While inflation remains a nationwide issue—currently a key focus of both policymakers and consumers themselves—rates of inflation differ widely across the U.S.

Personal finance website WalletHub analyzed both short- and long-term increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increases across 23 metropolitan statistical areas, ranking them according to these jumps.

Why It Matters

U.S inflation has been running hot since 2021, when a post-COVID rebound in demand coincided with disruptions to the global supply chain, pushing the 12-month rate to 9.1 percent in June of 2022.

Inflation remains stubbornly elevated in 2025, above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target and adding to the financial strains already facing Americans. Prices are now under additional upward pressure as a result of President Donald Trump‘s trade policies and an anticipated interest rate cut from the Fed.

What To Know

According to the latest CPI report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the 12-month inflation rate edged up to 2.9 percent in August from 2.7 percent in July. Price increases hastened for food and vehicles, as well as many imported categories, while energy costs increased for the first time in seven months.

WalletHub used recent CPI reports to chart inflation increases across the 23 major metro areas, comparing the latest month with figures from two months and one year prior to capture short-term and long-term changes. These were then combined into a weighted score, seen on the map above.

The Tampa Bay area topped the list, its 12-month rate of 3.3 percent and recent increase of 1.1 percent combining for an overall sore of 89.4 out of 100. The San Diego-Carlsbad area of California came in second with a score of 89.3, followed by the Philadelphia metropolitan area at 68.

What People Are Saying

Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, told Newsweek following last week’s inflation reading: “The Federal Reserve is in a difficult situation as the new data this morning show signs that its inflation and full employment mandates are both moving in the wrong direction.”

“Inflation is on the Fed’s radar, but a consensus is forming within the central bank that tariffs will cause a one-time price level increase even if it’s spread out several months because of the lag effects between changes in the effective tariff rate and consumer prices,” he added.

What Happens Next?

As Sweet noted, elevated inflation and deteriorating labor market conditions typically call for conflicting monetary responses. Given a rate cut will increase the circulation of money through the economy and potentially overstimulate demand, the central bank may be more cautious about the inflationary impacts of a rate cut at its meeting this week.

However, markets have already priced in at least a 25-basis-point cut, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool. Trading data also points to a similar cut in October and December.