Consumer Price Index, South Region — August 2025

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the South region increased 0.3 percent in August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The index for all items less food and energy also rose 0.3 percent in August, as did the index for food. In contrast, the energy index declined 0.1 percent in August. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)

The South all items CPI-U rose 2.6 percent for the 12 months ending August, after increasing 2.3 percent over the 12 months ending July. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent over the last 12 months. The food index rose 3.1 percent for the 12 months ending August. The energy index declined 0.9 percent over the last year.

The index for food rose 0.3 percent in August. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) increased 0.4 percent in August. The index for food at home (grocery store purchases) rose 0.3 percent over the month. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in August, including nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+1.5 percent) and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+0.8 percent).

The food index increased 3.1 percent over the last 12 months. The food away from home index rose 4.1 percent over the past year. The food at home index increased 2.4 percent for the 12 months ending August. All six major grocery store food group indexes increased over the past year, including meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+6.5 percent).

The energy index declined 0.1 percent in August. The electricity index decreased 0.2 percent over the month, and the gasoline index declined 0.1 percent. In contrast, the natural gas index increased 1.0 percent in August.

The energy index decreased 0.9 percent over the past 12 months. The gasoline index fell 8.3 percent over this 12-month span. The index for electricity rose 6.7 percent over the last 12 months and the index for natural gas increased 12.3 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent in August. The shelter index rose 0.6 percent over the month. The index for owners' equivalent rent rose 0.7 percent in August and the index for rent increased 0.5 percent. The index for apparel (+1.3 percent) was among the indexes with a notable increase in August. Recreation (-0.6 percent) was among the indexes to decline over the month.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8 percent over the past 12 months. The shelter index increased 3.6 percent over the last year. The index for owners' equivalent rent rose 4.0 percent over this 12-month period.

The Consumer Price Index for September 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

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 the South region 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.

Percent changes for all-items data previously found in Table A of this release can be accessed in Chart 1 for this release and its attendant data table. 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 South region is comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

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

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