Consumer Price Index, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria — May 2026

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area advanced 1.3 percent for the two months ending in May 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Lori Keller noted that prices for the all items less food and energy index increased 1.0 percent, marking the index's first increase of 1.0 percent or higher since September 2023. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area all items CPI-U rose 4.1 percent for the 12 months ending in May. The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.9 percent, as the energy index advanced 25.9 percent and the food index was up 4.3 percent for the same period.

Food prices increased 0.2 percent from March to May. Prices for food at home were up 0.2 percent as well, with higher prices for meats, poultry, fish and eggs, up 2.3 percent for the same period. Prices for food away from home rose 0.3 percent.

Food prices advanced 4.3 percent over the year. Prices for food at home increased 4.6 percent as prices for all major food subindexes rose. Within the food at home index, nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials prices were up 15.2 percent. Prices for food away from home increased 3.8 percent.

The energy index increased 9.8 percent for the two months ending in May. Gasoline prices were up 19.6 percent.

Energy prices advanced 25.9 percent from May 2025 to May 2026, the largest increase since July 2022 (+31.4 percent). Over the year, the gasoline index rose 40.6 percent, also the largest advance since July 2022 (+47.9 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.0 percent during the two-month period. Among the index's components, prices were higher for shelter (+1.1 percent), other goods and services (+3.7 percent), and public transportation. In contrast, prices were lower for medical care (-1.6 percent) as prices for medical care commodities decreased.

The index for all items less food and energy increased 2.9 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included shelter (+3.8 percent), household furnishings and operations (+7.3 percent), and other goods and services (+9.2 percent). In contrast, prices for recreation decreased 6.8 percent over the year.

The July 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, Core Based Statistical Area includes the District of Columbia; the counties of Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's in Maryland; the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren in Virginia; and the county of Jefferson in West Virginia.

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.