Education & communication · BLS CPI-U · 1997–2026
Wireless phone services Inflation — U.S. Consumer Price Index
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for Wireless telephone services is down 4.3% from a year earlier. Cell phone plan prices.
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.
Wireless phone services: year-over-year inflation, 1998–2026
Percent change from the same month a year earlier, from the not-seasonally-adjusted CPI-U index.
October 2025 is missing from every CPI series — the federal government shutdown halted collection and the month was never published. Charts show a gap, and year-over-year and month-over-month figures skip any comparison touching the missing month; values are never interpolated.
Wireless phone services: annual averages
BLS annual-average index (the CPI file’s M13 rows, shown verbatim) and the year-over-year change in that average — the standard “annual inflation” figure.
| Year | Annual avg. index | Annual inflation |
|---|---|---|
| 2025* | 46.5 | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 47.1 | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 47.8 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 47.9 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 48.2 | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 47.3 | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 46.4 | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 47.6 | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 48.8 | -10.7% |
| 2016 | 54.7 | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 55.2 | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 57.4 | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 58.6 | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 59.7 | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 60.1 | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 62.4 | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 64.3 | 0.0% |
| 2008 | 64.2 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 64.4 | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 64.6 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 65.0 | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 66.2 | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 66.8 | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 67.4 | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 68.1 | -10.4% |
| 2000 | 76.0 | -10.5% |
| 1999 | 84.9 | -10.7% |
| 1998 | 95.1 | — |
*The 2025 annual average reflects the eleven published months — October 2025 was never collected because of the federal government shutdown.
Wireless phone services inflation — FAQ
What is the current Wireless phone services inflation rate?+
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for Wireless telephone services is down 4.3% from a year earlier (not seasonally adjusted).
When was Wireless phone services inflation highest since 1997?+
By annual averages, the biggest increase since 1997 came in 2020, when the Wireless telephone services index rose 2.0% over 2019.
Is Wireless phone services inflation higher than overall inflation?+
As of June 2026, the Wireless telephone services index is down 4.3% year over year, versus up 3.5% for overall inflation (all items CPI-U). Wireless phone services prices are down over the past year even as overall inflation (all items CPI-U) is up.
Why is October 2025 missing from the Wireless phone services data?+
October 2025 is missing from every CPI series — the federal government shutdown halted collection and the month was never published. Charts show a gap, and year-over-year and month-over-month figures skip any comparison touching the missing month; values are never interpolated.
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.