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Economic Data Brief |
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Inflation
Consumer Price Index — August 2026
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| CPI-U, all items rose 0.4% in August 2026 to 334.1, +3.4% from a year ago. Prior month: 332.8. | |
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All items
334.1
▲ +0.4% m/m
· +3.4% y/y
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Core CPI
337.8
▲ +0.3% m/m
· +2.4% y/y
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Shelter
430.2
▲ +0.3% m/m
· +3.0% y/y
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Energy
321.1
▲ +2.1% m/m
· +16.0% y/y
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| Revision check| Revision check clear. Prior periods were checked against the values in the last report — no revisions found. All changes below are computed on current-vintage data. |
Key figures| Headline → | August 2026 | July 2026 | M/M chg | M/M % | Y/Y chg | Y/Y % | 12-period trend |
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| CPI-U, all items SA index, 1982-84=100 | 334.1 | 332.8 | ▲ +1.3 | ▲ +0.4% | ▲ +10.8 | ▲ +3.4% | | | Core CPI (ex food & energy) | 337.8 | 336.8 | ▲ +1.0 | ▲ +0.3% | ▲ +8.1 | ▲ +2.4% | | | CPI-U, all items (NSA) not seasonally adjusted — the series used for COLAs | 335.0 | 333.9 | ▲ +1.1 | ▲ +0.3% | ▲ +11.0 | ▲ +3.4% | | | Trend bars show year-over-year % change over the last 13 periods; the latest period is highlighted. |
| Major categories → | August 2026 | July 2026 | M/M chg | M/M % | Y/Y chg | Y/Y % | 12-period trend |
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| Food | 350.3 | 349.9 | ▲ +0.4 | ▲ +0.1% | ▲ +9.0 | ▲ +2.6% | | | Energy | 321.1 | 314.6 | ▲ +6.6 | ▲ +2.1% | ▲ +44.4 | ▲ +16.0% | | | Core goods (commodities ex food & energy) | 167.9 | 167.8 | ▲ +0.2 | ▲ +0.1% | ▲ +1.1 | ▲ +0.7% | | | Core services (services ex energy services) | 447.1 | 445.6 | ▲ +1.5 | ▲ +0.3% | ▲ +13.1 | ▲ +3.0% | | | Shelter | 430.2 | 429.1 | ▲ +1.1 | ▲ +0.3% | ▲ +12.7 | ▲ +3.0% | | | Medical care services | 653.5 | 655.2 | ▼ −1.6 | ▼ −0.2% | ▲ +15.8 | ▲ +2.5% | | | Transportation services | 460.5 | 458.5 | ▲ +2.1 | ▲ +0.5% | ▲ +11.1 | ▲ +2.5% | | | Apparel | 136.5 | 136.4 | ▲ 0.0 | ▲ 0.0% | ▲ +4.8 | ▲ +3.6% | | | Trend bars show year-over-year % change for index series, the level for rates and survey indexes over the last 13 periods; the latest period is highlighted. |
What stood out- The 1.6% monthly gain in Education and communication is the largest on record.
- Core CPI (ex food & energy): up 2.4% from a year ago — the slowest pace since March 2021.
- Motor vehicle insurance: down 5.1% from a year ago — the steepest year-over-year decline since November 2020.
- Owners' equivalent rent: up 3.1% from a year ago — the slowest pace since September 2021.
- Medical care services: up 2.5% from a year ago — the slowest pace since March 2024.
- Core goods (commodities ex food & energy): highest since June 2023 (37 months).
Full detailShow every category and subcategory| Full detail — subcategories → | August 2026 | July 2026 | M/M chg | M/M % | Y/Y chg | Y/Y % |
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| Food at home | 321.3 | 321.2 | ▲ +0.1 | ▲ 0.0% | ▲ +6.7 | ▲ +2.1% | | Food away from home | 397.9 | 396.9 | ▲ +1.0 | ▲ +0.3% | ▲ +13.0 | ▲ +3.4% | | Gasoline (all types) | 345.2 | 332.2 | ▲ +13.0 | ▲ +3.9% | ▲ +74.2 | ▲ +27.4% | | Electricity | 305.4 | 306.1 | ▼ −0.7 | ▼ −0.2% | ▲ +11.1 | ▲ +3.8% | | Utility (piped) gas service | 268.4 | 271.6 | ▼ −3.1 | ▼ −1.1% | ▲ +11.3 | ▲ +4.4% | | Rent of primary residence | 449.3 | 448.5 | ▲ +0.8 | ▲ +0.2% | ▲ +12.0 | ▲ +2.8% | | Owners' equivalent rent | 443.7 | 442.9 | ▲ +0.8 | ▲ +0.2% | ▲ +13.3 | ▲ +3.1% | | New vehicles | 179.3 | 178.8 | ▲ +0.4 | ▲ +0.3% | ▲ +1.0 | ▲ +0.6% | | Used cars and trucks | 181.0 | 180.3 | ▲ +0.7 | ▲ +0.4% | ▼ −4.3 | ▼ −2.3% | | Motor vehicle insurance | 849.8 | 856.3 | ▼ −6.4 | ▼ −0.8% | ▼ −45.9 | ▼ −5.1% | | Airline fares | 323.2 | 314.8 | ▲ +8.4 | ▲ +2.7% | ▲ +61.3 | ▲ +23.4% | | Medical care commodities | 405.5 | 406.5 | ▼ −0.9 | ▼ −0.2% | ▼ −11.2 | ▼ −2.7% | | Recreation | 145.2 | 145.2 | ▲ 0.0 | ▲ 0.0% | ▲ +3.8 | ▲ +2.7% | | Education and communication | 150.1 | 147.7 | ▲ +2.4 | ▲ +1.6% | ▲ +3.2 | ▲ +2.2% |
Sources |
Economic Impact Group, LLC
Economic research for developing communities
Prepared 2026-09-11 13:23 UTC. Green marks an
increase, red a decrease — direction only, not good or bad.
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