Federal data shows Seattle-area inflation hit 4.9% over the last year, driven by spikes in dining out, apparel, recreation and energy costs.
SEATTLE — Seattle-area inflation is climbing faster than the national average — and shoppers are feeling it everywhere from restaurant menus to clothing racks to the produce aisle.
New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows inflation in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area rose 4.9% over the last year, compared to the national rate of 3.9%.
At Rising Sun Produce in Seattle, owner Bud Goodwin said this year’s price increases feel different.
“I’ve seen price increases before, obviously, but this year they’ve been drastic,” Goodwin said.
The numbers show some of the biggest jumps came from energy and gasoline prices, which rose more than 23% and 25% respectively over the last year.
But Seattle University economics professor Joseph Phillips said gas prices alone don’t explain why Seattle’s inflation rate is running hotter than much of the country.
“Our higher inflation rate over the last year is actually not due to energy prices as much as it is due to other categories,” Phillips said.
Federal data shows restaurant prices in the Seattle area rose more than 7% over the last year, while apparel prices jumped nearly 15%. Recreational activities also climbed about 8%.
Phillips says many of those increases happened earlier in 2025, before the recent conflict involving Iran intensified concerns over oil markets.
“It’s just these unusual categories that seem to be, really, in the end, explaining the difference,” Phillips said.
Inside Rising Sun Produce, Goodwin said the reality on store shelves can feel even more unpredictable than the broader inflation data suggests.
While overall grocery prices in the Seattle area rose less than 1% over the last year, some individual items have seen dramatic spikes.
“Broccoli is the highest I’ve ever seen it,” Goodwin said. “Primarily due to weather and just not a lot of it.”
Goodwin said broccoli now costs roughly three times what it did this time last year.
He added that produce prices can fluctuate rapidly depending on weather, imports, fuel costs and supply issues.
“It’s up and down,” Goodwin said. “Celery is one week out of sight and then it comes back down again.”
Economists note that some costs — especially gasoline — could eventually ease if global energy markets stabilize, but for other items, when prices are set, they tend to stay that way.
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