US Base CPI Index
US Base CPI Index belongs to the Alternative inflation measures table (Value · Monthly), in Index. This United States macroeconomic series is updated regularly and provided free on MacroDataHub, with an interactive chart. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Alternative inflation measures table
| Indicator | 09-2026 | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Index2 | |||||||||||
| Core CPI index | 338.9 | 337.8 | 336.8 | 336.1 | 336.1 | 335.4 | 334.2 | 333.5 | 332.8 | 331.8 | |
| Headline CPI index | 336.3 | 334.1 | 332.8 | 332.6 | 334 | 332.4 | 330.3 | 327.5 | 326.6 | 326 |
Understanding US Base CPI Index
United States Base CPI Index establishes a benchmark level for consumer prices against a fixed historical period, serving as the foundational reference point for calculating subsequent inflation rates. This raw index level aggregates the cost of a broad basket of goods and services consumed by households, functioning as the underlying mathematical denominator from which percentage changes are derived.
Observers do not typically interpret the absolute index level directly for policy or trading decisions, but rather track its rate of change over various time horizons. Revisions to the underlying basket structure occur periodically to reflect evolving consumer habits, making percentage comparisons over twelve-month spans the standard approach for assessing price trends.