The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the prices of goods and services across the nation.
October 10, 2025
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definition
Basic definition of the CPI as produced by the BLS.
U.S. law requires the Social Security Administration to calculate Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) using third-quarter Consumer Price Index data and to publish those COLA increases before November 1.
October 10, 2025
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policy
Statutory requirement that links CPI third-quarter data to Social Security COLA publication timing.
The Federal Reserve considers Consumer Price Index data as one of the data inputs when making interest rate decisions.
October 10, 2025
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practice
Role of CPI in informing monetary policy decisions by the Federal Reserve.
The U.S. Consumer Price Index (headline CPI) increased 3.0% year-over-year in September 2025, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
September 01, 2025
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temporal
Headline inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on an annual basis.
On a monthly basis, U.S. consumer prices rose 0.3% in September 2025, while core CPI rose 0.2% in the same month, as reported by the U.S. Labor Department.
September 01, 2025
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temporal
Month-over-month changes in headline and core CPI measure short-term price movement.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached 9.1% year-over-year in June 2022, constituting a 40-year high in U.S. inflation.
June 01, 2022
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temporal
Historic peak in U.S. year-over-year CPI inflation.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures price changes in a basket of goods and services typically bought by consumers.
high
definition
Basic description of the CPI as a consumer price measure.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a federal economic measure of price changes and inflation used by markets and policymakers.
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temporal
Roles and purpose of the CPI in economic measurement and policy.