Washington, DC inflation calculator: CPI-U since 1914

Washington and the South region

In BLS geography, Washington sits in the South region, like Baltimore, Atlanta, Miami and Tampa. Over the latest 12 months the Washington index ran above the South region (+3.4 %), and above Baltimore (+2.3 %, on its own latest month). Because the South index is published every month and has a larger sample, it is the steadier yardstick; the BLS itself urges users to consider national or regional indexes for escalator clauses.

Energy and the rest of the basket

Energy in the Washington data rose +26.4 % over 12 months, more than the national +20.4 %. Energy is priced monthly in every area, even where all items are priced every other month (BLS FAQ). An energy bill of $180 a month in September 2025 would be $227 if it had followed that index.

Two smaller groups stand apart. Other goods and services rose +11.4 % against +4.1 % nationally. Recreation went -4.4 % (nation +2.8 %). Housing as a whole was +5.3 % and shelter +4.1 %; medical care -0.6 %; core prices +3.0 %. Expect these numbers to move a lot from release to release: the local sample is small.

Odd months: what that means in practice

The BLS prices Washington in January, March, May, July, September and November. A date in an even month uses the closest earlier index: an April 2026 date uses March 2026. That rhythm spared Washington during the lapse in appropriations of October 1, 2025 to November 12, 2025. October was never on its calendar, the BLS says bimonthly odd series were not affected, and the November 2025 index came out on December 18, 2025 as the next step after September. The same rhythm means no December index, so the inflation table below shows no December to December change.

The history and its gaps

The Washington series begins in December 1914, base 1982-84=100, and stands at 338.73 today. The data file has no Washington annual average between 1997 and 2015, so the yearly table and the records below skip those years. The group indexes start in January 1998 for shelter. The fastest year on record is 1917, at 21.1 %; the deepest fall is 1921, at -12.0 %. Since 2000, the highest annual rate is 6.6 % in 2022, against 8.6 % for the South that year.