Consumer Price Inflation
How fast are prices rising?
The yearly change in everyday prices, in the US and the euro area.
How much prices rose in a year, US and euro area
Prices each month compared with the same month a year earlier. A falling line above zero means prices are still rising, just more slowly. Below zero, prices fell. Bitcoin’s monthly average price is the white line, with its prices on the far right.
How much prices rose in a year, without food and energy
Prices compared with a year earlier, with food and energy left out because those prices jump around the most. It shows the steadier trend underneath. Bitcoin’s monthly average price is the white line, with its prices on the far right.
Right now
US prices are 3.7% higher than a year earlier.
For Sep 2026.
Euro area prices
Up 4% in a year
For Oct 2026.
US prices without food and energy
Up 2.6% in a year
For Sep 2026.
Euro area prices without food and energy
Up 2.5% in a year
For Oct 2026.
This is a measure of the wider economy. It does not say where Bitcoin will move.
Changes in how these figures are measured
- In January 2026, the euro area price measure added Bulgaria and changed its purchase categories. The figures before and after the change are joined so they can still be compared.
Understanding
Consumer Price Inflation
US prices are 3.7% higher than a year earlier as of .
Euro area prices are 4% higher than a year earlier as of .
US prices without food and energy are 2.6% higher than a year earlier as of .
Euro area prices without food and energy are 2.5% higher than a year earlier as of .
What is inflation?
Inflation is how fast prices are rising in general. A figure of 3% means the same basket of things households buy, from food and rent to cars and insurance, costs 3% more than a year earlier, so each dollar or euro buys a little less. The euro area is the group of European countries that use the euro.
Why leave out food and energy?
Food and fuel prices can jump or fall sharply from month to month because of weather, wars or supply problems. Leaving them out shows the steadier trend underneath. Central banks watch this kind of figure closely, but their 2% targets cover all prices, and the Federal Reserve’s target uses a different price index from the one shown here.
Why do people look at it next to Bitcoin?
Only 21 million Bitcoin can ever exist, so some people buy it hoping to keep their savings from losing value as prices rise. Inflation also shapes the interest rates central banks set. Bitcoin has not reliably risen with inflation: in 2022, US prices rose at their fastest pace in about forty years, while Bitcoin’s price fell by more than half.
How is it worked out?
Each figure compares prices in a month with the same month one year earlier, as published. The US measure is the consumer price index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The euro area measure is Eurostat’s harmonised index of consumer prices, and its figure without food and energy also leaves out alcohol and tobacco. The biggest difference between the two is housing: the US figure includes an estimate of what homeowners would pay to rent their own homes, and the euro area figure leaves homeowners’ housing costs out. So part of any gap between the two lines comes from how they are measured.
What does it not tell you?
It is an average across a long list of purchases, so your own costs can rise faster or slower. It does not say where Bitcoin will move.
Keep exploring
Source: Maketo, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Eurostat. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.