CPIAUCSLConsumer Price Index (CPI) (CPIAUCSL) — Current Value & Historical Data
Consumer Price Index (CPI) (CPIAUCSL) Chart & Data Table
Gray bands: NBER recessions·Dashed lines: key policy events
What is Consumer Price Index (CPI) (CPIAUCSL)?
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) measures the average change over time in prices paid by U.S. urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services, published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is the headline U.S. inflation gauge: Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, federal income-tax bracket indexing, and most consumer-facing inflation discussions reference CPI. The index draws from roughly 80,000 prices collected each month across 75 metropolitan areas, weighted by household spending shares from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, with shelter carrying roughly a third of the total weight. Year-over-year CPI peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 — the highest reading since November 1981 — during the post-COVID inflation surge, before cooling back toward the Federal Reserve's 2% target. The Fed, however, formally targets PCE inflation rather than CPI for policy decisions.
Current Consumer Price Index (CPI) (CPIAUCSL) Value
As of June 1, 2026, the current consumer price index for all urban consumers: all items in u.s. city average is 332.57 Index 1982-1984=100. This is the most recent observation available for this series, updated monthly.
Consumer Price Index (CPI) Historical Trend
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average fell 0.42% month-over-month. Over the past year, consumer price index for all urban consumers: all items in u.s. city average rose 3.73% from May 2025. In the series' tracked history, the highest recorded value was 333.98 (May 2026), and the lowest was 21.48 (January 1947).
Why Consumer Price Index (CPI) matters for government spending
CPI drives federal spending directly through indexation. Social Security benefits, federal pensions, SNAP, and dozens of other programs receive annual cost-of-living adjustments tied to the CPI-W variant, so a hotter CPI mechanically raises mandatory outlays the following year; CPI also indexes income-tax brackets and the standard deduction. With Social Security alone paying more than $1.4 trillion a year, even a few tenths of a percentage point on the COLA translates into billions of dollars of additional federal spending — making CPI one of the most budgetarily consequential numbers the government publishes.
Methodology & Source
Source
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Frequency
Monthly
Units
Index 1982-1984=100
Notes
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items (CPIAUCSL) is a price index of a basket of goods and services paid by urban consumers. Percent changes in the price index measure the inflation rate between any two time periods. The most common inflation metric is the percent change from o...
Frequently Asked Questions About Consumer Price Index (CPI) (CPIAUCSL)
What is the current consumer price index for all urban consumers: all items in u.s. city average?
As of June 1, 2026, consumer price index for all urban consumers: all items in u.s. city average stands at 332.57 Index 1982-1984=100.
Where does consumer price index for all urban consumers: all items in u.s. city average data come from?
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average data is sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) system and related U.S. government agencies. Data quality and historical coverage vary by series.
How often is consumer price index for all urban consumers: all items in u.s. city average updated?
This series is updated according to its publication schedule. Check FRED or the source agency for the most current release calendar.
What is the historical high and low for consumer price index for all urban consumers: all items in u.s. city average?
In the available data, the highest value was 333.98 Index 1982-1984=100 in May 2026, and the lowest was 21.48 Index 1982-1984=100 in January 1947.
How has consumer price index for all urban consumers: all items in u.s. city average changed over the past year?
Over the past year, consumer price index for all urban consumers: all items in u.s. city average increased 3.73%.
See Consumer Price Index (CPI) in context
CPIAUCSL is tracked on the Inflation dashboard, alongside related indicators and historical context.
View the Inflation dashboard →Related government-spending dashboards
How Consumer Price Index (CPI) connects to the federal budget across GOVSPENDING.ORG:
Federal Debt
Total public debt, debt held by the public, and intragovernmental holdings.
Receipts vs Outlays
Federal revenue, spending, and the resulting surplus or deficit over time.
Congressional Activity
Recent legislation, appropriations, and fiscal-related bills in Congress.
Interest Expense vs Revenue
How rising debt service costs crowd out federal spending as a share of receipts over time.
Revenue Composition
Federal receipts broken down by source — individual income, corporate, social insurance, excise taxes, and customs duties as shares of total revenue.
Agency Spending (FY 2019 vs FY 2024)
Net outlays by federal agency for FY 2019 and FY 2024, from the Treasury Monthly Treasury Statement. Both nominal and inflation-adjusted comparisons.
Related Indicators
Compare Consumer Price Index (CPI) with related indicators
See how Consumer Price Index (CPI) stacks up against related series in a side-by-side chart and explainer:
CPI vs PCE
CPI and PCE are the two main U.S. inflation gauges. They usually move together but measure different baskets with different weights — and the gap between them drives where the Fed sets policy.
CPI vs PPI
The Producer Price Index (PPI) measures prices received by domestic producers. Changes in PPI often show up in CPI several months later — making PPI a leading indicator of consumer inflation.
CPI vs Average Hourly Earnings
Real wage growth — wage gains minus inflation — is what actually determines whether households are getting ahead. Compare nominal wage growth and CPI inflation directly.
M2 Money Supply vs CPI
Monetarists argue money-supply growth eventually drives inflation. The 2020–22 episode — M2 surging, then CPI surging — is the clearest test in a generation.
Unemployment Rate vs CPI (Phillips Curve)
The Phillips Curve hypothesis: low unemployment leads to higher wages and then higher inflation; high unemployment cools both. The history is more complicated.