U.S. inflation data: CPI, PCE and PPI

CPI inflation

336.298 Sep 2026 · was 3.4% in Aug 2026

The CPI tracks the average change in prices that urban households pay for a fixed basket of goods and services, from groceries and rent to gasoline and doctor visits. Its change over 12 months is the inflation rate most often quoted in the news.

Core CPI

338.896 Sep 2026 · was 2.5% in Aug 2026

Core CPI leaves out food and energy, whose prices swing a lot from month to month. Economists watch it to see the underlying trend in inflation.

CPI-U (unadjusted)

336.940 Sep 2026 · was 3.4% in Aug 2026

This is the same CPI-U before seasonal adjustment, with history back to 1913. It is the version normally used for escalation clauses and for converting dollars between years, and it powers our inflation calculator.

PCE inflation

131.579 Aug 2026 · was 3.4% in Jul 2026

The PCE price index measures price changes for everything people buy, including items paid for on their behalf such as employer health insurance. The Federal Reserve sets its 2% inflation goal in terms of this index.

Core PCE inflation

130.455 Aug 2026 · was 3.0% in Jul 2026

Core PCE removes food and energy from the PCE price index. Fed officials often point to it as their best read on where inflation is heading.

Food prices (CPI)

350.477 Sep 2026 · was 2.6% in Aug 2026

The food part of the CPI covers both groceries (food at home) and restaurant meals (food away from home). It shows how fast the cost of eating is rising.

Shelter prices (CPI)

431.908 Sep 2026 · was 3.0% in Aug 2026

Shelter is the largest piece of the CPI, about a third of the index. It is based mainly on rents and on owners' equivalent rent, an estimate of what homeowners would pay to rent their own homes, so it reacts to market rents with a lag.

Producer prices (PPI)

159.780 Sep 2026 · was 5.6% in Aug 2026

The Producer Price Index measures the prices businesses receive for the goods, services and construction they sell. Changes in producer prices can show up later in consumer prices.

CPI-W (wage earners)

330.654 Sep 2026 · was 3.5% in Aug 2026

The CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers covers a narrower group of households than the main CPI-U, about 30% of the population. The Social Security Administration uses its third-quarter average to set the yearly cost-of-living adjustment for benefits.

Chained CPI (C-CPI-U)

186.755 Sep 2026 · was 3.3% in Aug 2026

The chained CPI accounts for shoppers switching between items when relative prices change, so it usually rises a little more slowly than the regular CPI. It is used to adjust federal income tax brackets each year.

PCE goods prices

119.746 Aug 2026 · was 3.3% in Jul 2026

This is the part of the PCE price index that covers physical goods, from food and gasoline to cars and furniture. Goods prices rose quickly in 2021 and 2022 when supply chains were strained.

PCE services prices

137.415 Aug 2026 · was 3.4% in Jul 2026

This is the part of the PCE price index that covers services such as housing, health care, transportation services and financial services. Services make up most of household spending, and their prices tend to rise more steadily than goods prices.

PCE energy prices

156.634 Aug 2026 · was 15.1% in Jul 2026

This PCE price index covers energy goods and services such as gasoline, fuel oil, electricity and natural gas. It is the main reason headline PCE inflation is more volatile than core PCE.

PCE food prices

132.167 Aug 2026 · was 2.3% in Jul 2026

This PCE price index covers food and beverages bought for eating at home. It is the PCE counterpart to the CPI food-at-home index.

PCE services excluding energy and housing

134.700 Aug 2026 · was 3.4% in Jul 2026

This PCE price index covers services other than energy and housing, such as health care, recreation, transportation and financial services. Analysts sometimes call it "supercore" inflation because it leaves out the most volatile and slow-moving pieces.

GDP price deflator

133.411 Q2 2026 · was 3.0% in Q1 2026

The GDP price deflator measures price changes for everything produced in the U.S., including business investment, government purchases and exports, not just consumer purchases. It is the ratio of nominal GDP to real GDP.

PPI: all commodities

295.708 Sep 2026 · was 9.8% in Aug 2026

This long-running producer price index tracks prices producers receive for commodities, with history back to 1913. It covers goods only and is not seasonally adjusted.

Core PPI

156.172 Sep 2026 · was 4.8% in Aug 2026

This index leaves food, energy and trade services out of the producer price index for final demand. It shows the underlying trend in the prices businesses charge without the most volatile pieces.

Import prices

152.200 Sep 2026 · was 6.7% in Aug 2026

The import price index tracks prices of goods bought from other countries, measured in U.S. dollars. A stronger dollar tends to push import prices down, and oil prices move it a lot.

Export prices

170.800 Sep 2026 · was 9.3% in Aug 2026

The export price index tracks prices of goods sold from the U.S. to buyers in other countries. Farm products, fuels and industrial supplies make up a large share of it.