Consumer Price Index Summary - 2026 M05 Results

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CONSUMER PRICE INDEX - MAY 2026

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in May, after rising 0.6 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 4.2 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The index for energy rose 3.9 percent in May, after rising 3.8 percent in April and 10.9 percent in March. The energy index accounted for over sixty percent of the monthly all items increase. The index for shelter also increased in May, rising 0.3 percent. The food index increased 0.2 percent over the month as the food at home index rose 0.1 percent and the food away from home index increased 0.3 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in May. Indexes that increased over the month include communication, airline fares, medical care, personal care, and recreation. Conversely, the indexes for motor vehicle insurance, household furnishings and operations, and new vehicles were among the major indexes that decreased in May.

The all items index rose 4.2 percent for the 12 months ending May, after rising 3.8 percent for the 12 months ending April. The all items less food and energy index rose 2.9 percent over the year, following a 2.8-percent increase over the 12 months ending April. The energy index increased 23.5 percent for the 12 months ending May.

The food index increased 3.1 percent over the last year.

Table A. Percent changes in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average

Seasonally adjusted changes from preceding month Un-adjusted12-mos.endedMay 2026

Nov.2025 Dec.2025 Jan.2026 Feb.2026 Mar.2026 Apr.2026 May2026

All items - 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.9 0.6 0.5 4.2

Food - 0.7 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.5 0.2 3.1

Food at home - 0.6 0.2 0.4 -0.2 0.7 0.1 2.7

Food away from home(1) - 0.7 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 3.5

Energy - 0.3 -1.5 0.6 10.9 3.8 3.9 23.5

Energy commodities - -0.3 -3.3 1.1 21.3 5.6 6.7 40.6

Gasoline (all types) 2.7 -0.3 -3.2 0.8 21.2 5.4 7.0 40.5

Fuel oil - -0.8 -5.7 11.1 30.7 5.8 3.8

58.9

Energy services - 1.0 0.2 0.2 0.4 1.6 0.4 5.3

Electricity - 0.2 -0.1 -0.7 0.8 2.1 0.6 5.9

Utility (piped) gas service - 3.7 1.0 3.1 -0.9 -0.1 -0.5 3.0

All items less food and energy - 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 2.9

Commodities less food and energy commodities - 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 -0.1 1.1

New vehicles 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 -0.2 -0.3 0.2

Used cars and trucks 0.1 -0.9 -1.8 -0.4 -0.4 0.0 0.1 -2.0

Apparel - 0.3 0.3 1.3 1.0 0.6 0.3 4.8

Medical care commodities(1) - 0.3 -0.1 0.0 -1.0 -0.4 -0.7 -1.8

Services less energy services - 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.3 3.4

Shelter - 0.4 0.2 0.2

0.3 0.6 0.3 3.4

Transportation services - 0.4 1.4 0.2 0.6 0.3 -0.6 4.1

Medical care services - 0.4 0.3 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.5 3.6

Footnotes (1) Not seasonally adjusted.

NOTE: The Oct and Nov 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.

Food

The index for food rose 0.2 percent in May after rising 0.5 percent in April. The food at home index increased 0.1 percent over the month. Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in May. The index for nonalcoholic beverages increased 0.6 percent over the month as the index for beverage materials including coffee and tea rose 1.1 percent. The cereals and bakery products index increased 0.4 percent in May and the fruits and vegetables index rose 0.2 percent.

In contrast, the index for dairy and related products fell 0.6 percent in May as the index for cheese declined 2.9 percent. The meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index decreased 0.2 percent over the month. The index for other food at home was unchanged in May.

The food away from home index rose 0.3 percent in May. The index for limited service meals and the index for full service meals both also rose 0.3 percent over the month.

The index for food at home rose 2.7 percent over the 12 months ending in May. The fruits and vegetables index rose 6.1 percent over the last 12 months. The index for nonalcoholic beverages increased 5.8 percent over the same period and the index for other food at home rose 2.0 percent.

The meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index increased 1.8 percent over the 12 months ending in May and the cereals and bakery products index rose 1.9 percent over the same period. In contrast, the index for dairy and related products fell 1.0 percent over the year.

The food away from home index rose 3.5 percent over the last year. The index for full service meals rose 3.8 percent and the index for limited service meals rose 3.3 percent over the same period.

Energy

The index for energy increased 3.9 percent in May, after rising 3.8 percent in April. The gasoline index increased 7.0 percent over the month. (Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices increased 8.6 percent in May.) The index for electricity rose 0.6 percent in May. Conversely, the index for natural gas decreased 0.5 percent over the same period.

The index for energy increased 23.5 percent over the past 12 months and the index for gasoline rose 40.5 percent. The electricity index increased 5.9 percent over the 12 months ending in May and the natural gas index rose 3.0 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in May, after rising 0.4 percent in April. The shelter index increased 0.3 percent over the month. The index for owners' equivalent rent rose 0.3 percent in May and the index for rent increased 0.4 percent. The lodging away from home index also rose 0.4 percent over the month.

The index for communication increased 1.3 percent over the month, after falling 0.2 percent in April. The airline fares index rose 2.7 percent in May and the personal care index rose 1.0 percent. The index for recreation rose 0.3 percent over the month as did the index for apparel. The used cars and trucks index increased 0.1 percent in May.

The medical care index increased 0.3 percent in May, after falling 0.1 percent in April.

The index for hospital services increased 0.7 percent over the month. Conversely, the prescription drugs index decreased 0.9 percent over the month while the physicians' services index was unchanged in May.

The motor vehicle insurance index declined 1.7 percent in May after rising 0.1 percent in April. The index for household furnishings and operations fell 0.6 percent over the month and the index for new vehicles declined 0.3 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.9 percent over the past 12 months. The shelter index increased 3.4 percent over the last year. Other indexes with notable increases over the last year include medical care (+2.6 percent), recreation (+2.6 percent), household furnishings and operations (+3.0 percent), and apparel (+4.8 percent).

Not seasonally adjusted CPI measures

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 4.2 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 335.123 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.6 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 4.4 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 328.829 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.7 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.

The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 4.0 percent over the last 12 months. For the month, the index increased 0.6 percent on a not seasonally adjusted basis. Please note that the indexes for the past 10 to 12 months are subject to revision. _______________ The Consumer Price Index news release for June 2026 is scheduled to be published on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

Brief Explanation of the CPI

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the change in prices paid by consumers for goods and services. The CPI reflects spending patterns for each of two population groups: all urban consumers and urban wage earners and clerical workers. The all urban consumer group represents over 90 percent of the total U.S. population. It is based on the expenditures of almost all residents of urban or metropolitan areas, including professionals, the self-employed, the poor, the unemployed, and retired people, as well as urban wage earners and clerical workers. Not included in the CPI are the spending patterns of people living in rural nonmetropolitan areas, farming families, people in the Armed Forces, and those in institutions, such as prisons and mental hospitals. Consumer inflation for all urban consumers is measured by two indexes, namely, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U).

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) is based on the expenditures of households included in the CPI-U definition that meet two requirements: more than one-half of the household's income must come from clerical or wage occupations, and at least one of the household's earners must have been employed for at least 37 weeks during the previous 12 months. The CPI-W population represents approximately 30 percent of the total U.S. population and is a subset of the CPI-U population.

The CPIs are based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, fuels, transportation, doctors' and dentists' services, drugs, and other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. Prices are collected each month in 75 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 retail establishments (department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, and other types of stores and service establishments). All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included in the index. Prices of fuels and a few other items are obtained every month in all 75 locations.