Consumer Price Index, Los Angeles area — May 2026

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim was unchanged in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the energy index increased 3.0 percent. The food index rose 0.1 percent, while the index for all items less food and energy fell 0.2 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, month-to-month changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

The Los Angeles area all items CPI-U increased 3.6 percent for the 12 months ending in May. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.5 percent over the year. Food prices rose 3.5 percent. Energy prices advanced 18.0 percent.

Food

Food prices increased 0.1 percent for the month of May. Prices for food at home (grocery store purchases) increased 0.1 percent, with higher prices for dairy and related products (+3.0 percent) and fruits and vegetables (+1.9 percent). Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) rose 0.1 percent for the same period.

Food prices rose 3.5 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 2.2 percent.

Energy

The energy index advanced 3.0 percent over the month. Gasoline prices increased 3.2 percent.

Energy prices advanced 18.0 percent over the year. Gasoline prices rose 30.4 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy decreased 0.2 percent in May. Among the index's components, prices were lower for other goods and services (-1.9 percent) and apparel (-1.6 percent). In contrast, prices were higher for education and communication (+0.5 percent) and recreation (+0.5 percent).

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 2.5 percent over the year. Components contributing to the increase included other goods and services (+9.8 percent) and shelter (+2.6 percent). In contrast, prices were lower for used cars and trucks (-3.1 percent) and recreation (-2.1 percent).

Table A. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, CPI-U 1-month and 12-month percent changes, all items index, not seasonally adjusted

Month	2022		2023		2024		2025		2026
	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month	1-month	12-month
January	1.1	7.5	1.9	5.8	1.0	2.5	0.9	3.3	0.9	3.0
February	0.3	7.4	-0.3	5.1	0.5	3.4	0.3	3.1	0.2	2.9
March	1.5	8.5	0.1	3.7	0.7	4.0	0.7	3.0	1.1	3.4
April	0.5	7.9	0.7	3.8	0.6	3.9	0.6	3.0	0.8	3.7
May	0.8	8.0	0.1	3.2	0.1	3.9	0.1	3.0	0.0	3.6
June	1.1	8.6	0.5	2.5	-0.2	3.2	0.0	3.2
July	-0.2	7.7	0.0	2.7	0.2	3.4	0.2	3.2
August	0.1	7.6	0.7	3.3	0.1	2.9	0.3	3.3
September	0.5	7.8	0.3	3.2	0.2	2.8	0.4	3.5
October	0.6	7.5	-0.1	2.4	0.0	3.0	-	-
November	-0.8	6.0	-0.4	2.8	-0.2	3.2	-	3.6
December	-0.6	4.9	0.0	3.5	0.2	3.4	-0.3	3.0
Note: The October 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations

The June 2026 Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles area is scheduled to be released on July 14, 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 Los Angeles is published 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Core Based Statistical Area includes Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California.

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. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, CPI-U by expenditure category for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Expenditure category	Indexes				Percent change from -
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		352.221	355.166	355.336	3.6	0.9	0.0
All items (1967=100)		1,040.617	1,049.319	1,049.821
Food and beverages		359.170	361.360	361.763	3.4	0.7	0.1
Food		362.276	364.801	365.167	3.5	0.8	0.1
Food at home		341.225	344.495	344.839	4.5	1.1	0.1
Cereals and bakery products		354.662	361.112	352.186	0.1	-0.7	-2.5
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs		366.012	369.291	367.263	0.7	0.3	-0.5
Dairy and related products		294.884	289.919	298.621	-3.4	1.3	3.0
Fruits and vegetables		448.589	466.286	475.060	12.7	5.9	1.9
Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials(1)		333.019	331.189	330.264	4.4	-0.8	-0.3
Other food at home		289.100	288.679	287.934	7.0	-0.4	-0.3
Food away from home		380.092	381.447	381.832	2.2	0.5	0.1
Alcoholic beverages		290.140	286.359	287.381	1.1	-1.0	0.4
Housing		404.174	405.989	406.403	2.5	0.6	0.1
Shelter		465.589	468.367	468.470	2.6	0.6	0.0
Rent of primary residence		494.377	495.716	497.150	2.8	0.6	0.3
Owners' equiv. rent of residences(2)		484.734	486.876	488.029	2.7	0.7	0.2
Owners' equiv. rent of primary residence(2)		484.706	486.848	488.001	2.7	0.7	0.2
Household furnishings and operations		130.677	130.715	129.597	0.8	-0.8	-0.9
Apparel		129.096	126.346	124.340	1.4	-3.7	-1.6
Transportation		300.827	308.454	309.939	11.0	3.0	0.5
Private transportation		301.715	309.274	311.356	9.6	3.2	0.7
New and used motor vehicles(3)		108.095	108.420	108.885	-0.9	0.7	0.4
New vehicles(1)		193.510	193.624	193.714	0.6	0.1	0.0
Used cars and trucks(1)		336.639	340.192	344.692	-3.1	2.4	1.3
Motor fuel		421.848	457.168	471.676	30.6	11.8	3.2
Gasoline (all types)		410.868	445.027	459.395	30.4	11.8	3.2
Gasoline, unleaded regular(4)		411.888	446.495	461.049	30.8	11.9	3.3
Gasoline, unleaded midgrade(4)(5)		391.866	424.074	437.223	29.6	11.6	3.1
Gasoline, unleaded premium(4)		393.066	424.504	437.764	29.0	11.4	3.1
Medical care		620.137	620.474	617.404	0.9	-0.4	-0.5
Recreation(3)		122.050	122.027	122.645	-2.1	0.5	0.5
Education and communication(3)		157.565	157.543	158.367	-0.4	0.5	0.5
Tuition, other school fees, and child care(6)		104.579	104.580	104.580	3.1	0.0	0.0
Other goods and services		569.290	602.095	590.507	9.8	3.7	-1.9
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1977=100 base. (2) Indexes on a December 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. (6) Indexes on a December 2024=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

Table 2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, CPI-U by special aggregate index for May 2026, not seasonally adjusted (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted)

Special aggregate index	Indexes				Percent change from -
	Historical data	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026	May 2026	May 2025	Mar. 2026	Apr. 2026
All items		352.221	355.166	355.336	3.6	0.9	0.0
Food		362.276	364.801	365.167	3.5	0.8	0.1
Energy		433.683	454.252	468.012	18.0	7.9	3.0
All items less food and energy		347.477	349.352	348.587	2.5	0.3	-0.2
All items less energy		349.555	351.528	350.938	2.6	0.4	-0.2
All items less medical care		340.525	343.572	343.875	3.8	1.0	0.1
All items less shelter		301.718	304.720	304.918	4.2	1.1	0.1
Commodities		229.010	232.025	232.654	5.0	1.6	0.3
Commodities less food		171.162	174.298	175.014	6.5	2.3	0.4
Commodities less food & beverages		165.694	168.933	169.632	6.7	2.4	0.4
Durables		97.551	98.040	97.923	-0.3	0.4	-0.1
Nondurables		302.713	307.325	308.460	6.5	1.9	0.4
Nondurables less food & beverages		243.677	250.663	252.517	11.3	3.6	0.7
Nondurables less food		250.037	256.579	258.420	10.7	3.4	0.7
Services		462.184	464.968	464.683	2.9	0.5	-0.1
Services less rent of shelter(1)		470.066	472.944	472.085	3.4	0.4	-0.2
Services less medical care services		446.626	449.576	449.459	3.0	0.6	0.0
Footnotes (1) Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
- Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.