Rising fastest over 12 months
- Energy+20.59%
- Transportation+8.01%
- Apparel+6.10%
What is the current inflation rate?
The current US inflation rate is +4.00% over the past twelve months, based on the Sep '26 Consumer Price Index release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices moved +0.59% versus the prior month, and core inflation — which strips out food and energy — is running at +2.82%.
+4.00%
Inflation, past 12 months
+0.59%
Month-over-month
+2.82%
Core inflation (12 mo.)
336.9
CPI-U index level
US inflation rate chart, last 10 years
CPI-U and Core CPI, year-over-year % · latest release Sep '26
Inflation rate by category, last 12 months
Year-over-year % change by CPI spending category
What is driving inflation right now?
Rising slowest or falling
- Medical care+1.67%
- Education & comms.+2.55%
- Food+2.82%
US inflation rate, last 12 months
CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted · latest release Sep '26
| Month | Inflation (12 mo.) | Month over month | CPI index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep '26 | +4.00% | +0.59% | 336.9 |
| Aug '26 | +3.69% | +0.32% | 335.0 |
| Jul '26 | +3.52% | -0.01% | 333.9 |
| Jun '26 | +3.88% | -0.35% | 334.0 |
| May '26 | +4.47% | +0.63% | 335.1 |
| Apr '26 | +4.13% | +0.85% | 333.0 |
| Mar '26 | +3.49% | +1.05% | 330.2 |
| Feb '26 | +2.87% | +0.47% | 326.8 |
| Jan '26 | +3.06% | +0.37% | 325.3 |
| Dec '25 | +2.71% | -0.02% | 324.1 |
| Nov '25 | +2.68% | -0.21% | 324.1 |
| Sep '25 | +3.01% | +0.25% | 324.8 |
How is the inflation rate measured?
The headline US inflation rate is the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers over the past twelve months. The index tracks the cost of a fixed basket of household purchases, so a +4.00% reading means that basket costs about that much more than it did a year ago. See the full calculation.
Why does core inflation differ?
Food and energy prices swing sharply month to month, so economists watch core inflation for the underlying trend. Core currently sits at +2.82% against a headline rate of +4.00%. A headline rate above core usually means fuel or groceries are adding pressure; below core means they are pulling the average down.
When is the inflation rate updated?
The BLS publishes CPI once a month, usually mid-month at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, covering the previous month. This page reads the published series directly and refreshes on its own, so the figures above change as soon as a new release lands.
What will inflation be next?
Nobody publishes a certain answer, but the direction of recent releases is informative. Our CPI forecast projects the next six months with confidence ranges from the same published history, and the budget calculator turns those rates into monthly dollars.