US Consumer Price Index, 1947 to 2026
US Consumer Price Index stood at 333 in 2026, down 0.4% on the previous period.
The latest reading is an index level of 334, for May 2026, against an index level of 332.4 in April 2026. The series is monthly (FRED series CPIAUCSL) and runs from January 1947.
How it is measured
The Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers: the cost of a fixed, weighted basket of goods and services, indexed so 1982-84 averages 100. BLS field staff price tens of thousands of items monthly; the inflation rate quoted in the news is the year-over-year change of this level. The data reaches us through FRED, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis's data service, and originates with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What the curve shows
The level tells the compounding story the monthly rate hides: from 21.5 at the start of the window to 334 now, prices up roughly 15.5x over the period. Steep sections are the inflation episodes households remember; the 1970s and the early 2020s stand out.
What does the index level mean?
Why show the level instead of the change?
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