US inflation is 3.7% in August 2026
Consumer prices were 3.7% higher than a year earlier — the most recent CPI print, published about two weeks after the month ends. Stripping out food and energy, core inflation is 2.8%. The fastest-rising category is airline fares at 28.9%; the weakest is medical goods at -2.9%. See the inflation rate for every year on record.
What's driving inflation
Percentage points of headline CPI, by categoryEach bar splits that month's headline inflation into percentage points contributed by each group — its share of household spending multiplied by its own price change. The dot marks the headline rate; "Other" is the small gap left by using a fixed annual weighting.
Every CPI category, month by month
Year-over-year change| Category | Jan 24 | Jul 24 | Jan 25 | Jul 25 | Feb 26 | Aug 26 | Now | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core services61.5% | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | +3.3% |
| Shelter36.2% | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | +3.4% |
| Owners' equivalent rent26.7% | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | +3.4% |
| Core goods18.6% | 0 | -0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0 | -0 | -1 | -1 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -0 | -0 | -0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0.9% |
| Food13.6% | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | +3.1% |
| Groceries8.1% | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | +2.7% |
| Rent of primary residence7.6% | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | +3.0% |
| Medical services6.5% | -2 | -3 | -2 | -1 | -1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +2.4% |
| Transportation services6.4% | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | +3.4% |
| Energy6.4% | -4 | -1 | -4 | -5 | -2 | -4 | -2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | -4 | -7 | -5 | -3 | -0 | 1 | -0 | -3 | -4 | -3 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 17 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 17 | +16.8% |
| Restaurants5.5% | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | +3.7% |
| New vehicles3.7% | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -0 | -0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -0 | -0 | -0 | -0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0.6% |
| Gasoline3.1% | -3 | 3 | -5 | -9 | -2 | -6 | -4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | -2 | -10 | -15 | -12 | -8 | -3 | -0 | -3 | -10 | -12 | -12 | -8 | -9 | -7 | -0 | 1 | -3 | -7 | -6 | 19 | 28 | 40 | 27 | 25 | 27 | +27.4% |
| Electricity2.5% | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | +4.0% |
| Apparel2.5% | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -0 | 0 | -0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | +3.9% |
| Used cars & trucks2.0% | -7 | -8 | -7 | -4 | -1 | -4 | -1 | -1 | -6 | -9 | -10 | -10 | -9 | -6 | -5 | -5 | -5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | -2 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2.3% |
| Tuition & childcare2.0% | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | +3.6% |
| Medical goods1.5% | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | -0 | -1 | -2 | -3 | -3 | -2.9% |
| Airline fares0.8% | -13 | -13 | -13 | -12 | -10 | -7 | -6 | -7 | -6 | -6 | -5 | -3 | -1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 7 | -1 | -5 | -8 | -7 | -3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | -5 | -2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 29 | +28.9% |
| Natural gas0.7% | -16 | -20 | -16 | -10 | -14 | -18 | -9 | -3 | -2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | -0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | +3.1% |
Each cell is that category's change against the same month a year earlier. The percentage beside each category name is its weight in the CPI — how much of a typical household's spending it represents.
About this data
CPI comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED and is published monthly, about two weeks after the month ends — so the headline rate above describes August 2026, not today. Category weights are BLS relative-importance figures, which BLS re-weights each January; that is why the contribution bars carry a small "Other" residual instead of being forced to add up exactly. Breakeven rates are daily and come from the gap between nominal Treasury yields and TIPS — they are what the bond market is pricing, not a forecast we make. Core PCE is the measure the Federal Reserve actually targets; it usually runs a few tenths below CPI because it accounts for people substituting between goods as prices change.
Related: Inflation rate by year · Inflation calculator · Mortgage rates · Macro dashboard
FAQ#
- What is the current US inflation rate?
- 3.7% — consumer prices in August 2026 were that much higher than a year earlier, measured by the Consumer Price Index. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, is 2.8%.
- Why is core inflation different from headline inflation?
- Core inflation excludes food and energy, whose prices swing sharply for reasons unrelated to the broader economy — a cold snap or an oil shock. Economists watch core because it is a better guide to where inflation is heading; households experience headline, because they buy groceries and gasoline.
- What do breakeven inflation rates mean?
- The gap between a regular Treasury bond's yield and an inflation-protected one of the same maturity — what the bond market expects average inflation to be over that period. The 10-year breakeven is 2.33%. Unlike CPI it updates every trading day, which makes it the timeliest inflation signal available.
- Which category has the biggest effect on inflation?
- Shelter — rent and the equivalent cost of living in a home you own — is about 36% of the CPI, far more than any other category. Because it is measured with a long lag, changes in market rents take roughly a year to show up in official inflation.