Consumer Price Index, Seattle area — August 2026

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue increased 0.1 percent for the two months ending in August 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent. The food index increased 1.3 percent, while the energy index decreased 3.8 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Seattle area all items CPI-U advanced 4.4 percent for the 12 months ending in August. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.3 percent over the year. Food prices rose 5.3 percent. Energy prices rose 15.9 percent.

Food

Food prices increased 1.3 percent for the two months ending in August. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 1.7 percent, with higher prices in 4 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.9 percent for the same period.

Food prices rose 5.3 percent over the year. Prices for food at home advanced 4.5 percent, with higher prices in 5 of the 6 major grocery store food groups. Prices for food away from home rose 6.0 percent.

Energy

The energy index declined 3.8 percent for the two months ending in August. Gasoline prices fell 6.2 percent.

Energy prices rose 15.9 percent over the year. Gasoline prices increased 17.7 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent during the two-month period. Among the index's components, prices were higher for apparel (+3.9 percent) and education and communication (+2.5 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for household furnishings and operations (-2.0 percent) and recreation (-1.7 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.3 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included recreation (+7.0 percent) and shelter (+2.6 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for used cars and trucks (-3.2 percent).

Table A. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, CPI-U 2-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2022		2023		2024		2025		2026
	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month	2-month	12-month
February	1.7	8.1	1.4	8.0	1.2	4.3	1.1	2.5	1.8	3.9
April	2.1	9.1	1.0	6.9	1.2	4.4	0.4	1.7	1.3	4.9
June	3.2	10.1	1.0	4.6	0.4	3.8	1.4	2.7	1.0	4.5
August	0.0	9.0	0.8	5.4	0.1	3.1	0.2	2.8	0.1	4.4
October	1.0	8.9	0.4	4.8	0.3	3.0	-	-
December	0.1	8.4	-0.3	4.4	-0.5	2.7	-	3.1
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations

The October 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Seattle area is scheduled to be released on November 10, 2026.

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 Seattle 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.

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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA. metropolitan area covered in this release is comprised of King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties in the State of Washington.

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

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, CPI-U by expenditure category for August 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from -
	Historical data	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026	Aug. 2025	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026
All Items		380.849	-	381.123	4.4	0.1	-
All items (1967=100)		1,160.975	-	1,161.811
Food and beverages		389.372	-	394.607	5.4	1.3	-
Food		391.884	-	397.114	5.3	1.3	-
Food at home		338.392	340.041	344.118	4.5	1.7	1.2
Cereals and bakery products		407.441	424.268	426.711	5.5	4.7	0.6
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		314.245	321.539	317.932	6.4	1.2	-1.1
Dairy and related products		305.801	293.919	306.870	3.3	0.3	4.4
Fruits and vegetables		540.964	540.910	537.628	6.4	-0.6	-0.6
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		467.448	450.655	464.869	15.8	-0.6	3.2
Other food at home		245.884	248.663	255.254	-0.7	3.8	2.7
Food away from home		476.830	-	481.016	6.0	0.9	-
Alcoholic beverages		349.900	-	355.121	6.7	1.5	-
Housing		459.895	-	458.453	3.3	-0.3	-
Shelter		518.171	517.039	517.388	2.6	-0.2	0.1
Rent of primary residence		519.254	520.173	521.032	2.3	0.3	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		547.331	547.496	549.597	2.3	0.4	0.4
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		547.331	547.496	549.597	2.3	0.4	0.4
Household furnishings and operations		261.929	-	256.745	4.8	-2.0	-
Apparel		145.595	-	151.209	3.8	3.9	-
Transportation		337.131	-	333.893	7.3	-1.0	-
Private transportation		345.789	-	339.615	4.0	-1.8	-
New and used motor vehicles(3)		126.752	-	126.108	-1.3	-0.5	-
New vehicles(1)		228.555	-	228.432	0.9	-0.1	-
Used cars and trucks(1)		419.215	-	417.707	-3.2	-0.4	-
Motor fuel		630.029	581.635	590.853	18.2	-6.2	1.6
Gasoline (all types)		640.806	591.981	600.809	17.7	-6.2	1.5
Unleaded regular(4)		693.478	639.586	649.149	17.9	-6.4	1.5
Unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		507.532	470.428	477.559	17.1	-5.9	1.5
Unleaded premium(4)		596.838	554.570	562.751	16.9	-5.7	1.5
Medical Care		500.772	-	505.000	1.6	0.8	-
Recreation(3)		131.679	-	129.506	7.0	-1.7	-
Education and communication(3)		147.355	-	151.060	0.7	2.5	-
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(1)		1,989.917	-	2,012.640	1.1	1.1	-
Other goods and services		580.700	-	586.420	6.7	1.0	-
Footnotes (1) Index is on a November 1977=100 base. (2) Index is on a November 1982=100 base. (3) Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. (4) Special index based on a substantially smaller sample. (5) Indexes on a December 1993=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Data not seasonally adjusted.

Table 2. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, CPI-U by special aggregate index for August 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from -
	Historical data	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026	Aug. 2026	Aug. 2025	Jun. 2026	Jul. 2026
All items		380.849	-	381.123	4.4	0.1	-
Food		391.884	-	397.114	5.3	1.3	-
Energy		534.284	509.124	514.121	15.9	-3.8	1.0
All items less food and energy		374.918	-	375.531	3.3	0.2	-
All items less energy		377.463	-	378.688	3.7	0.3	-
All items less medical care		375.976	-	376.033	4.6	0.0	-
All items less shelter		327.057	-	327.722	5.4	0.2	-
Commodities		259.999	-	260.844	4.4	0.3	-
Commodities less food		206.888	-	206.296	3.2	-0.3	-
Commodities less food & beverages		201.306	-	200.580	3.0	-0.4	-
Durables		153.331	-	154.070	0.4	0.5	-
Nondurables		319.914	-	320.738	6.0	0.3	-
Nondurables less food & beverages		256.432	-	253.328	6.4	-1.2	-
Nondurables less food		264.839	-	262.190	6.5	-1.0	-
Services		492.928	-	492.635	4.4	-0.1	-
Services less rent of shelter(1)		473.177	-	473.451	6.7	0.1	-
Services less medical care services		486.498	-	486.018	4.6	-0.1	-
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a November 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.