The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area declined 0.1 percent for the two months ending in August 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that a 2.1-percent fall in the energy index was the leading factor in the all items decrease. The index for food rose 0.4 percent over the same period, while the all items less food and energy index was unchanged. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)
The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area all items CPI-U increased 1.1 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.3 percent and food prices rose 2.6 percent. Energy prices fell 3.4 percent over the same period.
Food prices rose 0.4 percent for the two months ending in August. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.7 percent, with 5 of the 6 grocery categories contributing to the rise. The index for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) was unchanged for the same period. Within the food at home index, the category for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (+2.0 percent) led the rise, followed by dairy and related products (+2.9 percent) and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+1.9 percent). The index for cereals and bakery products (-3.2 percent) declined over the two-month period.
The food index rose 2.6 percent over the year. The indexes for food at home and food away from home both advanced, up 2.5 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively, since August 2024. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs contributed most to the 12-month increase in the food at home category, rising 9.5 percent.
The energy index decreased 2.1 percent for the two months ending in August. Prices paid for gasoline fell 0.7 percent for the same period.
From August 2024 to August 2025, energy prices declined 3.4 percent. The index for gasoline decreased 9.4 percent over the year.
All items less food and energy
The index for all items less food and energy was unchanged during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+0.6 percent), apparel (+5.3 percent), and motor vehicle maintenance and repair. In contrast, prices were lower for education and communication (-3.7 percent), lodging away from home, and household furnishings and operations (-0.6 percent).
The index for all items less food and energy advanced 1.3 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+1.5 percent), medical care services, and household furnishings and operations (+4.9 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for education and communication (-4.5 percent).
The October 2025 Consumer Price Index for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area is scheduled to be released on Thursday, November 13, 2025.
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 Houston 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 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas, Core Based Statistical Area includes the counties of Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller.
Refer to the national CPI news release technical note or the Handbook of Methods for more information.
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