Current Inflation Rate
The US inflation rate most people quote is the 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), published by BLS each month.
BLS publishes one CPI release a month.
Inflation, 12 months to August 2026
3.4%
The CPI-U rose 3.4% from August 2025 to August 2026, and +0.4% in the month itself (seasonally adjusted).
- Core (no food or energy)
- 2.4%
- Energy
- +16.3%
- Food
- +2.7%
Official CPI-U data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, through August 2026. These are averages for urban consumers, not advice. Terms
How this works: Method, 5 sources, Checked against 2 worked examples,
How this works
Method
The headline rate is the 12-month change in the CPI-U for all items, not seasonally adjusted: the same month a year apart, so the seasons cancel out. The one-month change in the table uses the seasonally adjusted index (CUSR0000SA0) instead, because from one month to the next the seasons would swamp the trend. Full method
Sources
How it’s tested
2 worked examples for this page are checked by automated tests before every release: given the inputs, the tool must show the expected answer.
Limits
Official CPI-U data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, through August 2026. These are averages for urban consumers, not advice.
Changes
- First version: what a dollar is worth from 1913 to August 2026, your own inflation rate, whether a raise beat inflation, the current rate, the rate by year and 12 year pages.
How 3.4% is worked out
The CPI-U for all items was 334.980 in August 2026 and 323.976 in August 2025. 334.980 ÷ 323.976 = 1.0340, a rise of 3.40%, which BLS reports rounded to 3.4%. So something that cost $100 a year ago costs about $103.40 now, on average.
What the inflation rate measures
The headline rate is the 12-month change in the CPI-U for all items, not seasonally adjusted: the same month a year apart, so the seasons cancel out. The one-month change in the table uses the seasonally adjusted index (CUSR0000SA0) instead, because from one month to the next the seasons would swamp the trend.
“Core” inflation leaves out food and energy, whose prices swing the most, to show the underlying trend. It is not what anyone pays, but it moves less from month to month.
BLS has no CPI for October 2025 (its footnote: data unavailable because of the 2025 lapse in appropriations). Where a calculation needs that month, it uses the geometric mean of September and November 2025 and says so.
12-month rate = CPI(this month) ÷ CPI(same month last year) − 1
- Core CPI-U (all items less food and energy) rose 2.4% in the 12 months to August 2026; energy rose 16.3% and food 2.7%. Source: BLS, Consumer Price Index data.
- The fastest-rising spending category here was gasoline (+27.4%); the slowest was car insurance and repairs (−1.6%). Source: BLS, Consumer Price Index data.
The last 24 months
CPI-U all items each month, its 12-month change, the one-month change (seasonally adjusted) and core inflation over 12 months.
| Month | CPI-U | 12-month change | 1-month (SA) | Core, 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 334.980 | +3.4% | +0.4% | +2.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 333.918 | +3.4% | +0.1% | +2.5% |
| Jun 2026 | 333.952 | +3.5% | −0.4% | +2.6% |
| May 2026 | 335.123 | +4.2% | +0.5% | +2.9% |
| Apr 2026 | 333.020 | +3.8% | +0.6% | +2.8% |
| Mar 2026 | 330.213 | +3.3% | +0.9% | +2.6% |
| Feb 2026 | 326.785 | +2.4% | +0.3% | +2.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 325.252 | +2.4% | +0.2% | +2.5% |
| Dec 2025 | 324.054 | +2.7% | +0.3% | +2.6% |
| Nov 2025 | 324.122 | +2.7% | — | +2.6% |
Show all 24 rowsShow fewer
| Oct 2025 | no data | — | — | — |
| Sep 2025 | 324.800 | +3.0% | +0.3% | +3.0% |
| Aug 2025 | 323.976 | +2.9% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Jul 2025 | 323.048 | +2.7% | +0.2% | +3.1% |
| Jun 2025 | 322.561 | +2.7% | +0.3% | +2.9% |
| May 2025 | 321.465 | +2.4% | +0.1% | +2.8% |
| Apr 2025 | 320.795 | +2.3% | +0.2% | +2.8% |
| Mar 2025 | 319.799 | +2.4% | 0.0% | +2.8% |
| Feb 2025 | 319.082 | +2.8% | +0.2% | +3.1% |
| Jan 2025 | 317.671 | +3.0% | +0.4% | +3.3% |
| Dec 2024 | 315.605 | +2.9% | +0.3% | +3.2% |
| Nov 2024 | 315.493 | +2.7% | +0.3% | +3.3% |
| Oct 2024 | 315.664 | +2.6% | +0.3% | +3.3% |
| Sep 2024 | 315.301 | +2.4% | +0.2% | +3.3% |
Data: BLS, CPI-U all items (CUUR0000SA0) · BLS, CPI-U all items, seasonally adjusted (CUSR0000SA0) · BLS, Consumer Price Index data · BLS, Relative importance of CPI components, December 2025 · BLS, Average hourly earnings, total private (CES0500000003). Inflation calculator
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current inflation rate in the US?
3.4% for the 12 months to August 2026, by the CPI-U. BLS publishes a new figure every month, and this page is refreshed after each release.
Is inflation going up or down?
Compare the last few months in the table. The 12-month rate was 4.2% three months earlier and 2.9% a year earlier.
What is the difference between CPI and core CPI?
Core CPI leaves out food and energy. In the 12 months to August 2026 it rose 2.4%, against 3.4% for all items, because energy rose 16.3%.
Why is October 2025 missing?
BLS published no CPI for October 2025; its footnote says the data are unavailable because of the 2025 lapse in appropriations. The 12-month change for that month is missing too.