What is the current rate of inflation? Is it the same thing as the Consumer Price Index?
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is one measure of inflation. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is one measure of inflation. The CPI measures inflation as experienced by consumers in their day-to-day living expenses; it is the ratio of the value of a basket of goods in the current year to the value of that same basket of goods in an earlier year. The most recent CPI data is available on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site. Another measure of inflation, “core inflation,” is discussed on the Ask Dr. Econ” section of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Web site.
