US Inflation Rate (CPI)
The latest US Consumer Price Index, the monthly trend, and what it means for whether your raise actually grows your purchasing power.
3.5%
Headline CPI-U (all items)
2.6%
Core (less food & energy)
June 2026
12 months ending
Source: BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, NSA), retrieved via FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Year-over-year change, not seasonally adjusted.
Inflation Rate Over the Last 18 Months
The solid line is headline CPI (all items); the dashed line is core CPI (less food and energy). A gap between the two measures can reflect differences in food and energy price movements.
Which Number Our Raise Calculators Use
The headline rate above (3.5%) is the latest published 12-month CPI-U change. Core inflation (2.6%) excludes food and energy, so the two measures answer different questions about recent price changes.
Our calculators frame “real” raises against the latest published 12-month headline CPI-U figure — 4.2% (12 months ending May 2026). Core CPI-U was 2.9% over the same period. The calculators use headline CPI-U by default because it reflects the full consumer basket; the input remains editable. See our methodology for how every figure on the site is sourced and kept consistent.
What This Means for Your Raise
A raise only grows your purchasing power if it beats inflation. At the latest headline rate of 3.5%, here is what common raises are worth in real terms:
A 3% raise
−0.5% real
loses purchasing power against inflation
A 5% raise
+1.4% real
grows your purchasing power after inflation
And because the new dollars of a raise are taxed at your marginal rate, the raise needed to truly break even is a bit higher than inflation. Work out yours with the raise-to-beat-inflation calculator or model a cost-of-living raise.
Monthly CPI Inflation Rate
| Month | Headline | Core |
|---|---|---|
| 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% | 3% |
| August 2025 | 2.9% | 3.1% |
| July 2025 | 2.7% | 3.1% |
| June 2025 | 2.7% | 2.9% |
| May 2025 | 2.4% | 2.8% |
| April 2025 | 2.3% | 2.8% |
| March 2025 | 2.4% | 2.8% |
| February 2025 | 2.8% | 3.1% |
| January 2025 | 3% | 3.3% |
| December 2024 | 2.9% | 3.2% |
BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, NSA), retrieved via FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Series: CPIAUCNS, CPILFENS. Retrieved 2026-07-14; data through June 2026. View source.
Inflation Rate Questions
- What is the current US inflation rate?
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, all items, not seasonally adjusted) rose 3.5% over the 12 months ending June 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Core inflation — which strips out volatile food and energy — was 2.6% over the same period.
- What is the difference between headline and core inflation?
- Headline inflation includes food and energy, while core inflation excludes them. Comparing both measures helps show how food and energy price movements differ from the rest of the consumer basket; neither measure should be treated as a prediction that a price change is temporary.
- What inflation rate should I use to evaluate my raise?
- Our calculators default to the latest published 12-month headline CPI-U reading: 4.2% (12 months ending May 2026). Core CPI-U, which excludes food and energy, was 2.9% over the same period and is shown as context. You can edit the inflation input when planning around a different measure.
- How is the inflation rate calculated?
- The 12-month inflation rate is the percentage change in the CPI index between the latest month and the same month one year earlier. We pull the official BLS CPI-U series and compute this year-over-year change for both the all-items and the less-food-and-energy index.