The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Baltimore-Columbia-Towson was down 0.2 percent from June to August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Lori Keller noted that the all items less food and energy index declined as did the food index, while the energy index increased. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect the impact of seasonal influences.)
The Baltimore area all items CPI-U increased 2.3 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.4 percent, the energy index was up 16.8 percent, and the food index advanced 2.4 percent over the same period.
The food index decreased 0.2 percent for the two months ending in August. The index for food at home was unchanged as prices for the grocery categories were a mix of increases and decreases. The food away from home index decreased 0.5 percent for the same period.
The food index rose 2.4 percent over the year. The food at home index was up 3.5 percent as prices increased for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+2.7 percent); other food at home (+4.4 percent); and cereals and bakery products (+4.9 percent). The food away from home index advanced 0.7 percent.
The energy index increased 1.8 percent over the August two-month pricing period. Gasoline prices were up 3.7 percent.
The energy index rose 16.8 percent from August 2025 to August 2026. Over the year, the gasoline index advanced 26.6 percent.
The index for all items less food and energy was down 0.3 percent from June to August. Among the index’s components, prices were lower for medical care (-5.2 percent), apparel (-2.2 percent) and recreation (-1.5 percent). In contrast, prices were higher for shelter (+0.6 percent) and education and communication (+1.4 percent).
The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.4 percent over the year. The shelter index was up 2.6 percent, with increases in the owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+3.5 percent) and rent of primary residence (+3.3 percent) indexes. Other price increases include other goods and services (+5.9 percent), education and communication (+3.3 percent), and new and used motor vehicles (+1.4 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for medical care (-3.1 percent).
The Consumer Price Index for October 2026 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 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 Baltimore 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, Core Based Statistical Area includes Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s counties, as well as Baltimore City, in Maryland.
Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.
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