What are the biggest drivers of inflation in the past year?
Updated monthly
From January 2025 to January 2026, mostly housing. During that time frame, housing price increases accounted for five-eighths of the overall inflation rate. The inflation rate is calculated using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks the price changes of a consistent basket of goods and services over time. As of January 2026, overall prices increased 2.4% over the previous year. Each item in this basket is given a weight that reflects how much the average urban household spends on it. Items with higher weights, like shelter, tend to have a larger impact on the overall inflation rate than categories with lower weights. By examining the price changes across different categories, we can better understand the factors contributing to the current inflation rate.
2.4%
annual inflation rate, all items (Jan 2025 to Jan 2026)
5/8
of the inflation rate was driven by prices changes in housing
The basket of goods and services used to calculate the Consumer Price Index (CPI) includes more than 200 individual items, grouped into eight major categories. These categories are:
- housing
- transportation
- food and beverages
- medical care
- education and communication
- recreation
- other goods and services
- apparel
All eight categories have their own inflation rates that contribute to the overall inflation rate. If prices decrease in a category, its inflation rate is negative and it brings the overall inflation rate down.
In January 2026, the overall inflation rate for all items regardless of category was 2.4%. Of this, 1.5 percentage points came from price increases in housing. Housing accounted for about five-eighths of the annual inflation rate.
In January 2026, housing contributed 1.5 percentage points to the 2.4% overall inflation rate.
Components of year-over-year percent change of CPI-U, all items, not seasonally adjusted
The weight assigned to each category reflects its relative importance in a typical household’s budget, determined based on surveys of more than 20,000 households and individuals. Housing, which includes shelter, utilities, and household operations, holds the largest share of the CPI. Food and beverages have the second-highest weight, while medical care is third. Food and beverages had a 0.41 percentage point contribution to the annual inflation rate in January 2026. Medical care had a 0.26 percentage point contribution.
Housing accounts for the largest portion of the CPI.
Relative importance in the CPI-U, by goods and services, as of January 2026
Regardless of the importance of categories within the CPI, looking at the inflation rate of each category can provide an understanding of how much prices are increasing or decreasing.
The highest inflation rate among the eight categories was that of housing. Housing prices were 3.4% higher in January 2026 than they were a year before.
At the other extreme during the same period, transportation prices dropped 1.1% from a year before.
In January 2026, other goods and services prices were 5.9% higher than they were a year before.
Year-over-year percent change of CPI-U (Jan 2025 to Jan 2026), not seasonally adjusted
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.