Inflation by Category (CPI)
The latest inflation rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index, overall, core, and for 15 everyday categories from groceries and gasoline to rent and car insurance.
About this data: figures are collected automatically from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and checked before publication. They are for general information only and are not advice. Confirm with the source before acting. Last verified Oct 1, 2026, 4:31 AM ET. Report an error →
Methodology · Download CSV · Cite this
What changed: Loaded BLS CPI-U for 17 categories, January 2021 to August 2026. (Oct 1, 2026)
Consumer prices, August 2026
All items CPI-U, August 2026 compared with a year earlier (not seasonally adjusted).
All items less food and energy.
All items, seasonally adjusted (core +0.3%).
Released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on September 11, 2026. Next release: September 2026 data on Wednesday, October 14 at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Inflation by category
| Category | 12 months to August 2026 | 12 months to July 2026 | Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | +3.4% | +3.4% | 334.980 |
| All items less food and energy (core) | +2.4% | +2.5% | 338.041 |
| Food | +2.7% | +3.0% | 350.418 |
| Food at home (groceries) | +2.2% | +2.7% | 321.500 |
| Food away from home | +3.4% | +3.4% | 397.868 |
| Energy | +16.3% | +14.7% | 329.351 |
| Gasoline | +27.4% | +24.6% | 359.738 |
| Electricity | +3.8% | +4.2% | 310.057 |
| Utility natural gas | +4.4% | +4.3% | 266.448 |
| Shelter | +3.0% | +3.2% | 430.611 |
| Rent of primary residence | +2.7% | +2.9% | 448.997 |
| New vehicles | +0.6% | +0.5% | 179.715 |
| Used cars and trucks | -2.3% | -1.9% | 184.580 |
| Motor vehicle insurance | -5.1% | -4.5% | 848.231 |
| Medical care | +1.6% | +1.7% | 593.003 |
| Apparel | +3.6% | +3.9% | 136.752 |
| Airline fares | +23.4% | +25.5% | 309.736 |
- All items
- Core (less food and energy)
Last 13 months
| Month | All items, 12 months | Core, 12 months | All items, 1 month | Core, 1 month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | +3.4% | +2.4% | +0.4% | +0.3% |
| Jul 2026 | +3.4% | +2.5% | +0.1% | +0.2% |
| Jun 2026 | +3.5% | +2.6% | -0.4% | 0.0% |
| May 2026 | +4.2% | +2.9% | +0.5% | +0.2% |
| Apr 2026 | +3.8% | +2.8% | +0.6% | +0.4% |
| Mar 2026 | +3.3% | +2.6% | +0.9% | +0.2% |
| Feb 2026 | +2.4% | +2.5% | +0.3% | +0.2% |
| Jan 2026 | +2.4% | +2.5% | +0.2% | +0.3% |
| Dec 2025 | +2.7% | +2.6% | +0.3% | +0.2% |
| Nov 2025 | +2.7% | +2.6% | n/a | n/a |
| Oct 2025 | Not collected (2025 lapse in appropriations) | |||
| Sep 2025 | +3.0% | +3.0% | +0.3% | +0.2% |
| Aug 2025 | +2.9% | +3.1% | +0.3% | +0.3% |
What the CPI measures
- The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) measures the average change over time in the prices urban consumers pay for a market basket of goods and services. It covers about 90% of the U.S. population.
- The 12-month change in the all items index is the most widely quoted measure of inflation. "Core" leaves out food and energy, whose prices swing more from month to month.
- Category figures show how prices of that group changed on average; what any one household pays depends on what it buys and where.
- Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment uses a different index, the CPI-W; see the COLA tracker.
Methodology
- Update cadence
- Monthly (BLS release schedule). Checked every 24 hours.
- Last updated
- Oct 1, 2026, 4:31 AM ET
- How it is produced
- We download the index values from the BLS Public Data API and calculate each change ourselves, rounding to one decimal place as BLS does. Before publishing, our headline figures (1-month seasonally adjusted change, 12-month change for all items and core) must equal those stated in the BLS news release; every series must reach the same latest month; no month may move more than 3% (all items and core) or 30% (categories); and published, not seasonally adjusted values may never change. Seasonally adjusted values are revised by BLS each February. On release days we check every hour from 8:30 a.m. ET.
- Download
- CSV of all data on this page
- Cite this
Money Tracker Daily, "Inflation by Category (CPI)", updated October 1, 2026, https://moneytrackerdaily.com/trackers/inflation-cpi. Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
Change log
- Loaded BLS CPI-U for 17 categories, January 2021 to August 2026.
Spotted an error? See our corrections policy or email editor@moneytrackerdaily.com.