U.S. BLS
Monthly
CPILFESL
Core CPI (ex food & energy)
YoY
+3.0%
▲
Index 335.4 (prev 334.2)
2026-04-01 as of
CPI excluding volatile food and energy. Used to gauge the underlying trend in prices, and often watched more closely than headline CPI for policy.
Key points
- CPI ex food & energy — shows the underlying trend
- Less swayed by temporary swings; good for the trend
- Closely watched for monetary policy
How to read it
Stripping out food and energy captures "underlying" inflation that is less swayed by temporary factors. Read on a YoY basis; it moves more smoothly than headline CPI. Central banks emphasize core measures for the trend.
Recent trend
| Period | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-01 | 335.42 | +1.26 |
| 2026-03-01 | 334.17 | +0.65 |
| 2026-02-01 | 333.51 | +0.72 |
| 2026-01-01 | 332.79 | +0.98 |
| 2025-12-01 | 331.81 | +0.77 |
| 2025-11-01 | 331.04 | +0.63 |
| 2025-09-01 | 330.42 | +0.72 |
| 2025-08-01 | 329.7 | +1.02 |
| 2025-07-01 | 328.68 | +1.02 |
| 2025-06-01 | 327.66 | +0.77 |
| 2025-05-01 | 326.89 | +0.43 |
| 2025-04-01 | 326.47 | +0.78 |
FAQ
Why exclude food and energy?
Their prices are volatile and driven by temporary factors. Excluding them makes the persistent, underlying trend easier to see.
Sources (primary)
This article is an independent summary based on the official U.S. data below. Please verify the latest and exact details with the official sources.
- FRED (series page)：CPILFESL
- Source agency：U.S. BLS
- FRED last updated：2026-05-12 08:03:59-05
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