Los Angeles inflation calculator: CPI-U since 1914

Monthly, like the nation

The BLS prices food at home and energy every month everywhere, but most other goods and services only every other month. The exception is its three largest publication areas, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, where everything is priced monthly. That is why Los Angeles has an index for every month, while Riverside and San Diego appear only in odd months.

The 12-month rate through 2026

Los Angeles ran above the national rate in 5 of these 9 months. Its lowest reading of the year was 2.9 % in February, its highest 3.7 % in September. A monthly series lets you see that path; a bimonthly one would show only half of it.

Fuel, shelter and the rest

Transportation in Los Angeles was +11.0 % over the latest 12 months, against +7.9 % nationally, and energy +20.3 %. Shelter, the heaviest item in the national basket, was +3.7 %. Elsewhere in the basket, recreation was -1.0 %, apparel -1.2 % and medical care +0.5 %. Core prices, without food and energy, were +2.6 %.

October 2025 in a monthly series

Being priced every month has a cost: Los Angeles lost its October 2025 index to the lapse in appropriations, just as the national index did. Inside the computation, survey prices were carried forward from September and rents from April 2025. The 2025 annual average uses the 11 published months. When the October 2026 Los Angeles index comes out on November 10, 2026, the BLS will not publish a 12-month change for it. For an October 2025 date, this calculator uses September 2025 and tells you so.

Los Angeles, Riverside and the West

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario has had its own index since December 2017. From that month to today, $1,000 grew to $1,384 on Los Angeles prices and $1,430 on Riverside prices. Over its latest 12 months, to September 2026, Riverside was at 3.6 %. The West region index covers both, along with the rest of the urban West.

Since 1914

The Los Angeles record is 19.0 %, in 1918; the deepest fall, -9.9 %, came in 1932. Since 1990 the fastest year was 2022, at 7.4 %. Over the long run, $1 of the 1950 annual average needs $15.14 at September 2026 Los Angeles prices, and $13.98 on the national index. The year table under the calculator lists the last 16 years; the inflation rate by year page goes back further.