January 2026 Consumer Price Index

Historical release narrative reproduced from the official public-domain source. Statistical tables, standard technical appendices, administrative material and attendance rosters are omitted; formatting is adapted for reading. Figures retain the release's historical context and may have been revised. Consult the linked source for the complete document.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.4 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The index for shelter rose 0.2 percent in January and was the largest factor in the all items monthly increase. The food index increased 0.2 percent over the month as did the food at home index, while the food away from home index rose 0.1 percent. These increases were partially offset by the index for energy, which fell 1.5 percent in January.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent in January. Indexes that increased over the month include airline fares, personal care, recreation, medical care, and communication. The indexes for used cars and trucks, household furnishings and operations, and motor vehicle insurance were among the major indexes that decreased in January.

The all items index rose 2.4 percent for the 12 months ending January, after rising 2.7 percent for the 12 months ending December. The all items less food and energy index rose 2.5 percent over the last 12 months. The energy index decreased 0.1 percent for the 12 months ending January. The food index increased 2.9 percent over the last year.

Food

The index for food rose 0.2 percent in January as did the index for food at home. Five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in January. The index for cereals and bakery products rose 1.2 percent over the month. The meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index increased 0.2 percent in January. The index for nonalcoholic beverages and the index for fruits and vegetables both increased 0.1 percent over the month. The dairy and related products index rose 0.8 percent in January. In contrast, the index for other food at home decreased 0.3 percent in January.

The food away from home index rose 0.1 percent in January. The index for limited service meals increased 0.3 percent, while the index for full service meals was unchanged over the month.

The food at home index rose 2.1 percent over the 12 months ending in January. The index for other food at home rose 2.1 percent over the last 12 months. The nonalcoholic beverages index increased 4.5 percent over the same period and the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index rose 2.2 percent. The index for cereals and bakery products increased 3.1 percent over the 12 months ending in January. The fruits and vegetables index rose 0.8 percent over the year. In contrast, the index for dairy and related products decreased 0.3 percent over the same period.

The food away from home index rose 4.0 percent over the last year. The index for full service meals rose 4.7 percent and the index for limited service meals rose 3.2 percent over the same period.

Energy

The index for energy decreased 1.5 percent in January. The gasoline index decreased 3.2 percent over the month. (Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices decreased 2.5 percent in January.) The index for electricity declined 0.1 percent in January. In contrast, the natural gas index increased 1.0 percent over the same period.

The index for energy decreased 0.1 percent over the past 12 months. The gasoline index fell 7.5 percent over this 12-month span. In contrast, the index for electricity increased 6.3 percent over the last 12 months and the index for natural gas rose 9.8 percent.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent in January. The shelter index increased 0.2 percent over the month. The index for owners' equivalent rent also rose 0.2 percent in January as did the index for rent. The lodging away from home index fell 0.1 percent over the month.

The index for airline fares increased 6.5 percent over the month. The personal care index rose 1.2 percent in January and the recreation index rose 0.5 percent. The index for communication rose 0.5 percent over the month and the index for apparel increased 0.3 percent. The new vehicles index rose 0.1 percent in January.

The medical care index increased 0.3 percent in January. The index for hospital services increased 0.9 percent over the month and the index for physicians' services rose 0.3 percent. The prescription drugs index was unchanged in January.

The used cars and trucks index declined 1.8 percent in January, and the household furnishings and operations index decreased 0.1 percent over the month. The index for motor vehicle insurance decreased 0.4 in January.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.5 percent over the past 12 months. The shelter index increased 3.0 percent over the last year. Other indexes with notable increases over the last year include medical care (+3.2 percent), household furnishings and operations (+3.9 percent), recreation (+2.5 percent), and personal care (+5.4 percent).

Not seasonally adjusted CPI measures

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 2.4 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 325.252 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.4 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 2.2 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 317.942 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.3 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.

The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 2.2 percent over the last 12 months. For the month, the index increased 0.4 percent on a not seasonally adjusted basis. Please note that the indexes for the past 10 to 12 months are subject to revision.

Revised Seasonal Adjustment Factors and End of Year Files

In accordance with annual practice, relative importance values have been updated, and seasonal adjustment factors were recalculated to reflect price movements from the just-completed calendar year. This process results in revisions to seasonally adjusted indexes for the previous 5 years. Revised seasonal adjustment factors and end of year files are available at www.bls.gov/web/cpi.supp.toc.htm.

Upcoming CPI publication changes

With the publication of January 2026 CPI data on February 13, 2026, several index titles changed.

The following CPI indexes had title changes: *Care of invalids and elderly at home was changed to home health care *Technical and business school tuition and fees was changed to technical and vocational school tuition and fixed fees *Housing at school, excluding board was changed to lodging while at school

More information is available in the series title change table at: www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/series-title-changes.htm

Following publication of December 2025 data in January 2026, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) compressed tape format files (download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/compressed/tape.format/) was discontinued. Revised historical unadjusted and seasonally adjusted indexes are available in a similar format through BLS time series downloads for the following CPI surveys:

CU: Consumer Price Index, all urban consumers CW: Consumer Price Index, all urban wage earners and clerical workers AP: Average Price Data SU: Chained Consumer Price Index, all urban consumers