The annual inflation rate for the United States is 1.3% for the 12 months ended August 2020 as compared to 1.0% previously, according to U.S. Labor Department data published on September 11, 2020. The next inflation update is scheduled for release on October 13, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. ET. It will offer the rate of inflation over the 12 months ended September 2020.

The chart and table below display annual US inflation rates for calendar years from 2000 and 2010 to 2020. (For prior years, see historical inflation rates.) If you would like to calculate accumulated rates between two different dates, use the US Inflation Calculator.

*For 2020, the most recent monthly inflation data (12-month based) is displayed in the chart.

Table: Annual Inflation Rates by Month and Year

Since figures below are 12-month periods, look to the December column to find inflation rates by calendar year. For example, the rate of inflation in 2019 was 2.3%.

The last column, “Ave,” shows the average inflation rate for each year, which was 1.8% in 2019. They are published by the BLS but are rarely discussed in news media, taking a back seat to a calendar year’s actual rate of inflation.

Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Ave 2020 2.5 2.3 1.5 0.3 0.1 0.6 1.0 1.3 2019 1.6 1.5 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.1 2.3 1.8 2018 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.7 2.3 2.5 2.2 1.9 2.4 2017 2.5 2.7 2.4 2.2 1.9 1.6 1.7 1.9 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.1 2.1 2016 1.4 1.0 0.9 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.8 1.1 1.5 1.6 1.7 2.1 1.3 2015 -0.1 0.0 -0.1 -0.2 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.1 2014 1.6 1.1 1.5 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.0 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.3 0.8 1.6 2013 1.6 2.0 1.5 1.1 1.4 1.8 2.0 1.5 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.5 2012 2.9 2.9 2.7 2.3 1.7 1.7 1.4 1.7 2.0 2.2 1.8 1.7 2.1 2011 1.6 2.1 2.7 3.2 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.4 3.0 3.2 2010 2.6 2.1 2.3 2.2 2.0 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.5 1.6 2009 0 0.2 -0.4 -0.7 -1.3 -1.4 -2.1 -1.5 -1.3 -0.2 1.8 2.7 -0.4 2008 4.3 4.0 4.0 3.9 4.2 5.0 5.6 5.4 4.9 3.7 1.1 0.1 3.8 2007 2.1 2.4 2.8 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.4 2.0 2.8 3.5 4.3 4.1 2.8 2006 4.0 3.6 3.4 3.5 4.2 4.3 4.1 3.8 2.1 1.3 2.0 2.5 3.2 2005 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.5 2.8 2.5 3.2 3.6 4.7 4.3 3.5 3.4 3.4 2004 1.9 1.7 1.7 2.3 3.1 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.5 3.2 3.5 3.3 2.7 2003 2.6 3.0 3.0 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.0 1.8 1.9 2.3 2002 1.1 1.1 1.5 1.6 1.2 1.1 1.5 1.8 1.5 2.0 2.2 2.4 1.6 2001 3.7 3.5 2.9 3.3 3.6 3.2 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.1 1.9 1.6 2.8 2000 2.7 3.2 3.8 3.1 3.2 3.7 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4

Calculating Annual Inflation Rates

Annual rates of inflation are calculated using 12-month selections of the Consumer Price Index which is published monthly by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

For example, to calculate the inflation rate for January 2017, subtract the January 2016 CPI of "236.916" from the January 2017 CPI of "242.839." The result is "5.923." Divide this number by the January 2016 CPI and then multiply by 100 and add a % sign.

The result is January’s annual inflation rate of 2.5%.