Economy today
US inflation rate today
The US inflation rate was 3.7% in September 2026: consumer prices were 3.7% higher than a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Core inflation, which leaves out food and energy, was 2.6%.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index. Latest figure: September 2026. Updated automatically twice a day.
Inflation over the last 12 months
| Month | Inflation rate (all items) | Core (excluding food and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 3.7% | 2.6% |
| August 2026 | 3.4% | 2.4% |
| July 2026 | 3.4% | 2.5% |
| June 2026 | 3.5% | 2.6% |
| May 2026 | 4.2% | 2.9% |
| April 2026 | 3.8% | 2.8% |
| March 2026 | 3.3% | 2.6% |
| February 2026 | 2.4% | 2.5% |
| January 2026 | 2.4% | 2.5% |
| December 2025 | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| November 2025 | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| September 2025 | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| August 2025 | 2.9% | 3.1% |
Each figure is the 12-month percent change in the CPI for All Urban Consumers, not seasonally adjusted.
How the inflation rate is measured
Every month the Bureau of Labor Statistics prices a fixed basket of goods and services that urban consumers buy, from rent and groceries to gasoline and medical care, and turns it into the Consumer Price Index. The inflation rate is the percent change in that index over 12 months. If the index rises from 100 to 103 in a year, inflation is 3 percent: the same basket costs 3 percent more.
Headline and core inflation
Headline inflation counts everything in the basket. Core inflation drops food and energy because those prices jump around with harvests and oil markets, so core gives a steadier read on where inflation is heading. When the two differ, it usually means food or energy prices are moving faster or slower than everything else.
Questions
What is the current US inflation rate?
3.7% in September 2026: the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 3.7% over the previous 12 months, before seasonal adjustment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Core inflation, which leaves out food and energy, was 2.6%.
How is the inflation rate calculated?
Take the Consumer Price Index for a month, divide it by the index for the same month a year earlier, subtract 1 and multiply by 100. That 12-month percent change is the inflation rate most news reports quote.
What is the difference between headline and core inflation?
Headline inflation measures every item in the CPI basket. Core inflation leaves out food and energy, whose prices swing the most from month to month, so it shows the underlying trend more clearly.
What inflation rate does the Federal Reserve target?
2 percent over the longer run, measured by the annual change in the price index for personal consumption expenditures (PCE), not the CPI. The two indexes track similar prices but are built differently, so their rates can differ.