Consumer Prices Rose 1.3% in June

Washington, DC, July 13, 2022- The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 1.3% in June on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 1.0% in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. 

Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 9.1% before seasonal adjustment.

The increase was broad-based, with the indexes for gasoline, shelter, and food being the largest contributors. The energy index rose 7.5% over the month and contributed nearly half of the all items increase, with the gasoline index rising 11.2% and the other major component indexes also rising. The food index rose 1.0% in June, as did the food at home index. 

The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.7 percent in June, after increasing 0.6% in the preceding two months. While almost all major component indexes increased over the month, the largest contributors were the indexes for shelter, used cars and trucks, medical care, motor vehicle insurance, and new vehicles. The indexes for motor vehicle repair, apparel, household furnishings and operations, and recreation also increased in June. Among the few major component indexes to decline in June were lodging away from home and airline fares.

The all items index increased 9.1% for the 12 months ending June, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending November 1981. The all items less food and energy index rose 5.9% over the last 12 months. The energy index rose 41.6% over the last year, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending April 1980. The food index increased 10.4% for the 12-months ending June, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending February 1981.

According to the Wall Street Journal, "U.S. inflation reached 9.1% in June, its highest rate in nearly 41 years, the Labor Department said.

"The consumer-price index’s pace for June eclipsed May’s annual rate of 8.6% that led Federal Reserve officials to shift to a faster pace of benchmark interest-rate increases, according to meeting minutes released last week.

"Investor expectations of slowing economic growth world-wide have led to a decline in commodity prices in recent weeks, including for oil, copper, wheat and corn, after those prices rose sharply following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Retailers have warned of the need to discount goods, especially apparel and home goods, that are out of sync with customer preferences as spending shifts to services and away from goods, and consumers spend down elevated savings. Economists expect those developments to subdue price pressures in the coming months."