When is the next CPI release?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the Consumer Price Index roughly mid-month, covering the prior month. This page updates within a few days of each release.
Inflation by region
May 2026 CPI: prices up 4.2% year over year
The headline inflation number only matters once you translate it into your own goal. Start from the latest official rate for your country or region, then adjust it for the decision you are making.
Country or region
Data: BLS CPI-U (CUUR0000SA0). Latest print: May 2026. Updated June 10, 2026.
May 2026 CPI-U (all items, NSA)
4.2%
year over year
- Region
- US
- Series
- CPI-U, U.S. city average, all-items, NSA
The wedge
What an old income goal needs today to keep buying power.
Each row takes a goal set some years ago and compounds it forward at the selected 4.2% YoY rate — the same math as the inflation-adjusted income goal calculator. The number on the right is what that goal needs to be today to buy what it used to.
| Goal set … | 1 year ago | 3 years ago | 5 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|
| $75,000 | $78,150 | $84,852 | $92,130 |
| $100,000 | $104,200 | $113,137 | $122,840 |
| $150,000 | $156,300 | $169,705 | $184,259 |
Compounding uses a constant annual rate equal to the latest YoY print; real inflation varies year to year, so treat these as planning estimates, not predictions.
What to do with this
Turn the number into a target you can track.
Inflation calculator
Inflation-adjusted income goal calculator
Calculate how much your income goal needs to rise to keep the same buying power after inflation, then track the goal in Goal Cue.
Open at 4.2% inflation
Raise calculator
Salary inflation calculator
Check whether a raise beats inflation, how much salary is needed to keep buying power, and what that means for your yearly income goal.
Open at 4.2% inflation
Freelance pace
Freelance income goal calculator
Calculate where freelance, creator, contractor, or 1099 income should be by now and what weekly pace is needed to hit the annual goal.
Open calculator
Cost of living
Cost of living income calculator
See the income you'd need in a more or less expensive place to keep your current lifestyle — and whether a job offer there measures up.
Open calculator
Read the deeper play: how to set an inflation-adjusted income goal, or whether your raise actually beat inflation.
Which CPI series does this page use?
The default U.S. view uses BLS CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted (series CUUR0000SA0). The region picker also includes a curated set of official headline CPI/HICP rates for other common Goal Cue countries and regions.
Is the headline a forecast or the actual print?
The headline number is the actual BLS print. The worked examples apply that rate as a constant compounding assumption to translate an income goal into today’s buying power — it is planning math, not a forecast of future inflation.
Keep the adjusted goal honest all year.
A monthly number is a starting point. Goal Cue turns the adjusted target into expected-by-now progress, actual earnings, and the pace needed from here — so the goal does not quietly slip behind.
Download Goal Cue