The US annual inflation rate is 3.4% as of August 2026, the most recent month the Bureau of Labor Statistics has published. That is up from 2.7% at the end of 2025, and it sits well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. Below you will find every monthly rate going back to 2000 in a single table, which is the view I have wanted on this site for years and have finally built.
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US inflation rate by month, 2000 to 2026
Each figure is the change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers compared with the same month one year earlier. Green means inflation ran below 2%, amber means 4% to 6%, red means 6% or higher, and blue means prices actually fell. On a phone, swipe the table sideways to reach the later months.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.4% | 2.4% | 3.3% | 3.8% | 4.2% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.4% | NA | NA | NA | NA | 3.3% |
| 2025 | 3.0% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.9% | 3.0% | NA | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3.0% | 2.9% | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2.9% | 3.0% |
| 2023 | 6.4% | 6.0% | 5.0% | 4.9% | 4.0% | 3.0% | 3.2% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 4.1% |
| 2022 | 7.5% | 7.9% | 8.5% | 8.3% | 8.6% | 9.1% | 8.5% | 8.3% | 8.2% | 7.7% | 7.1% | 6.5% | 8.0% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | 1.7% | 2.6% | 4.2% | 5.0% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.3% | 5.4% | 6.2% | 6.8% | 7.0% | 4.7% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | 2.3% | 1.5% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 1.8% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.4% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | 2.7% | 2.4% | 2.2% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.1% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 1.3% |
| 2015 | -0.1% | 0.0% | -0.1% | -0.2% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 2.0% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.0% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 1.6% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | 2.0% | 1.5% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 2.3% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 2.2% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2.1% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | 2.1% | 2.7% | 3.2% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.8% | 3.9% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.0% | 3.2% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.0% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 1.6% |
| 2009 | 0.0% | 0.2% | -0.4% | -0.7% | -1.3% | -1.4% | -2.1% | -1.5% | -1.3% | -0.2% | 1.8% | 2.7% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 4.3% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 3.9% | 4.2% | 5.0% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 3.7% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 3.9% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | 2.4% | 2.8% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 2.9% |
| 2006 | 4.0% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 4.2% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 3.8% | 2.1% | 1.3% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 3.2% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.1% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 3.6% | 4.7% | 4.3% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.4% |
| 2004 | 1.9% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 2.3% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 3.0% | 2.7% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 3.3% | 2.7% |
| 2003 | 2.6% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 2.0% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 2.3% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 1.5% | 2.0% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 1.6% |
| 2001 | 3.7% | 3.5% | 2.9% | 3.3% | 3.6% | 3.2% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 2.8% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | 3.2% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% |
How to read these numbers
- Every figure here is not seasonally adjusted, which is the correct basis for a year over year comparison.
- These are annual rates, so they do not add up. Each one already contains the full twelve months behind it.
- The Annual column is the average of that year’s twelve monthly readings, not a December to December figure.
- October 2025 shows NA because it does not exist. BLS collected no price data from 1 October to 12 November 2025 during the federal shutdown, so there is no index and no percentage change to publish. That gap also removes the October 2026 comparison.
- You can check any figure yourself: divide a month’s index by the same month a year earlier, subtract 1, multiply by 100.
What the table shows once you sit with it
I have been writing about the CPI release for more than two decades, and the thing that still surprises readers is how boring most of this history is. From 2012 through 2020, inflation sat between 0% and 3% almost without interruption. An entire generation of borrowers learned their financial habits inside that calm, which is exactly why 2021 and 2022 hit so hard.
A few stretches are worth knowing by heart:
- June 2022, 9.1%. The highest reading in this table and the highest since 1981. I remember refreshing the BLS page that morning expecting 8.8% and having to rewrite the whole post. You can see the full twelve months on the 2022 CPI and inflation page.
- July 2009, negative 2.1%. Genuine deflation, and the only sustained run of it in this century. Prices fell for eight consecutive months. The 2009 breakdown has the monthly detail.
- 2015, effectively zero. The annual average was 0.1%. Collapsing oil prices held the headline number down while rent and medical care kept rising, which is the clearest lesson in why the headline rate rarely matches your own budget.
- 2026 so far. After a quiet start at 2.4% in January, the rate climbed to 4.2% in May before easing back to 3.4% in July and August. The 2026 page carries the month by month commentary.
The other pattern worth naming is that the annual average hides a lot. 2006 averaged 3.2%, which sounds unremarkable, but it ran at 4.3% in June and 1.3% in October. If you are using inflation to index a contract or a rent review, the month you pick matters more than most people assume.
Run the numbers on your own money
A table tells you the rate. What most people actually want is the dollar amount. Our CPI inflation calculator converts any amount between any two years using this same BLS series, and the historical tables go back further than this page does. If you want the longest view available, the 1913 data is the start of the official record.
Three years of above target inflation adds up. If the gap between your income and your bills has turned into revolving balances, it is worth seeing which relief route actually fits your situation before interest compounds any further.
See If You Qualify For Debt Relief
Not sure which route fits? The two minute quiz linked at the top of this page compares all four options against your numbers first.
When the next figure lands
BLS publishes the CPI once a month, usually in the second week, covering the month before. September 2026 data is the next release. Our CPI release schedule lists every confirmed date, and this table is updated the same morning each figure is published. If you want these numbers on your own site, the free calculator widget is free to embed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current US inflation rate?
What was the highest inflation rate since 2000?
Why is October 2025 missing from the table?
Has the US ever had deflation this century?
Why does the inflation rate feel higher than the published figure?
Are these numbers seasonally adjusted?
What inflation rate does the Federal Reserve target?
How do I calculate the inflation rate myself?
Data source: all index values are taken directly from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, series CUUR0000SA0 (All Urban Consumers, US city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted). Annual rates on this page are calculated from those published index values rather than copied from secondary sources. Details of the 2025 data gap are documented on the BLS shutdown impact page. Last updated after the August 2026 release.
