Inflation Rate in Percent for Jan 2000-Present
We calculate the Inflation rate (see table below) to two decimal places while the Bureau of Labor Statistics only calculates inflation to one decimal place. Therefore, while being based on the same government Consumer Price index (CPI-U) our data provides a "finer" view.
January
and February 2012 is a perfect example,
according to the government statistics both
months had inflation rates
of 2.9%.
However, our data shows inflation in
January as 2.93% and
in February as 2.87%. Therefore instead
of the inflation rate being "flat"
it is actually falling slightly. Of
course this could just be a statistical anomaly
but..
Using this enhanced view we might be alerted to watch for the possibility of a bigger decline... which in fact did happen as inflation rates for the following months fell to 2.65%, then 2.30% and 1.7%, 1.66%, and finally 1.41% before beginning to rise again.
In another example we see August 2003 and September with the Government saying inflation rates were 2.2% and 2.3% respectively. This would lead us to believe that inflation rose .1% during that period. In actuality however, it rose from 2.16% to 2.32% or a .16% increase, substantially more than .1%! Once again this finer view gives us a better picture that inflation might be rising more than it appeared to be.
The Inflation table below is updated monthly and provides the current US Inflation Rate plus Monthly Inflation Rate data back to January 2000. The Inflation rate is calculated using the Current Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. CPI Index Release Dates
To calculate inflation from a month and year to a later month and year, Try our Inflation calculator
Image courtesy of jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
About Tim McMahon
Work by editor and author, Tim McMahon, has been featured in Bloomberg, CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Forbes, Washington Post, Drudge Report, The Atlantic, Business Insider, American Thinker, Lew Rockwell, Huffington Post, Rolling Stone, Oakland Press, Free Republic, Education World, Realty Trac, Reason, Coin News, and Council for Economic Education. Connect with Tim on Google+
