Inflation Distribution

This is a tool to visualize the distribution of price inflation for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE). All values are seasonally-adjusted and annualized.

Data last updated: Jan 24th, 2024.

You can right-click on the graphic to save it. Notes:

1. CPI Distribution:

• Date Range and Data Source: From January 2011 through the most recent month. The sourcing is from the BLS flat files, located here.

• Item Categories: The CPI distribution encompasses a total of 179 unique and non-overlapping item categories.

• Coverage: These categories collectively account for approximately 85 percent of the total consumer basket, offering a broad spectrum analysis of consumer expenditure patterns.

• Regional Housing Data: Unlike methodologies employed by the Cleveland Fed, our current CPI distribution does not differentiate housing data by region (while applying new seasonal adjustments). This limitation means our housing data may present less dispersion (see more here).

2. PCE Distribution:

• Date Range and Data Source: From January 1970 through the most recent month. The sourcing is from the NIPA flat files, located here.

• Item Categories: The PCE distribution is detailed, featuring 131 distinct, non-overlapping item categories.

• Coverage: These items are classified under a ‘level 4’ categorization system, or four levels down within the underlying NIPA categories. The PCE distribution is exhaustive, representing around 100 percent of nominal spending, thereby providing a complete overview of spending in the economy.

3. Notes Distribution:

• You can access the underlying distribution data here.

• “Exclude Top/Bottom Percent” (currently) is by the unweighted percent number of items, not by their expenditure weights (contrasted with the 16 percent trimmed-mean CPI, which excludes the top and bottom 8 percent of expenditures).

This page was last updated on March 17, 2025. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!