U.S. CPI Rose 0.3% in February, With the 12-Month Increase Holding at 2.4%
On March 11, 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for February 2026: the index rose 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, after rising 0.2 percent in January, and was up 2.4 percent over the last 12 months, the same annual increase as reported for January.
The shelter index rose 0.2 percent and was the largest factor in the monthly increase; within it, the rent index rose 0.1 percent, its smallest one-month increase since January 2021. The food index rose 0.4 percent and the energy index rose 0.6 percent, with gasoline up 0.8 percent and natural gas up 3.1 percent, while electricity fell 0.7 percent. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent over the month and 2.5 percent over the year, its annual increase also unchanged from January.
Among the gainers were medical care, apparel (up 1.3 percent), airline fares (up 1.4 percent) and education, while communication, used cars and trucks, motor vehicle insurance and personal care declined. Over the last 12 months, food rose 3.1 percent and energy rose 0.5 percent, with the eggs index down 42.1 percent. The CPI-U stood at an index level of 326.785 (1982-84=100). The bureau noted that data for October and November 2025 are unavailable because of the 2025 lapse in appropriations.
Related: U.S. CPI Rose 0.3% in December 2025, With the 12-Month Increase Holding at 2.7%
Related: U.S. Payrolls Fell by 92,000 in February as the Unemployment Rate Held at 4.4 Percent
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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