CPI release
CPI report: August 2022
Consumer prices rose 8.3% in the 12 months through August 2022, down from 8.5% in July. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, ran 6.3%. The CPI-U index stood at 296.171, a -0.0% change from the prior month (not seasonally adjusted).
The numbers
| Headline inflation (12-month) | 8.3% |
|---|---|
| Core inflation (12-month) | 6.3% |
| CPI-U index level | 296.171 |
| Change vs. prior month (NSA) | -0.0% |
What moved: inflation by category
Over the twelve months ending August 2022, prices rose fastest in airline fares (33.4%), utility (piped) gas service (33.0%), gasoline (all types) (25.6%).
| Category | 12-month rate | vs. prior month (NSA) |
|---|---|---|
| Airline fares | 33.4% | -8.8% |
| Utility (piped) gas service | 33.0% | 3.9% |
| Gasoline (all types) | 25.6% | -12.2% |
| Energy | 23.8% | -6.2% |
| Electricity | 15.8% | 1.1% |
| Food at home | 13.5% | 0.7% |
| Transportation | 13.4% | -3.1% |
| Food | 11.4% | 0.8% |
| New vehicles | 10.1% | 0.6% |
| Motor vehicle insurance | 8.7% | 1.0% |
| Food away from home | 8.0% | 0.9% |
| Housing | 7.8% | 0.7% |
| Used cars and trucks | 7.8% | -0.4% |
| Rent of primary residence | 6.7% | 0.8% |
| Core (all items less food & energy) | 6.3% | 0.5% |
| Owners' equivalent rent | 6.3% | 0.7% |
| Shelter | 6.2% | 0.7% |
| Medical care | 5.4% | 0.7% |
| Apparel | 5.1% | 1.7% |
| Recreation | 4.1% | 0.3% |
| Prescription drugs | 3.2% | 0.4% |
| College tuition and fees | 2.8% | 1.3% |
| Education & communication | 0.5% | 0.4% |
Recent months
| Month | CPI-U | 12-month rate |
|---|---|---|
| August 2022 | 296.171 | 8.3% |
| July 2022 | 296.276 | 8.5% |
| June 2022 | 296.311 | 9.1% |
| May 2022 | 292.296 | 8.6% |
| April 2022 | 289.109 | 8.3% |
| March 2022 | 287.504 | 8.5% |
Put it in context
- The current inflation rate, to check whether this is still the latest reading
- What 2021 dollars are worth in 2022, the year-over-year conversion
- Inflation in 2022, the full year in review
- How the BLS turns 80,000 prices into this number
- How to read a CPI report, headline vs. core and what moves after release day
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted (official CPI news releases). Category series are listed on the data sources page. See the methodology.