The annual inflation rate for the United States is 6.5% for the 12 months ended December 2022 after rising 7.1% previously, according to U.S. Labor Department data published Jan. 12. The next inflation update is scheduled for release on Feb. 14, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. ET. It will offer the rate of inflation over the 12 months ended January 2023.

The chart and table below display annual US inflation rates for calendar years from 2000 and 2012 to 2022. (For prior years, see historical inflation rates.) If you would like to calculate accumulated rates between two different dates, use the US Inflation Calculator.

*The latest inflation data (12-month based) is always displayed in the chart’s final column.

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 2021 was 7.0%.

The last column, “Ave,” shows the average inflation rate for each year using CPI data, which was 4.7% in 2021. 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.

 

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%.

Table: 2022 CPI and Inflation Rates for the U.S.

This last table shows the CPI and the same annual inflation rates as the table above, but only for calendar year 2022.

In addition and for reference, it has the seasonally adjusted changes for the month — the CPI’s headline monthly inflation rate. (Generally, reported and usually talked about numbers for a month are seasonally adjusted while those for a year are not seasonally adjusted. See seasonally adjusted versus unadjusted.)