Metro Denver inflation shows signs of reacceleration
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Consumer prices in the Denver metro area rose 0.4% between May and July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.
Why it matters: Inflation is ticking higher again in Colorado as the effects of President Trump's tariffs ripple across the economy.
By the numbers: The Consumer Price Index in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood area rose 2.1% from July 2024 to July 2025, BLS data shows.
- Core CPI — the measure watched most closely by policymakers, which excludes food and energy prices — jumped 2.7%.
- Food prices rose 2%, while energy prices declined 7.7% over the year.
Stunning stat: The average Colorado household has spent about $51,000 more since 2020 because of inflation, the conservative-leaning Common Sense Institute estimates.
State of play: Inflation has cooled dramatically from its 2022 peaks — when Denver's CPI hit 8.2% — but it's been climbing again since bottoming out last fall.
Zoom out: Nationwide, core CPI rose 3.1% in the 12 months through July — up from the prior month's 2.9% increase — while overall CPI rose 2.7%, holding steady from June.
The big picture: The data comes at a critical time for the U.S. economy.
- Many economists anticipate the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in September.
- Trump has been pressuring the Fed to slash rates, but the central bank has fretted about the potential inflationary effects from White House tariff policy.
Go deeper: Key Consumer Price Index gauge rises as Trump trade war weighs