CPI prices changed by 3.4% over the year to August 2026. This annual comparison is not Seasonal adjustment Seasonal adjustment estimates and removes recurring calendar patterns to make changes over time easier to interpret. Read the full explanation → .
Why it matters
The price level affects how much a fixed amount of money can buy. A national spending basket provides context, but it is not a bill received by every household.
In everyday life
Shoppers, renters, workers, and retirees buy different mixes of goods and services. Fixed incomes can lose purchasing power when prices rise; pay or benefit adjustments can change the effect.
What remains uncertain
One aggregate index cannot measure every household’s costs. Monthly and annual comparisons describe different time spans.
Choose “Go deeper” for the full explanation, definitions, and differences across households.
Sources & dates
CPI official release
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Event
- Official release on Sep 11, 2026. A statistical release describing an earlier observation period.
- Observation period
- August 2026
- Geography
- United States
- Methodology
- CPI annual inflation: percent over 12 months, not seasonally adjusted.
- Publication
- Meaningful update
Figures were extracted and checked against named BLS public-data series; the source link opens the matching dated release. Monthly payroll change uses consecutive seasonally adjusted levels, and annual CPI change uses the unadjusted index one year apart. Official estimates may be revised.
A source check is not a new economic release. These are the figures available in the linked release vintage. Later releases may revise them.
Revision history (1)
Oct 9, 2026 — Initial publication.