U.S. inflation: historical trends
How fast consumer prices have risen in the United States: the 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index, every month, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Built by the Tribune's code from official data. No AI wrote this page. Latest data: September 2026. Updated each month after BLS publishes the Consumer Price Index.
Hover over or tap the chart to see each month's figure.
Consumer prices rose 3.7% over the 12 months through September 2026, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index, compared with 3.0% in the 12 months through September 2025.
Over the past 10 years, the 12-month change ranged from 0.1% (May 2020) to 9.1% (June 2022).
The figures are for all items, for all urban consumers (CPI-U), not seasonally adjusted, the measure BLS uses for its 12-month change.
| Year | Inflation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 2.9% |
| 2023 | 4.1% |
| 2022 | 8.0% |
| 2021 | 4.7% |
| 2020 | 1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.8% |
| 2018 | 2.4% |
| 2017 | 2.1% |
| 2016 | 1.3% |
| 2015 | 0.1% |
| 2014 | 1.6% |
| 2013 | 1.5% |
| 2012 | 2.1% |
| 2011 | 3.2% |
| 2010 | 1.6% |