New inflation stats confirm Southern California shoppers’ hunch — and fear — that the cost of living is heating up again.

The recent release of regional Consumer Price Indexes for September – a rare federal data release during the government shutdown – shows that inflation not only remains problematic, but is now surging at its fastest pace since May 2024.

Start with the 3.5% inflation rate for Los Angeles and Orange counties. That’s the biggest cost-of-living bump in 16 months and is up from a 3.3% gain for all of last year. Yes, it’s nowhere near as painful as the 4.9% average annual rate during the inflationary spikes of 2021-23.

A similar uptick was seen in the Inland Empire. Its price index increased at a 3.6% annual pace in September, also a 16-month high and up from 2.6% last y

See Full Page