Education & communication · BLS CPI-U · 1997–2026
Education Inflation — U.S. Consumer Price Index
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for Education is up 2.5% from a year earlier. Tuition, childcare, and school-related costs.
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.
Education: 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.
Education: 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* | 309.6 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | 299.7 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 290.7 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 282.1 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 274.6 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 270.7 | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 265.8 | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 258.8 | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 253.2 | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 247.5 | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 240.5 | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 231.9 | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 224.5 | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 216.3 | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 207.8 | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 199.3 | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 190.9 | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 181.3 | +5.8% |
| 2007 | 171.4 | +5.7% |
| 2006 | 162.1 | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 152.7 | +6.3% |
| 2004 | 143.7 | +6.9% |
| 2003 | 134.4 | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 126.0 | +6.3% |
| 2001 | 118.5 | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 112.5 | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 107.0 | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 102.1 | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 97.3 | — |
*The 2025 annual average reflects the eleven published months — October 2025 was never collected because of the federal government shutdown.
Education inflation — FAQ
What is the current Education inflation rate?+
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for Education is up 2.5% from a year earlier (not seasonally adjusted). Month over month, the seasonally adjusted index moved +0.1% in June 2026.
When was Education inflation highest since 1997?+
By annual averages, the biggest increase since 1997 came in 2004, when the Education index rose 6.9% over 2003.
Is Education inflation higher than overall inflation?+
As of June 2026, the Education index is up 2.5% 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 Education 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.