023	4.3	5.1
Jan 2024	2.9	4.4
Mar 2024	4.3	4.7
May 2024	4.0	4.1
Jul 2024	2.8	3.6
Sep 2024	1.4	2.8
Nov 2024	1.1	1.9
Jan 2025	2.9	3.3
Mar 2025	2.5	3.1
May 2025	2.6	3.3
Jul 2025	3.5	3.9
Sep 2025	3.6	4.0
Nov 2025	4.5	4.6
Jan 2026	3.2	3.7
Mar 2026	3.1	2.4
May 2026	3.4	2.0

Food prices increased 1.5 percent for the two months ending in May. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 1.8 percent, with higher prices in 4 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 1.2 percent for the same period.

Food prices increased 1.9 percent over the year. Prices for food at home advanced 1.8 percent, and prices for food away from home rose 2.0 percent.

The energy index advanced 8.6 percent for the two months ending in May. Gasoline prices rose 11.6 percent.

Energy prices advanced 20.9 percent over the year. Gasoline prices increased 31.2 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for apparel (+3.3 percent), recreation (+1.4 percent), and new and used motor vehicles (+0.8 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for household furnishings and operations (-2.3 percent) and shelter (-0.1 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.0 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (+5.0 percent) and shelter (+2.5 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for education and communication (-8.3 percent) and new and used motor vehicles (-0.5 percent).

The July 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Riverside 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 Riverside 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Core Based Statistical Area includes Riverside and San Bernardino Counties in California.

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

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Table 1. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, CPI-U by expenditure category for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (December 2017=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		140.728	-	142.170	3.4	1.0	-
Food and beverages		141.091	-	143.109	1.7	1.4	-
Food		142.545	-	144.724	1.9	1.5	-
Food at home		134.502	135.343	136.890	1.8	1.8	1.1
Cereals and bakery products		158.751	160.411	158.770	-	0.0	-1.0
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		149.462	146.274	150.175	-	0.5	2.7
Dairy and related products		113.287	112.752	112.229	-2.9	-0.9	-0.5
Fruits and vegetables		121.138	124.945	127.975	3.5	5.6	2.4
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials		140.187	144.116	141.509	1.0	0.9	-1.8
Other food at home		123.325	124.088	126.729	0.5	2.8	2.1
Food away from home		154.163	-	156.007	2.0	1.2	-
Alcoholic beverages		113.650	-	113.408	-	-0.2	-
Housing		148.889	-	148.844	3.1	0.0	-
Shelter		148.493	148.146	148.293	2.5	-0.1	0.1
Rent of primary residence		152.480	153.065	154.102	1.3	1.1	0.7
Owners' equiv. rent of residences		147.092	147.634	147.376	1.5	0.2	-0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence		147.092	147.634	147.376	1.5	0.2	-0.2
Household furnishings and operations		126.395	-	123.456	2.2	-2.3	-
Apparel		122.394	-	126.487	3.4	3.3	-
Transportation		151.015	-	155.969	7.6	3.3	-
Private transportation		154.433	-	159.056	7.3	3.0	-
New and used motor vehicles		116.161	-	117.070	-0.5	0.8	-
New vehicles		113.958	-	114.322	-1.0	0.3	-
Used cars and trucks		128.326	-	131.396	-3.1	2.4	-
Motor fuel		179.967	194.700	200.759	31.5	11.6	3.1
Gasoline (all types)		179.528	193.896	200.387	31.2	11.6	3.3
Unleaded regular(1)		180.200	194.827	201.432	31.6	11.8	3.4
Unleaded midgrade(1)		179.804	193.983	200.188	30.5	11.3	3.2
Unleaded premium(1)		176.121	189.500	195.565	29.8	11.0	3.2
Medical Care		137.055	-	137.393	5.0	0.2	-
Recreation		118.149	-	119.830	6.7	1.4	-
Education and communication		98.427	-	99.483	-8.3	1.1	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care		123.783	-	124.042	-6.7	0.2	-
Other goods and services		131.587	-	132.369	-	0.6	-
Footnotes (1) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.

Table 2. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, CPI-U by special aggregate index for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (December 2017=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		140.728	-	142.170	3.4	1.0	-
Food		142.545	-	144.724	1.9	1.5	-
Energy		180.380	190.754	195.838	20.9	8.6	2.7
All items less food and energy		136.603	-	136.820	2.0	0.2	-
All items less energy		137.385	-	137.846	2.0	0.3	-
All items less medical care		141.010	-	142.535	3.3	1.1	-
All items less shelter		136.814	-	139.187	4.1	1.7	-
Commodities		131.162	-	134.345	4.3	2.4	-
Commodities less food		124.984	-	128.583	5.4	2.9	-
Commodities less food & beverages		125.329	-	129.058	5.6	3.0	-
Durables		109.954	-	109.548	-2.4	-0.4	-
Nondurables		141.674	-	146.866	7.5	3.7	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		141.776	-	150.301	13.5	6.0	-
Nondurables less food		140.151	-	148.089	12.8	5.7	-
Services		147.677	-	148.059	3.2	0.3	-
Services less rent of shelter		146.311	-	147.541	4.2	0.8	-
Services less medical care services		148.556	-	148.915	2.9	0.2	-
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.