US Inflation Rate

The US inflation rate was 3.72% over the year to Sep 2026, by the consumer price index (CPI).

Headline and core CPI, the Fed’s preferred PCE measure, what is driving prices, inflation expectations and wages, from official data.

Inflation calculator: what a dollar from any year is worth today →

US Inflation Rate: Charts

Shaded bands are US recessions. Source: FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Inflation vs the Fed’s target

3.72%

Consumer prices against a year earlier. The Fed targets 2% on PCE prices; “core” leaves out food and energy.

Latest Sep 2026. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis via FRED.Explore →
Show the figures
DateCPICore CPIPCECore PCE
Sep 13.72%2.57%3.65%3.12%
Aug 13.35%2.45%3.44%3.03%
Jul 13.30%2.47%3.37%3.00%
Jun 13.46%2.57%3.45%3.04%
May 14.17%2.82%3.82%3.16%
Apr 13.78%2.74%3.57%3.08%
Mar 13.29%2.60%3.37%3.11%
Feb 12.43%2.47%2.80%2.96%
Jan 12.39%2.51%2.73%2.94%
Dec 12.65%2.65%2.78%2.87%
Nov 12.70%2.60%2.71%2.72%
Oct 1——2.66%2.70%

Recent momentum

3.75%

Core inflation over the last 3 and 6 months, annualised: where the year-on-year rate is heading.

Latest Oct 2026. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis via FRED.Explore →
Show the figures
DateCore CPI, 3-moCore PCE, 3-moCore PCE, 6-mo
Oct 13.75%——
Sep 13.41%2.90%2.92%
Aug 11.97%2.15%2.80%
Jul 11.64%2.35%2.95%
Jun 12.29%2.94%3.48%
May 13.17%3.45%3.86%
Apr 13.20%3.55%3.54%
Mar 12.86%4.02%3.32%
Feb 13.02%4.27%3.27%
Jan 12.91%3.52%3.04%
Dec 12.59%2.63%2.60%
Nov 12.90%2.28%2.47%

Underlying inflation

3.66%

Measures that strip out the month’s biggest movers or the fastest-changing prices.

Latest Oct 2026. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas via FRED.Explore →
Show the figures
DateMedian CPI (annualised)Sticky-price core CPITrimmed-mean PCE
Oct 13.66%3.06%—
Sep 12.81%2.78%2.26%
Aug 12.10%2.70%2.20%
Jul 13.11%2.72%2.29%
Jun 12.11%2.81%2.28%
May 13.66%3.09%2.44%
Apr 14.93%3.04%2.38%
Mar 12.31%2.93%2.36%
Feb 12.06%2.90%2.38%
Jan 12.35%2.98%2.45%
Dec 13.13%3.01%2.47%
Nov 11.40%2.95%2.52%

What’s driving CPI

3.22%

Year-on-year change in the main CPI components.

Latest Sep 2026. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED.Explore →
Show the figures
DateShelterServices ex-shelterCore goodsFoodEnergy
Sep 13.22%3.22%0.71%2.45%20.35%
Aug 13.03%3.10%0.66%2.63%16.05%
Jul 13.16%2.99%0.78%2.94%14.45%
Jun 13.26%3.15%0.79%2.99%15.45%
May 13.35%3.74%1.07%3.08%22.97%
Apr 13.29%3.52%1.14%3.22%17.54%
Mar 13.02%3.36%1.20%2.75%12.59%
Feb 12.96%3.30%1.02%3.14%0.40%
Jan 13.02%3.38%1.14%2.93%−0.30%
Dec 13.15%3.42%1.41%3.04%2.07%
Nov 13.03%3.54%1.37%2.62%4.16%
Sep 13.58%3.70%1.54%3.11%2.94%

Inflation expectations

3.04%

The Cleveland Fed’s model of expected inflation over the next 1 and 10 years.

Latest Nov 2026. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland via FRED.Explore →
Show the figures
Date1-year10-year
Nov 13.04%2.67%
Oct 12.98%2.74%
Sep 12.66%2.58%
Aug 12.40%2.50%
Jul 12.39%2.44%
Jun 13.04%2.47%
May 13.54%2.49%
Apr 13.28%2.42%
Mar 12.30%2.19%
Feb 12.59%2.37%
Jan 12.59%2.33%
Dec 13.19%2.35%

Producer vs consumer prices

6.52%

Prices businesses receive (PPI) often lead what consumers pay.

Latest Oct 2026. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED.Explore →
Show the figures
DatePPI final demandCPI
Oct 16.52%—
Sep 16.29%3.72%
Aug 15.46%3.35%
Jul 14.84%3.30%
Jun 15.58%3.46%
May 15.89%4.17%
Apr 15.69%3.78%
Mar 14.28%3.29%
Feb 13.35%2.43%
Jan 13.04%2.39%
Dec 13.09%2.65%
Nov 13.15%2.70%

Wage growth

3.12%

Pay growth from three sources, year on year.

Latest Oct 2026. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta via FRED.Explore →
Show the figures
DateAverage hourly earningsEmployment cost indexAtlanta Fed wage tracker
Oct 13.12%——
Sep 13.16%—3.90%
Aug 13.11%—4.10%
Jul 13.21%3.37%3.80%
Jun 13.38%—3.60%
May 13.34%—3.50%
Apr 13.57%3.38%3.60%
Mar 13.43%—3.90%
Feb 13.70%—3.70%
Jan 13.66%3.43%3.60%
Dec 13.73%—3.70%
Nov 13.93%—4.00%

Real wage growth

−0.56 pp

Hourly earnings growth minus CPI inflation: above zero, pay is outrunning prices.

Latest Sep 2026. Source: FRED.
Show the figures
DateReal wage growth
Sep 1−0.56 pp
Aug 1−0.24 pp
Jul 1−0.10 pp
Jun 1−0.08 pp
May 1−0.83 pp
Apr 1−0.21 pp
Mar 10.15 pp
Feb 11.27 pp
Jan 11.26 pp
Dec 11.07 pp
Nov 11.24 pp
Sep 10.83 pp

Upcoming Releases

The scheduled US releases that move these figures, from FRED's release calendar.

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