Baltimore inflation calculator: CPI-U since 1914

Energy against core in Baltimore

Look at the two ends of the Baltimore basket. Energy, priced monthly in every area according to the BLS FAQ, was +26.3 % over the 12 months to September 2026, against +20.4 % nationally. A $200 monthly energy bill from August 2025 would be $238 on that index. Core prices, which leave energy and food out, rose +1.4 %, below the national core of +2.4 %. So the all-items rate of +2.3 % is lifted by energy more than by the broad basket.

The middle of the basket is mixed. Medical care moved -3.1 % (nation +1.6 %), transportation +2.4 % (nation +6.2 %), shelter +3.1 %. Other goods and services were +5.9 %, education and communication +3.3 %. Local group indexes rest on small samples, so expect big swings from release to release.

A long record, starting in 1914

The Baltimore series opens in December 1914, base 1982-84=100, and stands at 333.784 in August 2026. Its two fastest years sit early in the series: 1917 at 22.7 % and 1918 at 20.2 %. The deepest fall is 1921, at -11.5 %. Since 2000, the high point is 2022, at 9.1 %, against 8.0 % for the nation and 8.6 % for the South. Because Baltimore is priced in December, its December to December changes exist too: 3.4 % for 2025.

How the lapse hit an even-month area

October belongs to Baltimore's six months, so the lapse in appropriations of October 1, 2025 to November 12, 2025 left a hole. The BLS published no October 2025 index, carried even-month survey prices from August to October in its computation, and published no two-month change for December 2025. If you enter October 2025, the calculator uses August 2025 and says so. The October 2026 index, due November 10, 2026, will have no 12-month change. The October 2025 page has the full list of effects.

Baltimore and Washington

The two neighbors are separate BLS areas with opposite rhythms. Washington is priced in odd months and was not touched by the October gap; Baltimore is priced in even months. On their latest figures, Baltimore stands at +2.3 % and Washington at +4.1 %, so Baltimore runs below its neighbor. Both belong to the South region, published monthly, which ran at +3.1 % over the same 12 months as Baltimore.