Education & communication · BLS CPI-U · 1997–2026
Postage Inflation — U.S. Consumer Price Index
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for Postage is up 14.5% from a year earlier. Mailing 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.
Postage: 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.
Postage: 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* | 393.4 | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 377.0 | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 358.0 | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 343.0 | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 332.3 | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 319.6 | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 306.1 | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 289.6 | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 283.7 | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 276.6 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 274.5 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 273.7 | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 262.6 | +6.3% |
| 2012 | 247.1 | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 238.7 | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 229.8 | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 223.6 | +4.9% |
| 2008 | 213.1 | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 206.1 | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 201.1 | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 190.9 | 0.0% |
| 2004 | 190.9 | 0.0% |
| 2003 | 190.9 | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 181.8 | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 171.5 | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 165.1 | 0.0% |
| 1999 | 165.1 | +3.0% |
| 1998 | 160.3 | 0.0% |
| 1997 | 160.3 | — |
*The 2025 annual average reflects the eleven published months — October 2025 was never collected because of the federal government shutdown.
Postage inflation — FAQ
What is the current Postage inflation rate?+
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for Postage is up 14.5% from a year earlier (not seasonally adjusted). Month over month, the seasonally adjusted index moved +0.5% in June 2026.
When was Postage inflation highest since 1997?+
By annual averages, the biggest increase since 1997 came in 2013, when the Postage index rose 6.3% over 2012.
Is Postage inflation higher than overall inflation?+
As of June 2026, the Postage index is up 14.5% year over year, versus up 3.5% for overall inflation (all items CPI-U). That is a faster increase than overall inflation (all items CPI-U).
Why is October 2025 missing from the Postage 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.