Inflation Rate by State 2026: Cost Pressure Ranked, Hawaii Highest, California Lowest

Every state ranked on how fast its living costs are rising as of September 2026: the pressure score is the mean percentile of year-over-year change across residential electricity and natural gas (EIA), gasoline (AAA), home prices (FHFA) and unemployment (BLS) — 100 is the fastest-rising costs in the country, 0 the slowest. Highest pressure: Hawaii (99), New York (78), Wisconsin (78); lowest: California (19), Montana (25), Georgia (28). The BLS publishes no state-level CPI; this is the closest public, monthly read on where inflation is hitting hardest.

PressureStateElectricity ¢/kWh (YoY)Natural gas $/mcf (YoY)Gasoline $/galHome prices YoYUnemployment % (YoY)
99Hawaii52.7 (+28.7%)66.84 (+37.5%)5.39+8.7%2.7 (+22.7%)
78New York29.5 (+11.1%)27.01 (+13.0%)+5.3%4.4 (0.0%)
78Wisconsin19.6 (+5.6%)18.17 (+12.9%)3.81+5.6%3.3 (+10.0%)
72Michigan23 (+10.4%)19.72 (+10.1%)4.02+4.6%4.9 (0.0%)
71Virginia17.2 (+13.1%)27.2 (+4.2%)3.96+3.8%3.7 (+12.1%)
70Illinois19.9 (+8.8%)19.71 (-4.6%)4.3+6.0%4.9 (+14.0%)
69Kentucky14.3 (+6.4%)33.2 (+5.0%)3.82+4.7%4.7 (+2.2%)
68Connecticut24.3 (-10.6%)23.33 (+10.7%)4.34+5.7%5.2 (+33.3%)
65Delaware19.3 (+6.2%)29.73 (+12.4%)4.16+4.0%4.8 (0.0%)
64Vermont24.4 (+6.3%)26.07 (+8.5%)4.3+4.3%2.6 (0.0%)
63Pennsylvania21.7 (+10.4%)26.08 (+12.4%)4.3+4.7%3.9 (-11.4%)
62New Hampshire27 (+14.9%)21.67 (+9.2%)+4.0%2.8 (-9.7%)
61Rhode Island29.2 (+8.9%)25.75 (+5.8%)+5.0%3.9 (-7.1%)
60West Virginia15.5 (-2.3%)24.68 (+26.3%)+8.0%4.1 (-2.4%)
57Maine29.6 (+5.1%)31.62 (+70.9%)4.2+3.2%3.1 (-6.1%)
56Alaska28.2 (+5.0%)17.35 (+13.9%)5.02+3.9%4.3 (-6.5%)
52Washington14.9 (+15.0%)21.34 (-3.5%)5.51+1.1%5 (+8.7%)
50Alabama16.4 (+2.1%)24.06 (-0.2%)3.8+3.7%3.4 (+21.4%)
50Louisiana13.5 (+5.9%)16.62 (+2.1%)3.78+2.9%4.4 (+2.3%)
50North Dakota14.1 (+3.0%)18.21 (+11.9%)+4.7%2.2 (-15.4%)
49Kansas15.7 (+4.5%)25.12 (-4.3%)3.77+3.8%3.8 (+2.7%)
49Ohio19.2 (+9.7%)22.83 (+3.0%)3.9+4.3%3.4 (-24.4%)
49South Dakota15.4 (+8.0%)15.26 (+5.0%)+2.2%2 (0.0%)
48District of Columbia24.4 (+7.4%)27.28 (+19.1%)-0.6%5.9 (-6.3%)
48Minnesota17.5 (+2.3%)14.79 (+3.2%)4+3.0%4.3 (+13.2%)
48Texas15.9 (+4.5%)31.89 (+5.9%)3.67+1.6%4.5 (+7.1%)
47Idaho14.4 (+19.1%)11.33 (-16.3%)4.63+2.9%3.6 (0.0%)
47Maryland21.8 (+13.2%)22.57 (-0.4%)4.02+2.2%4.2 (0.0%)
47Mississippi14.9 (+5.8%)29.04 (+3.5%)3.74+3.7%3.6 (-5.3%)
46Massachusetts29.6 (-2.4%)30.66 (+14.1%)4.22+3.2%4.4 (-2.2%)
46Oklahoma14.3 (+5.1%)31.25 (-14.7%)3.71+2.8%4.3 (+30.3%)
46Utah13.4 (+2.1%)11.84 (+6.0%)4.41+2.6%3.6 (+2.9%)
45South Carolina15.6 (+5.1%)29.07 (+1.7%)+3.8%4.2 (-4.5%)
43Florida15.1 (-1.6%)23.62 (+7.6%)3.9+1.4%4.6 (+17.9%)
43Nebraska13.3 (+0.8%)20.1 (+7.8%)3.87+3.2%2.9 (0.0%)
43New Jersey25 (+0.3%)17.68 (+9.0%)+5.5%4.4 (-20.0%)
39Indiana17.5 (+6.3%)24.52 (-9.8%)3.42+4.6%3.3 (-10.8%)
39Missouri16.2 (+1.9%)28.78 (+10.4%)3.81+3.6%3.6 (-10.0%)
38Arizona15.2 (-0.3%)24.74 (+4.4%)4.54+0.9%4.9 (+14.0%)
38North Carolina14.7 (+10.2%)30.1 (-0.1%)+2.4%3.6 (-7.7%)
37Arkansas14.1 (+5.6%)27.86 (-9.3%)3.78+3.1%4 (-2.4%)
35New Mexico15.1 (+2.6%)9.31 (-36.7%)+2.1%4.8 (+20.0%)
34Iowa15.9 (+3.9%)22.16 (+0.7%)3.87+3.2%3.2 (-8.6%)
34Wyoming15.2 (+2.4%)18.28 (+2.3%)4.37+3.7%3 (-9.1%)
33Colorado17.1 (+6.8%)15.05 (-7.3%)4.2+0.2%3.9 (0.0%)
33Nevada13.1 (+6.9%)13.83 (-18.3%)4.97+2.5%5 (-3.9%)
32Oregon16.3 (+3.3%)21.6 (+0.5%)5.02+1.7%5.2 (-1.9%)
32Tennessee14.1 (+1.8%)19.75 (+3.8%)3.81+2.6%3.4 (-2.9%)
28Georgia16.4 (+2.5%)38.6 (-5.0%)3.89+1.9%3.3 (0.0%)
25Montana15.1 (+2.2%)10.12 (-10.7%)4.39+2.7%3.2 (-3.0%)
19California34.7 (+3.4%)20.33 (-5.3%)5.87+0.9%5.1 (-7.3%)

EIA, AAA, FHFA and BLS state data, refreshed monthly-to-daily — faster than the quarterly rankings press usually cite. City level: the 50-metro rent and home-price ranking; national: the current US inflation rate.

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