{"id":200731,"date":"2026-04-10T10:40:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T17:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=200731"},"modified":"2026-04-10T10:40:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T17:40:44","slug":"inflation-surges-for-urban-consumers-rural-consumers-fair-even-worse-due-to-energy-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=200731","title":{"rendered":"Inflation Surges for Urban Consumers, Rural Consumers Fair Even Worse Due to Energy Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"
Washington, DC...The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in March, \r\nafter rising 0.3 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the \r\nall items index increased 3.3 percent before seasonal adjustment.\r\n\r\n\"\"<\/a>\r\n\r\nThe index for energy rose 10.9 percent in March, led by a 21.2-percent increase in the index for gasoline which \r\naccounted for nearly three quarters of the monthly all items increase. The shelter index also increased in March, \r\nrising 0.3 percent. The index for food was unchanged over the month as the index for food away from home rose 0.2 \r\npercent, while the index for food at home fell 0.2 percent. \r\n\r\nThe index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in March. Indexes that increased over the month include \r\nairline fares, apparel, household furnishings and operations, education, and new vehicles. Conversely, the indexes for \r\nmedical care, personal care, and used cars and trucks were among the major indexes that decreased in March.\r\n\r\nThe all items index rose 3.3 percent for the 12 months ending March, after rising 2.4 percent for the 12 months ending\r\nFebruary. The all items less food and energy index rose 2.6 percent over the year, following a 2.5-percent increase over\r\nthe 12 months ending February. The energy index increased 12.5 percent for the 12 months ending March. The food index \r\nincreased 2.7 percent over the last year. \r\n\r\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Table A. Percent changes in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/caption>\n
<\/th>\nSeasonally adjusted changes from preceding month<\/th>\nUn-
\nadjusted
\n12-mos.
\nended
\nMar. 2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Sep.
\n2025<\/th>\n		Oct.
\n2025<\/th>\n		Nov.
\n2025<\/th>\n		Dec.
\n2025<\/th>\n		Jan.
\n2026<\/th>\n		Feb.
\n2026<\/th>\n		Mar.
\n2026<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\n
All items<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.3<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n0.9<\/span><\/td>\n3.3<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Food<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.2<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.7<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.4<\/span><\/td>\n0.0<\/span><\/td>\n2.7<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Food at home<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.3<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.6<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.4<\/span><\/td>\n-0.2<\/span><\/td>\n1.9<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Food away from home(1<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.1<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.7<\/span><\/td>\n0.1<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n3.8<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Energy<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
1.4<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n-1.5<\/span><\/td>\n0.6<\/span><\/td>\n10.9<\/span><\/td>\n12.5<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Energy commodities<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
3.4<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n-0.3<\/span><\/td>\n-3.3<\/span><\/td>\n1.1<\/span><\/td>\n21.3<\/span><\/td>\n19.4<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Gasoline (all types)<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
3.6<\/span><\/td>\n-1.3<\/span><\/td>\n2.7<\/span><\/td>\n-0.3<\/span><\/td>\n-3.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.8<\/span><\/td>\n21.2<\/span><\/td>\n18.9<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Fuel oil<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.7<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n-0.8<\/span><\/td>\n-5.7<\/span><\/td>\n11.1<\/span><\/td>\n30.7<\/span><\/td>\n44.2<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Energy services<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
-0.4<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n1.0<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.4<\/span><\/td>\n5.0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Electricity<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
-0.3<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n-0.1<\/span><\/td>\n-0.7<\/span><\/td>\n0.8<\/span><\/td>\n4.6<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Utility (piped) gas service<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
-0.9<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n3.7<\/span><\/td>\n1.0<\/span><\/td>\n3.1<\/span><\/td>\n-0.9<\/span><\/td>\n6.4<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
All items less food and energy<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.2<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n2.6<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Commodities less food and energy commodities<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.2<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.0<\/span><\/td>\n0.0<\/span><\/td>\n0.1<\/span><\/td>\n0.1<\/span><\/td>\n1.2<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
New vehicles<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.0<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.0<\/span><\/td>\n0.1<\/span><\/td>\n0.0<\/span><\/td>\n0.1<\/span><\/td>\n0.5<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Used cars and trucks<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
-0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.7<\/span><\/td>\n0.1<\/span><\/td>\n-0.9<\/span><\/td>\n-1.8<\/span><\/td>\n-0.4<\/span><\/td>\n-0.4<\/span><\/td>\n-3.2<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Apparel<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.5<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n1.3<\/span><\/td>\n1.0<\/span><\/td>\n3.4<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Medical care commodities(1<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/th>\n
-0.1<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n-0.1<\/span><\/td>\n0.0<\/span><\/td>\n-1.0<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Services less energy services<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.2<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n0.4<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n3.0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Shelter<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.2<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.4<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n3.0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Transportation services<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.3<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.4<\/span><\/td>\n1.4<\/span><\/td>\n0.2<\/span><\/td>\n0.6<\/span><\/td>\n4.1<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
Medical care services<\/p>\n<\/th>\n
0.2<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n–<\/span><\/td>\n0.4<\/span><\/td>\n0.3<\/span><\/td>\n0.6<\/span><\/td>\n0.0<\/span><\/td>\n3.7<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n
\n
Footnotes<\/span>
\n<\/a>(1)\u00a0Not seasonally adjusted.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
NOTE: The Oct and Nov 2025 data values are not available due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tfoot>\n<\/table>\n
Food\r\n\r\nThe index for food was unchanged in March after rising 0.4 percent in February. The food at home index declined 0.2 \r\npercent over the month. Four of the six major grocery store food group indexes decreased in March. The index for meats, \r\npoultry, fish, and eggs decreased 0.6 percent over the month as the index for eggs declined 3.4 percent. The cereals and \r\nbakery products index also decreased 0.6 percent in March, as did the dairy and related products index. The index for \r\nnonalcoholic beverages fell 0.3 percent over the month.\r\n\r\nIn contrast, the fruits and vegetables index rose 1.0 percent in March. The index for other food at home was unchanged \r\nover the month.\r\n\r\nThe food away from home index rose 0.2 percent in March. The index for full service meals rose 0.3 percent over the \r\nmonth and the index for limited service meals rose 0.2 percent.\r\n\r\nThe food at home index rose 1.9 percent over the 12 months ending in March. The index for other food at home rose 2.9 \r\npercent over the last 12 months. The fruits and vegetables index increased 4.0 percent over the same period and the \r\nnonalcoholic beverages index rose 4.7 percent. The index for cereals and bakery products increased 2.1 percent over the \r\n12 months ending in March. In contrast, the dairy and related products index fell 1.6 percent over the year and the \r\nmeats, poultry, fish, and eggs index decreased 0.9 percent over the same period.\r\n\r\nThe food away from home index rose 3.8 percent over the last year. The index for full service meals rose 4.3 percent and \r\nthe index for limited service meals rose 3.2 percent over the same period. \r\n\r\nEnergy\r\n\r\nThe index for energy increased 10.9 percent in March, the largest monthly increase in the index since September 2005. \r\nThe gasoline index increased 21.2 percent over the month, the largest monthly increase since the series was first \r\npublished in 1967. (Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices increased 24.9 percent in March.) The index for \r\nelectricity rose 0.8 percent in March. The fuel oil index increased 30.7 percent over the month, the largest monthly \r\nincrease in the index since February 2000. Conversely, the index for natural gas decreased 0.9 percent over the month.\r\n\r\nThe index for energy increased 12.5 percent over the past 12 months and the index for gasoline rose 18.9 percent. The \r\nelectricity index increased 4.6 percent over the last 12 months and the natural gas index rose 6.4 percent. \r\n\r\nAll items less food and energy\r\n\r\nThe index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in March, as it did in February. The shelter index \r\nincreased 0.3 percent over the month as did the owners' equivalent rent index. The index for rent increased 0.2 percent \r\nin March. The lodging away from home index rose 0.2 percent over the month.\r\n\r\nThe index for airline fares increased 2.7 percent over the month, after rising 1.4 percent in February. The apparel \r\nindex rose 1.0 percent in March and the household furnishings and operations index rose 0.2 percent. The index for \r\neducation rose 0.3 percent over the month and the index for new vehicles rose 0.1 percent in March.\r\n\r\nThe medical care index decreased 0.2 percent in March, after rising 0.5 percent in February. The index for prescription \r\ndrugs decreased 1.5 percent over the month. Conversely, the physicians' services index increased 0.7 percent over the \r\nmonth and the hospital services index rose 0.4 percent. \r\n\r\nThe personal care index declined 0.5 percent in March and the used cars and trucks index decreased 0.4 percent over the \r\nmonth. The index for recreation and the index for motor vehicle insurance were both unchanged over the month.\r\n\r\nThe index for all items less food and energy rose 2.6 percent over the past 12 months. The shelter index increased 3.0 \r\npercent over the last year. Other indexes with notable increases over the last year include medical care (+3.1 percent), \r\nhousehold furnishings and operations (+4.0 percent), airline fares (+14.9 percent), and recreation (+2.2 percent).\r\n\r\nNot seasonally adjusted CPI measures\r\n\r\nThe Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 3.3 percent over the last 12 months to an index level \r\nof 330.213 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 1.0 percent prior to seasonal adjustment.  \r\n\r\nThe Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 3.3 percent over the last 12 \r\nmonths to an index level of 323.500 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 1.3 percent prior to seasonal \r\nadjustment.  \r\n\r\nThe Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 3.1 percent over the last 12 months. For \r\nthe month, the index increased 1.1 percent on a not seasonally adjusted basis. Please note that the indexes for the \r\npast 10 to 12 months are subject to revision. \r\n_______________\r\nThe Consumer Price Index for April 2026 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington, DC…The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in March, after rising 0.3 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.3 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index for energy rose 10.9 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":200733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-200731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/12-month-percentage-chan.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=200731"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":200734,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200731\/revisions\/200734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/200733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=200731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=200731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=200731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}