BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) · monthly · 1997–2026
U.S. inflation, category by category
As of June 2026, overall consumer prices are up 3.5% from a year earlier; core CPI — all items less food and energy — is up 2.6%. But no one buys “all items” — groceries, rent, gasoline, and medical care each run at their own pace. Explore every major CPI category below, nationally and for 57 regions and metro areas.
Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by BLS.
Explore the data
Build a series step by step — pick the area, the item, the measure and the month. Back to 1997; national series are monthly, many metro series bimonthly.
Inflation by category
Latest year-over-year change in each category’s national index (not seasonally adjusted).
Headline
The headline Consumer Price Index — the overall inflation rate.
y/y as of June 2026
Inflation excluding volatile food and energy prices — the Fed's preferred signal.
y/y as of June 2026
Household energy and motor fuel prices combined.
y/y as of June 2026
All food — groceries and restaurants combined.
y/y as of June 2026
Rent, owners' equivalent rent, and lodging — the biggest CPI component.
y/y as of June 2026
Housing
What tenants actually pay for their primary residence.
y/y as of June 2026
The implicit rent homeowners would pay for their own home.
y/y as of June 2026
Residential electricity prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Piped utility gas for the home.
y/y as of June 2026
Municipal utility services.
y/y as of June 2026
Furniture, appliances, and household operations.
y/y as of June 2026
Food
Supermarket food prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Restaurant and takeout prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Egg prices — the classic volatility story.
y/y as of June 2026
Fresh milk prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Bread prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Coffee prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Protein prices at the grocery store.
y/y as of June 2026
Beer, wine, and spirits.
y/y as of June 2026
Transportation
Vehicles, fuel, insurance, and fares combined.
y/y as of June 2026
Pump prices, all grades.
y/y as of June 2026
New car and truck prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Used vehicle prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Ticket prices for air travel.
y/y as of June 2026
Motor vehicle insurance premiums.
y/y as of June 2026
Service, parts, and repair costs.
y/y as of June 2026
Medical care
All medical goods and services.
y/y as of June 2026
Inpatient and outpatient hospital prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Physicians' services prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Dental care prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Prescription medication prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Education & communication
Higher-education tuition and fees.
y/y as of June 2026
Childcare and preschool prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Home internet service prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Cell phone plan prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Mailing costs.
y/y as of June 2026
Tuition, childcare, and school-related costs.
y/y as of June 2026
Other
Clothing prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Shoe prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Entertainment goods and services.
y/y as of June 2026
Toy prices.
y/y as of June 2026
TV prices — a long-running deflation story.
y/y as of June 2026
Sports and fitness equipment.
y/y as of June 2026
Pet food, products, and services.
y/y as of June 2026
Personal care products and services.
y/y as of June 2026
Haircut and personal-care service prices.
y/y as of June 2026
Tobacco product prices.
y/y as of June 2026
U.S. inflation — FAQ
What is the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)?+
The CPI-U is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' headline inflation measure. Each month BLS prices a weighted basket of goods and services bought by urban consumers — about 93% of the U.S. population — and publishes the result as an index. The inflation rate people quote is the percent change in that index, usually over 12 months.
What is the current U.S. inflation rate?+
As of June 2026, overall consumer prices are up 3.5% from a year earlier (CPI-U, all items, not seasonally adjusted). Core CPI — all items less food and energy — is up 2.6% over the same period.
Why is October 2025 missing from CPI data?+
The federal government shutdown in fall 2025 halted CPI data collection, and BLS never published October 2025. It is a real hole in the official record: charts here show a gap for that month, and year-over-year or month-over-month figures skip any comparison touching it. The missing month is never estimated or interpolated.
What's the difference between rent and owners' equivalent rent?+
Rent of primary residence is what tenants actually pay for the home they live in — a real transaction price. Owners' equivalent rent (OER) is an imputation: the estimated rent an owner-occupied home would command, derived from comparable market rents — no homeowner actually pays it. OER carries the largest weight of any single CPI component, roughly a quarter of the entire index.
Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by BLS.