Current Inflation Rate
The latest US inflation rate (CPI) and how it breaks down by category.
Inflation by category (past 12 months)
How it works
Inflation is the rate at which prices rise over time, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) — the change in the cost of a typical household's basket of goods and services. The headline number is an average; the category breakdown above shows where prices are actually moving, since food, energy, housing and medical care often diverge sharply from the overall rate.
Good to know
- CPI-U covers urban consumers (~93% of the US population) and is the most-cited inflation gauge.
- Energy and food are the most volatile categories; shelter moves slowly but carries a big weight.
- Your personal inflation rate depends on your spending mix, which is why the category view matters.
Related Calculators
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current US inflation rate?
The current annual US inflation rate is 4.2% as of May 2026, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That means prices are on average 4.2% higher than a year ago.
How is the inflation rate measured?
The CPI tracks the price of a fixed basket of goods and services that a typical urban household buys. The annual inflation rate is the percentage change in that index over the past 12 months.
Why does my inflation feel higher than the headline number?
Because the headline is an average across all categories. Your personal inflation depends on what you spend on — if a big share goes to categories rising faster than average (see the breakdown above), you feel more than the headline rate.
What is core inflation?
Core inflation strips out food and energy, which are volatile, to show the underlying trend. The categories above let you see exactly how food and energy compare to everything else.