U.S. consumer prices rose in April after falling in March – the first monthly decline in nearly five years – according to a government report released Tuesday, May 13. Despite the monthly increase, inflation over the past year reached its softest pace since early 2021.
April’s overall price gains were driven primarily by an increase in shelter costs, while categories such as food, gasoline, and clothing posted declines.
"The index for shelter rose 0.3 percent in April, accounting for more than half of the all items monthly increase," the inflation report noted.
The headline monthly inflation figure showed a 0.2% increase in U.S. consumer prices for April, following a 0.1% rise in March – the smallest gain since May 2020, according to the Labor Department’s May 13 Consumer Price Index (CPI) report. The widely expected consensus had projected a 0.3% monthly increase.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key inflation gauge, measures what American consumers pay for a wide range of everyday goods and services, from clothing to cars.
Food prices overall dipped 0.1% in April, reversing March’s 0.4% gain. Grocery store prices fell 0.4% after rising 0.5% the month before, while restaurant prices climbed 0.4% for a third month in a row. Notably, egg prices tumbled 12.7% for the month – though they remained 49.3% higher than a year ago.
Over the past year, food prices rose 2.8%, easing from 3% in March. Grocery prices were up 2%, down from 2.4% previously, while dining-out costs increased 3.9%, slightly above March’s 3.8% pace.
In other sectors, gasoline prices slipped 0.1% in April, following a 6.3% decline in March. Year over year, gas prices were down 11.8%, extending March’s 9.8% annual drop.
The broader energy index, which includes gasoline, electricity, and fuel oil, rose 0.4% in April after a 2.4% decline in March. Over the past year, energy prices fell 3.7%, adding to previous 3.3% decrease.
Excluding volatile food and energy components, the rate of core consumer prices rose 0.2% in April, up from the previous 0.1% increase and one-tenth of a percentage point below expectations.
Shelter costs rose 0.3% in April, up from March’s 0.2% increase, marking the 60th consecutive monthly rise. Over the past year, shelter prices climbed 4% for the second time in a row.
Other recent 12-month comparisons show gains of 4.2% in February, 4.4% in January, 4.6% in December, 4.7% in November, 4.9% in both October and September, 5.2% in August, 5.1% in July, 5.2% in June, 5.4% in May, 5.5% in April, 5.7% in both March and February, 6% in January, 6.2% in December 2023, 6.5% in November 2023, 6.7% in October 2023, 7.2% in September 2023, 7.3% in August 2023, 7.7% in July 2023, 7.8% in June 2023, 8% in May 2023, 8.1% in April 2023, and 8.2% in March 2023, the latter being the most significant annual increase since June 1982.
The shelter component of the CPI includes prices for items such as apartment rents, owners’ equivalent rent – a measure of what homeowners would pay to rent or earn from renting their property – lodging away from home like hotels and motels, and housing at schools.
In other key pricing categories:
- Clothing prices fell 0.2% in April, following a 0.4% increase in March, and were 0.7% lower than a year earlier.
- New vehicle prices were flat for the month after 0.1% uptick in March, while year-over-year they increased by 0.3%.
- Used car and truck prices declined 0.5% in April, after a 0.7% drop the month before, though they were still up 1.5% from a year earlier.
- Airline fares fell 2.8% in April, following a 5.3% declined in March, and were down 7.9% over the past year.
For the headline annual rate, inflation rose 2.3% over the 12 months ending in April – the lowest since February 2021, when it stood at 1.7%. That is down from 2.4% in March and one-tenth of a percentage point below forecasts.
For a broader perspective and a look further back, the inflation rate peaked at 9.1% during the 12-month period ending in June 2022. This was the fastest rate of inflation since November 1981. Additionally, until March 2023, inflation rates had remained at or above 6% for 17 consecutive months.
For a second straight month and in line with expectations, core inflation rose 2.8% over the year through April – the lowest since March 2021. This core, "all items less food and energy" index, is one of the benchmark inflation rates monitored by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to guide the central bank in setting its key interest rate.
In September 2022, the annual core inflation rate at 6.6% was the highest since August 1982. Many economists consider the core reading as a better predictor for future inflation.
The following table of key inflation figures is for the last seven months through April, as published by the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov/cpi) on May 13, 2025. To index the data each month, the BLS monitors the prices of about 80,000 consumer goods and services from around the nation. All monthly and annual pricing changes are in percentages.
October 2024 to April 2025 Consumer Prices – Gains & Losses in Percent
(Seasonally Adjusted from Prior Month and Unadjusted 12-Month)
| Oct 2024 | Nov 2024 | Dec 2024 | Jan 2025 | Feb 2025 | Mar 2025 | Apr 2025 | 12 Month | |
| All items | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | -0.1 | 0.2 | 2.3 |
| Food | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | -0.1 | 2.8 |
| Food at home | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | -0.4 | 2.0 |
| Food away from home | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 3.9 |
| Energy | -0.2 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | -2.4 | 0.7 | -3.7 |
| Energy commodities | -1.1 | 0.2 | 3.9 | 1.9 | -0.9 | -6.1 | -0.2 | -11.5 |
| Gasoline (all types) | -1.0 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 1.8 | -1.0 | -6.3 | -0.1 | -11.8 |
| Fuel oil | -2.3 | -1.4 | 2.1 | 6.2 | 0.8 | -4.2 | -1.3 | -9.6 |
| Energy services | 0.7 | -0.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 6.2 |
| Electricity | 0.8 | -0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 3.6 |
| Utility (piped) gas service | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 15.7 |
| All items less food, energy | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 2.8 |
| Commodities less food, energy | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | -0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| New vehicles | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Used cars and trucks | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 0.9 | -0.7 | -0.5 | 1.5 |
| Apparel | -0.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | -1.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | -0.2 | -0.7 |
| Medical care | -0.2 | -0.1 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 0.1 | -1.1 | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Services less energy | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 3.6 |
| Shelter | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 4.0 |
| Transportation | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.8 | -0.8 | -1.4 | 0.1 | 2.5 |
| Medical care | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 3.1 |
The BLS releases inflation data around the middle of the month, covering consumer prices surveyed up to the previous month. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May and the latest annual period will be made public on June 11, 2025.
The CPI data is also used to calculate inflation rates and power this site’s U.S. Inflation Calculator, which displays the cumulative inflation and the change in the buying power of the U.S. dollar over time.
