PCE prices changed by 3.4% over the year to August 2026. The month-to-month change was 0.3%.
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
PCE official release
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Event
- Official release on Sep 30, 2026. A statistical release describing an earlier observation period.
- Observation period
- August 2026
- Geography
- United States
- Methodology
- PCE annual inflation: percent over one year. PCE monthly inflation: percent, monthly change, seasonally adjusted, not annualized.
- Publication
- Meaningful update
This explainer uses the linked release vintage. 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)
Sep 30, 2026 — Initial publication.