The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area increased 0.4 percent for the two months ending in August 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner James B. Howard, Jr., noted that the index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.4 percent. The energy index rose 0.3 percent over the two-month period, while the food 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 advanced 1.3 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The energy index rose 17.2 percent, and the index for food increased 2.2 percent. The index for all items less food and energy declined 0.2 percent over the year.
Food prices were unchanged for the two months ending in August. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.1 percent, and prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) were unchanged for the same period. Within the food at home category, the index for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (+3.3 percent) led the increases. The indexes for dairy and related products (-2.6 percent) and other food at home (-0.6 percent) led the declines over the two-month period.
Over the year, food prices advanced 2.2 percent. Prices for food at home rose 1.8 percent, and prices for food away from home increased 2.5 percent. Four of the six major grocery store food group categories increased over the same period, led by fruits and vegetables (+5.6 percent).
The energy index increased 0.3 percent for the two months ending in August. The index for gasoline decreased 1.0 percent over the same period.
From August 2025 to August 2026, energy prices rose 17.2 percent. Prices paid for gasoline were up 30.5 percent over the year.
The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4 percent during the two-month period. Among the index’s components, prices were higher for education and communication (+2.3 percent), apparel (+3.5 percent), and motor vehicle maintenance and repair. In contrast, prices were lower for owners’ equivalent rent of residences (-0.4 percent), other goods and services (-0.9 percent), and medical care services.
The index for all items less food and energy fell 0.2 percent over the year. Components contributing to the decrease included shelter (-0.6 percent), communication, and used cars and trucks (-2.0 percent). In contrast, prices were higher for household furnishings and operations (+5.1 percent), public transportation, and other goods and services (+6.0 percent).
The October 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
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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