Consumer Price Index, Honolulu Area — March 2026

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Urban Hawaii advanced 1.2 percent for the two months ending in March 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the energy index increased 6.9 percent during the two-month period. The food index rose 1.2 percent, and the index for all items less food and energy increased 0.8 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Honolulu area all items CPI-U rose 3.7 percent for the 12 months ending in March. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.7 percent over the year. Food prices advanced 3.6 percent. Energy prices rose 3.3 percent.

Food

Food prices advanced 1.2 percent for the two months ending in March. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) rose 0.8 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) advanced 1.6 percent for the same period.

Food prices advanced 3.6 percent over the year. Prices for food at home rose 3.3 percent, with higher prices in 5 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. Prices for food away from home advanced 3.9 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 6.9 percent for the two months ending in March. Gasoline prices rose 10.9 percent.

Energy prices rose 3.3 percent over the year. Gasoline prices increased 7.3 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.8 percent during the two-month period. Among the index's components, prices were higher for apparel (+4.2 percent) and shelter (+2.3 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for education and communication (-2.2 percent) and medical care (-0.7 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.7 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included medical care (+5.6 percent) and shelter (+4.5 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for used cars and trucks (-4.2 percent) and education and communication (-1.0 percent).

Table A. Urban Hawaii CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2022		2023		2024		2025		2026
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
January	0.9	6.0	0.3	5.2	0.5	3.9	1.0	4.1	1.1	2.4
March	2.4	7.5	0.6	3.3	1.5	4.8	0.0	2.6	1.2	3.7
May	1.6	7.0	0.3	2.0	0.7	5.2	0.8	2.7
July	0.6	6.8	0.7	2.1	0.0	4.5	-0.3	2.3
September	0.8	6.6	0.9	2.2	0.7	4.2	0.5	2.2
November	-0.6	5.8	0.8	3.6	0.1	3.5	0.3	2.4

The May 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Honolulu area is scheduled to be released on June 10, 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 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.

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 Hawaii, 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		355.266	-	359.495	3.7	1.2	-
All items (1967=100)		978.039	-	989.679
Food and beverages		387.942	-	392.479	3.4	1.2	-
Food		392.954	-	397.513	3.6	1.2	-
Food at home		373.549	372.866	376.683	3.3	0.8	1.0
Cereals and bakery products		424.226	390.609	410.974	-0.7	-3.1	5.2
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		358.980	360.516	361.565	4.5	0.7	0.3
Dairy and related products		302.478	309.339	307.924	6.7	1.8	-0.5
Fruits and vegetables		428.600	444.378	450.098	6.8	5.0	1.3
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		476.450	456.223	464.072	1.2	-2.6	1.7
Other food at home		369.720	378.602	377.222	2.8	2.0	-0.4
Food away from home		407.797	-	414.355	3.9	1.6	-
Alcoholic beverages		307.500	-	311.582	0.4	1.3	-
Housing		387.837	-	396.318	4.2	2.2	-
Shelter		425.176	427.869	435.094	4.5	2.3	1.7
Rent of primary residence		422.637	425.256	428.109	2.0	1.3	0.7
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		437.241	439.141	440.690	3.1	0.8	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		437.241	439.141	440.690	3.1	0.8	0.4
Household furnishings and operations		175.881	-	179.060	4.8	1.8	-
Apparel		136.245	-	141.994	9.9	4.2	-
Transportation		283.171	-	283.333	2.6	0.1	-
Private transportation		281.088	-	285.539	1.4	1.6	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		120.871	-	121.090	-0.6	0.2	-
New vehicles(1)		190.066	-	188.691	0.7	-0.7	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		305.296	-	302.612	-4.2	-0.9	-
Motor fuel		343.252	340.725	380.039	7.2	10.7	11.5
Gasoline (all types)		352.048	349.476	390.323	7.3	10.9	11.7
Unleaded regular(4)		363.952	361.563	405.505	7.6	11.4	12.2
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		294.944	292.341	323.697	6.3	9.7	10.7
Unleaded premium(4)		335.098	331.776	365.168	6.3	9.0	10.1
Medical Care		552.517	-	548.501	5.6	-0.7	-
Recreation(3)		160.049	-	163.609	4.8	2.2	-
Education and communication(3)		154.961	-	151.574	-1.0	-2.2	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		2,127.924	-	2,128.261	3.5	0.0	-
Other goods and services		643.708	-	635.891	-0.2	-1.2	-
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.
- 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 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		355.266	-	359.495	3.7	1.2	-
Food		392.954	-	397.513	3.6	1.2	-
Energy		352.781	352.799	377.213	3.3	6.9	6.9
All items less food and energy		353.450	-	356.370	3.7	0.8	-
All items less energy		357.451	-	360.614	3.7	0.9	-
All items less medical care		344.742	-	349.312	3.5	1.3	-
All items less shelter		324.504	-	326.197	3.2	0.5	-
Commodities		260.567	-	263.924	3.0	1.3	-
Commodities less food		191.511	-	194.172	2.5	1.4	-
Commodities less food & beverages		187.092	-	189.697	2.6	1.4	-
Durables		125.773	-	123.826	-0.8	-1.5	-
Nondurables		321.869	-	329.503	4.4	2.4	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		250.021	-	261.374	6.2	4.5	-
Nondurables less food		253.350	-	264.113	5.7	4.2	-
Services		438.613	-	443.570	4.1	1.1	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		450.699	-	447.972	3.7	-0.6	-
Services less medical care services		428.259	-	433.689	3.9	1.3	-
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.