About the core inflation rate
Core inflation is the 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index excluding food and energy, whose prices swing with weather, harvests and oil markets. Removing them shows the underlying trend in prices that tends to persist, such as rents, services and most goods.
Economists and the Federal Reserve watch core CPI to tell a temporary price shock from lasting inflation. The data are seasonally adjusted and published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Core Inflation Rate by year
| Year | Average | High | Low | December / latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to Sep) | 2.6% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 2.6% |
| 2025 | 2.9% | 3.3% | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| 2024 | 3.4% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 3.2% |
| 2023 | 4.8% | 5.6% | 3.9% | 3.9% |
| 2022 | 6.2% | 6.6% | 5.7% | 5.7% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | 5.5% | 1.3% | 5.5% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | 2.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.3% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.2% |
| 2017 | 1.8% | 2.2% | 1.6% | 1.8% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.2% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.1% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1.6% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | 2.0% | 1.6% | 1.7% |
| 2012 | 2.1% | 2.3% | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | 2.3% | 1.0% | 2.3% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | 1.5% | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | 1.9% | 1.4% | 1.8% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | 2.5% | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | 2.7% | 2.1% | 2.4% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | 2.9% | 2.1% | 2.6% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | 2.4% | 1.9% | 2.1% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | 2.3% | 1.1% | 2.3% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | 2.0% | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | 2.6% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 2.8% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 2.6% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | 2.3% | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| 1998 | 2.3% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.5% |
| 1997 | 2.4% | 2.6% | 2.2% | 2.3% |
Monthly values. The last 30 years are shown; the chart above has the full history since January 1958.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the current core inflation rate?
The core inflation rate was 2.6% in September 2026, down 0.5 points from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What was the highest core inflation rate on record?
Since January 1958, the highest reading was 13.6% in June 1980 and the lowest was 0.6% in October 2010.
Where does this data come from?
The numbers are published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and distributed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in FRED (series CPILFESL). They are US government statistics in the public domain. Quotelinks checks for new data every day.
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