Consumer Price Index, Los Angeles area — March 2026

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim advanced 1.1 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the energy index increased 11.7 percent. The food index rose 0.4 percent, and the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.5 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Los Angeles area all items CPI-U rose 3.4 percent for the 12 months ending in March. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.8 percent over the year. Food prices advanced 3.2 percent. Energy prices rose 11.2 percent.

Food

Food prices advanced 0.4 percent for the month of March. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) rose 0.4 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) advanced 0.4 percent for the same period.

Food prices advanced 3.2 percent over the year. Prices for food at home rose 2.9 percent, with higher prices in 4 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. Prices for food away from home advanced 3.2 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 11.7 percent over the month. Gasoline prices increased 21.2 percent.

Energy prices rose 11.2 percent over the year. Gasoline prices rose 18.7 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.5 percent in March. Among the index's components, prices were higher for apparel (+1.2 percent) and education and communication (+0.6 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for recreation (-1.8 percent) and other goods and services (-0.2 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.8 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (+3.0 percent) and shelter (+2.8 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for used cars and trucks (-4.1 percent) and recreation (-2.5 percent).

Table A. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2022		2023		2024		2025		2026
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	1.1	7.5	1.9	5.8	1.0	2.5	0.9	3.3	0.9	3.0
February	0.3	7.4	-0.3	5.1	0.5	3.4	0.3	3.1	0.2	2.9
March	1.5	8.5	0.1	3.7	0.7	4.0	0.7	3.0	1.1	3.4
April	0.5	7.9	0.7	3.8	0.6	3.9	0.6	3.0
May	0.8	8.0	0.1	3.2	0.1	3.9	0.1	3.0
June	1.1	8.6	0.5	2.5	-0.2	3.2	0.0	3.2
July	-0.2	7.7	0.0	2.7	0.2	3.4	0.2	3.2
August	0.1	7.6	0.7	3.3	0.1	2.9	0.3	3.3
September	0.5	7.8	0.3	3.2	0.2	2.8	0.4	3.5
October	0.6	7.5	-0.1	2.4	0.0	3.0	-	-
November	-0.8	6.0	-0.4	2.8	-0.2	3.2	-	3.6
December	-0.6	4.9	0.0	3.5	0.2	3.4	-0.3	3.0
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations

The April 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles area is scheduled to be released on May 12, 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 Los Angeles is published 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Core Based Statistical Area includes Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California.

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. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 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		347.690	348.361	352.221	3.4	1.3	1.1
All items (1967=100)		1,027.230	1,029.213	1,040.617
Food and beverages		356.526	357.645	359.170	3.2	0.7	0.4
Food		359.298	360.819	362.276	3.2	0.8	0.4
Food at home		337.921	339.865	341.225	2.9	1.0	0.4
Cereals and bakery products		353.836	355.639	354.662	1.7	0.2	-0.3
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		373.968	370.040	366.012	-5.1	-2.1	-1.1
Dairy and related products		298.679	292.787	294.884	-4.2	-1.3	0.7
Fruits and vegetables		438.381	443.562	448.589	9.4	2.3	1.1
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		337.470	334.475	333.019	3.7	-1.3	-0.4
Other food at home		275.020	283.943	289.100	8.4	5.1	1.8
Food away from home		377.690	378.545	380.092	3.2	0.6	0.4
Alcoholic beverages		293.499	287.493	290.140	3.0	-1.1	0.9
Housing		401.674	404.146	404.174	2.7	0.6	0.0
Shelter		462.372	465.384	465.589	2.8	0.7	0.0
Rent of primary residence		492.544	493.909	494.377	2.9	0.4	0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		482.423	485.272	484.734	3.1	0.5	-0.1
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		482.396	485.244	484.706	3.1	0.5	-0.1
Household furnishings and operations		129.441	130.062	130.677	2.0	1.0	0.5
Apparel		126.563	127.522	129.096	2.5	2.0	1.2
Transportation		280.765	280.576	300.827	9.1	7.1	7.2
Private transportation		280.416	283.490	301.715	7.3	7.6	6.4
New and used motor vehicles(3)		108.337	107.875	108.095	-1.3	-0.2	0.2
New vehicles(1)		193.122	193.305	193.510	0.4	0.2	0.1
Used cars and trucks(1)		339.625	335.740	336.639	-4.1	-0.9	0.3
Motor fuel		332.346	347.839	421.848	18.8	26.9	21.3
Gasoline (all types)		323.732	338.924	410.868	18.7	26.9	21.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		323.344	338.676	411.888	18.9	27.4	21.6
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		310.633	325.393	391.866	18.1	26.2	20.4
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		313.779	327.925	393.066	17.7	25.3	19.9
Medical care		611.714	620.441	620.137	3.0	1.4	0.0
Recreation(3)		129.824	124.254	122.050	-2.5	-6.0	-1.8
Education and communication(3)		158.377	156.594	157.565	-0.9	-0.5	0.6
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		2,431.437	2,431.437	2,441.581	3.4	0.4	0.4
Other goods and services		573.292	570.463	569.290	4.8	-0.7	-0.2
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) Indexes 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. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 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		347.690	348.361	352.221	3.4	1.3	1.1
Food		359.298	360.819	362.276	3.2	0.8	0.4
Energy		376.988	388.145	433.683	11.2	15.0	11.7
All items less food and energy		346.089	345.916	347.477	2.8	0.4	0.5
All items less energy		347.923	348.011	349.555	2.9	0.5	0.4
All items less medical care		336.163	336.501	340.525	3.4	1.3	1.2
All items less shelter		296.644	296.306	301.718	3.8	1.7	1.8
Commodities		221.765	223.491	229.010	4.0	3.3	2.5
Commodities less food		162.416	164.180	171.162	4.9	5.4	4.3
Commodities less food & beverages		156.819	158.729	165.694	4.9	5.7	4.4
Durables		97.447	97.399	97.551	-0.2	0.1	0.2
Nondurables		290.786	293.684	302.713	5.1	4.1	3.1
Nondurables less food & beverages		222.602	227.247	243.677	8.2	9.5	7.2
Nondurables less food		229.885	234.055	250.037	8.0	8.8	6.8
Services		460.459	460.074	462.184	3.1	0.4	0.5
Services less rent of shelter(1)		470.442	465.119	470.066	3.6	-0.1	1.1
Services less medical care services		445.372	444.413	446.626	3.1	0.3	0.5
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.