Headline · BLS CPI-U · 1997–2026
Core CPI (less food & energy) Inflation — U.S. Consumer Price Index
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for All items less food and energy is up 2.6% from a year earlier. Inflation excluding volatile food and energy prices — the Fed's preferred signal.
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.
Core CPI (less food & energy): 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.
Core CPI (less food & energy): 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* | 328.0 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | 319.0 | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 308.4 | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 294.3 | +6.2% |
| 2021 | 277.3 | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 267.7 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 263.2 | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 257.6 | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 252.2 | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 247.6 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 242.2 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 237.9 | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 233.8 | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 229.8 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 225.0 | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 221.3 | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 219.2 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 215.6 | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 210.7 | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 205.9 | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 200.9 | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 196.6 | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 193.2 | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 190.5 | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 186.1 | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 181.3 | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 177.0 | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 173.4 | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 169.5 | — |
*The 2025 annual average reflects the eleven published months — October 2025 was never collected because of the federal government shutdown.
Core CPI (less food & energy) inflation by region & metro area
Latest year-over-year change in each area’s own index. Many metro series are published bimonthly, so the “as of” month can trail the national index. Index levels are not comparable across areas — each series measures change over time from its own base period.
| Area | Year over year | As of |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. city average | +2.6% | June 2026 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | +1.6% | June 2026 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | +1.9% | June 2026 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | +1.9% | May 2026 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | +1.7% | June 2026 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | +1.3% | May 2026 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | +4.7% | May 2026 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | +2.1% | June 2026 |
| East North Central | +2.5% | June 2026 |
| East South Central | +3.1% | June 2026 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | -0.6% | June 2026 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | +2.6% | June 2026 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | +2.8% | June 2026 |
| Middle Atlantic | +3.3% | June 2026 |
| Midwest | +2.9% | June 2026 |
| Midwest - Size Class A | +2.5% | June 2026 |
| Midwest - Size Class B/C | +3.3% | June 2026 |
| Minneapolis-St.Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | +4.4% | May 2026 |
| Mountain | +2.1% | June 2026 |
| New England | +3.2% | June 2026 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | +3.4% | June 2026 |
| Northeast | +3.3% | June 2026 |
| Northeast - Size Class A | +3.3% | June 2026 |
| Northeast - Size Class B/C | +3.2% | June 2026 |
| Pacific | +2.4% | June 2026 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | +4.7% | June 2026 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | +2.0% | June 2026 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | +2.0% | May 2026 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | +2.5% | May 2026 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | +3.1% | June 2026 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | +3.5% | June 2026 |
| Size Class A | +2.5% | June 2026 |
| Size Class B/C | +2.7% | June 2026 |
| South | +2.2% | June 2026 |
| South - Size Class A | +1.8% | June 2026 |
| South - Size Class B/C | +2.6% | June 2026 |
| South Atlantic | +2.6% | June 2026 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | +1.9% | June 2026 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | +2.8% | May 2026 |
| Urban Alaska | +1.6% | June 2026 |
| Urban Hawaii | +4.0% | May 2026 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | +2.9% | May 2026 |
| West | +2.3% | June 2026 |
| West - Size Class A | +2.7% | June 2026 |
| West - Size Class B/C | +1.9% | June 2026 |
| West North Central | +3.9% | June 2026 |
| West South Central | +1.1% | June 2026 |
Core CPI (less food & energy) inflation — FAQ
What is the current Core CPI (less food & energy) inflation rate?+
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for All items less food and energy is up 2.6% from a year earlier (not seasonally adjusted). Month over month, the seasonally adjusted index moved 0.0% in June 2026.
When was Core CPI (less food & energy) inflation highest since 1997?+
By annual averages, the biggest increase since 1997 came in 2022, when the All items less food and energy index rose 6.2% over 2021.
Is Core CPI (less food & energy) inflation higher than overall inflation?+
As of June 2026, the All items less food and energy index is up 2.6% year over year, versus up 3.5% for overall inflation (all items CPI-U). That is a slower increase than overall inflation (all items CPI-U) — prices in this category are still rising, just less quickly.
Why is October 2025 missing from the Core CPI (less food & energy) 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.