U.S. Inflation :: Current Median CPI
News release: October 16, 2012
Median CPI Up 0.2% in September
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the median Consumer Price Index rose 0.2% (2.6% annualized rate) in September. The 16% trimmed-mean Consumer Price Index increased 0.2% (2.6% annualized rate) during the month. The median CPI and 16% trimmed-mean CPI are measures of core inflation calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland based on data released in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) monthly CPI report.
Earlier today, the BLS reported that the seasonally adjusted CPI for all urban consumers rose 0.6% (7.1% annualized rate) in September. The CPI less food and energy increased 0.1% (1.8% annualized rate) on a seasonally adjusted basis.
Over the last 12 months, the median CPI rose 2.3%, the trimmed-mean CPI rose 1.9%, the CPI rose 2.0%, and the CPI less food and energy rose 2.0%
In September 2007, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland changed the way it constructs its median and trimmed-mean consumer price index (CPI) measures. The change was made to address potential distortions in the data’s inflation signals caused by the unusually large weight given to one component of the CPI: Owners’ Equivalent Rent (OER). By breaking the OER into four regional subindexes, the revised methodology improves the ability of the Bank’s trimmed-mean CPI data, particularly the median CPI, to measure underlying inflation trends. See the full report or download the pdf.
| Percent change from previous month | ||||||
| Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | |
| CPI | 0.0 | -0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| CPI less food and energy | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 16% trimmed-mean CPI | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Median CPI | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Percent change, past 12 months | ||||||
| Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | |
| CPI* | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.0 |
| CPI less food and energy* | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.0 |
| 16% trimmed-mean CPI | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Median CPI | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Note: All data are seasonally adjusted. *Calculated using nonseasonally adjusted indexes. |
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Disaggregated Median CPI Data
You can see this month's weightings for individual Median CPI components here.
NOTE: This release is now available via E-mail. Contact brent.h.meyer@clev.frb.org