Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI, Employment & Economic Indicators

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the most market-moving statistical agency in the world. A single monthly release — the Employment Situation report, published at 8:30 a.m. on the first Friday of each month — can shift 10-year Treasury yields by 10 or more basis points within milliseconds of publication, move equity markets by 1–2%, and reprice Federal Reserve rate expectations by tens of basis points before the opening bell. BLS is the principal federal statistical agency for labor economics, established under 29 U.S.C. § 1 within the Department of Labor but operationally independent: by longstanding norm, the Commissioner is Senate-confirmed and statistical releases cannot be previewed or altered by political appointees. With roughly 2,400 staff and a budget of ~$700 million annually, BLS produces the price, employment, pay, productivity, and safety data that anchor U.S. economic policy, collective bargaining, Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, and trillions of dollars in indexed financial contracts.

Legal Authority

BLS operates under 29 U.S.C. § 1, which directs the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to "acquire and diffuse … useful information on subjects connected with labor." The Commissioner is presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed under 29 U.S.C. § 2. BLS statistical practices are governed by OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 1 (SPD 1), which requires that federal statistical agencies operate free from political interference and that no agency personnel preview or alter data before public release. The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA, 44 U.S.C. § 3572) protects the identity of BLS survey respondents and prohibits disclosure of individually identifiable data for non-statistical purposes. BLS data collection authority flows from the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. § 3501), which requires OMB clearance for all federal surveys; BLS maintains OMB approvals for each of its major surveys (CPS, CES, CPI, JOLTS, ECI, OEWS, SOII). The Federal Statistical System is coordinated by the Chief Statistician in OMB's Statistical and Science Policy Office, which sets government-wide standards that BLS must follow.

Key Mechanics

BLS operates two parallel data-collection pipelines — establishment surveys and household surveys — that produce distinct but complementary labor market pictures:

Establishment surveys (payroll-based): The Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey collects payroll records from ~145,000 business and government establishments. Data are submitted electronically via electronic data interchange (EDI), web reporting, or Touchtone Data Entry. Because response is voluntary but employers participate at high rates (~74% in time for initial release), BLS uses a "weighted link relative" technique to estimate counts for non-respondents and then benchmarks annually against the universe of employers covered by state Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax records — a near-census of U.S. employment. This benchmark revision, published each March, can significantly revise prior-year payroll estimates.

Household survey (CPS): The Current Population Survey interviews a rotating sample of ~60,000 households across ~800 Census Primary Sampling Units. Each household participates for four consecutive months, exits for eight months, then re-enters for four more. Interviewers use Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI). The CPS is conducted by the Census Bureau under contract to BLS. The unemployment rate is derived from the CPS reference week (week containing the 12th of the month); respondents are classified into employment, unemployment, or not-in-labor-force categories based on activity during that week.

Price collection (CPI): BLS field economists visit ~23,000 retail outlets monthly across 75 urban areas to collect ~80,000 price quotes. Outlets are selected via probability-proportional-to-size sampling from a Point-of-Purchase Survey. Items within outlets are sampled using a similar probability framework. New outlets and items are rotated in continuously to keep the sample current. Prices are aggregated using a geometric mean formula at the elementary (item-area) level, then combined using Laspeyres weights derived from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX).

Release security: BLS operates a strict lockup system for its most market-sensitive releases. Credentialed journalists enter a physical or virtual lockup 30 minutes before release and may prepare stories but cannot transmit until 8:30 a.m. ET. BLS's own network connections are severed during lockup and restored at exactly 8:30:00. This simultaneous-release model is enforced by SPD 1 and is essential to maintaining market integrity.

What It Produces

Employment Situation (Jobs Report)

The Employment Situation, released on the first Friday of each month, is simultaneously the most anticipated and most revised economic data release in the world. It draws from two entirely separate surveys:

The Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey — a payroll survey of approximately 145,000 business establishments and government agencies, representing roughly 697,000 individual worksites — produces the headline nonfarm payroll number (jobs added or lost in the prior month) plus breakdowns by industry, hours, and hourly earnings. Because the CES is a survey of employers, it counts jobs, not workers (one person working two jobs appears twice). The initial estimate is published with just ~74% of eventual sample responses in hand; it is then revised twice (preliminary revision the next month; final revision the month after) and again in annual benchmarking against state unemployment insurance records — meaning the "jobs number" the market reacts to can be revised substantially. The March 2024 annual benchmark revision, for example, reduced the prior year's job count by 818,000.

The Current Population Survey (CPS) — a household survey of ~60,000 households conducted jointly with the Census Bureau — produces the unemployment rate (U-3) and a range of broader labor force measures. The headline U-3 rate counts people without jobs who are available for work and actively searched in the prior four weeks. BLS also publishes U-6, the broadest measure, which includes discouraged workers (gave up searching), marginally attached workers (want work but haven't searched recently), and those working part-time for economic reasons — U-6 typically runs 5–7 points above U-3.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

CPI is the most politically charged statistical product in the federal government — it determines the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 70 million Social Security beneficiaries (via CPI-W), adjusts roughly $1 trillion in indexed Treasury securities (TIPS), sets automatic adjustments in millions of private contracts, and drives the Federal Reserve's inflation narrative even though the Fed officially targets PCE (see BEA). BLS collects approximately 80,000 price quotes monthly from roughly 23,000 retail outlets across 75 urban areas, covering a market basket of goods and services derived from the Consumer Expenditure Survey.

Key methodological points:

• CPI-U (all urban consumers) is the headline measure, covering 93% of the U.S. population; CPI-W (urban wage earners) is used for Social Security COLAs and represents ~32% of the population.
• Core CPI (all items excluding food and energy) is the Fed's secondary inflation focus — food and energy are excluded as too volatile for detecting underlying inflation trends.
• Supercore (services excluding shelter) emerged as an additional Fed focus in 2022 because it better captures wage-driven service inflation.
• The shelter problem: Owners' Equivalent Rent (OER) — the estimated rent homeowners would pay to rent their own homes — makes up roughly 34% of core CPI. OER is calculated from a rolling survey that lags actual market rent changes by 12–18 months, creating a persistent wedge between observed housing costs and measured inflation. From 2022–2024, this lag caused CPI to overstate then understate housing inflation relative to actual market conditions, complicating Fed policy.
• Laspeyres vs. Fisher index: CPI uses a fixed-weight Laspeyres formula, which holds the market basket constant and therefore overstates inflation by not capturing consumer substitution toward cheaper alternatives. PCE (BEA) uses a chain-weighted Fisher index that corrects for substitution — this is the primary reason CPI systematically runs 0.3–0.5 percentage points above PCE on an annual basis.

Producer Price Index (PPI)

PPI measures price changes from the seller's perspective — what producers receive for their output rather than what consumers pay. Because input-cost changes typically flow through to consumer prices with a lag, PPI often leads CPI as an inflation signal. PPI is also used in escalation clauses in government contracts (particularly defense and construction) and in business-to-business pricing agreements.

JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey)

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, published monthly, tracks the number of unfilled job openings (a demand signal), hires, and separations (quits + layoffs + discharges). The quit rate — the share of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs — is the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of worker confidence in labor market conditions; a high quit rate signals workers feel they can easily find better jobs. The Fed under Chair Powell frequently cited JOLTS during 2022–2024 as evidence of labor market tightness. Data covers approximately 20,000 business establishments.

Employment Cost Index (ECI)

The Employment Cost Index, released quarterly, is the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of wage growth because it controls for compositional shifts in the workforce — unlike average hourly earnings from the jobs report, which can change simply because the mix of jobs (high-wage vs. low-wage) shifts. ECI measures the cost to employers of a fixed bundle of labor (wages plus benefits) for a fixed set of occupations. Fed communications frequently cite ECI alongside PCE as the key inflation inputs.

Other Major Products

• Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH): biennial publication covering ~900 occupations; projections for 10-year employment growth, typical wages, and educational requirements; widely used in workforce development and career counseling.
• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS): annual wage survey covering 800+ occupations in 600+ metro areas; the primary data source for prevailing wage determinations used in H-1B, H-2A, and Davis-Bacon wage decisions.
• Productivity and Costs: quarterly measures of output per hour in the nonfarm business sector; labor productivity growth is a fundamental driver of non-inflationary wage growth and long-run living standards.
• American Time Use Survey (ATUS): annual survey of how Americans spend their time; the only comprehensive national data source on unpaid work (childcare, eldercare, home production).
• Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII): annual survey of workplace injuries and illnesses; used for OSHA enforcement targeting.

How It Affects You

If you receive Social Security: Your annual COLA is set each October using the CPI-W for the third quarter of the year, released by BLS in mid-October. In 2025, the COLA was 2.5%, adding roughly $49/month to the average retirement benefit (~$1,976/month). In 2023 it was 8.7% — the largest since 1981 — worth about $140/month for the typical retiree. The COLA can only go up, never down (floor of 0%), but the formula's reliance on CPI-W rather than a seniors-specific index (CPI-E, which BLS produces as an experimental measure) has been a persistent policy debate: seniors spend more on healthcare and housing, which inflate faster than the broad CPI basket.

If you have a TIPS position or I-Bonds: Your returns are directly indexed to BLS CPI-U. A $100,000 TIPS holding adjusts its principal by CPI-U each month; a 3% annual CPI print adds $3,000 to your principal base. I-Bond rates reset every May and November based on the trailing six-month change in CPI-U; the May 2022 I-Bond composite rate hit 9.62%, driving a historic surge in purchases before rates normalized. Watch the March and September CPI releases — they set the six-month I-Bond rate adjustments.

If you're a worker in a unionized industry: About 14 million U.S. union workers have contracts with CPI escalation clauses. A 1-point move in annual CPI-W can translate to thousands of dollars in wage adjustments across multi-year contracts. The UAW, SEIU, and public-sector unions routinely cite BLS CPI data in bargaining — and monitor BLS OEWS wage data to benchmark pay demands against median occupational wages in their metro area.

If you're an employer with federal contracts: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) set the prevailing wages you must pay on H-1B petitions (Labor Condition Applications require Level I–IV OEWS wages), H-2A agricultural worker programs, and Service Contract Act-covered work. The Davis-Bacon prevailing wage for your county — now applying to IIJA and IRA infrastructure projects — is derived partly from BLS wage surveys. Underpaying relative to BLS wage determinations is a compliance violation that can result in back-pay liability and debarment.

If you work at a federal agency: CPI and ECI data feed directly into the pay comparability calculations underlying General Schedule (GS) pay adjustments. The Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act (FEPCA) requires annual surveys comparing GS salaries to BLS OEWS private-sector wage benchmarks by locality — the gap drives the locality pay percentage for your duty station. If BLS OEWS data shows widening public-private pay gaps in your metro area, your locality pay adjustment (currently ranging from ~16% in rest-of-U.S. to ~34% in San Francisco) may increase in future years.

If you're a journalist or policy analyst: Mark your calendar for the first Friday of each month (jobs report, 8:30 a.m. ET) and the 10th–13th (CPI, 8:30 a.m. ET). Key diagnostic questions: For jobs reports — compare the CES establishment count to the ADP private payroll estimate (released two days prior) and to the CPS household survey count; large divergences signal measurement noise. For CPI — isolate shelter's contribution to core CPI (BLS publishes this breakdown in the release tables); if shelter is still carrying 60–70% of core CPI, the headline overstates underlying inflation. BLS.gov provides the full data API at no cost (JSON, series IDs, no API key for small pulls).

Policy Watch

Data quality and independence are the two fault lines to monitor. The specific risks:

• CPS sample reduction: Any cut to the ~60,000-household CPS sample increases the margin of error on the unemployment rate and makes state-level and demographic breakdowns statistically unreliable. A sample of ~40,000 (a scenario floated in 2025 budget discussions) would roughly double the monthly margin of error from ±0.2 to ±0.3 percentage points — small nationally but material for subgroup analysis (e.g., Black unemployment rate, youth unemployment).
• OEWS coverage gaps: If BLS suspends annual OEWS updates for some metro areas or occupation groups, H-1B prevailing wage determinations and Davis-Bacon calculations revert to older, potentially stale data — systematically underpaying workers in fast-moving labor markets.
• CPI methodology pressure: The Boskin Commission (1996) found CPI overstated inflation by ~1.1 percentage points; subsequent methodological changes reduced this. A future administration could push BLS to adjust CPI weights or switch index formulas, which would directly affect Social Security COLAs and TIPS returns.
• CIPSEA protections: Any legislative attempt to weaken the confidentiality protections for BLS microdata (which contain linked individual-level records across multiple surveys) would likely reduce survey participation rates and degrade data quality across all BLS products.

Independence and DOGE Pressure

BLS statistical independence rests on OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 1 (SPD 1), which prohibits political appointees from reviewing, altering, or receiving pre-release access to statistical releases. The norm has generally held across administrations — though the Reagan administration attempted to cut the BLS staff in the 1980s, and the Trump administration's first term featured no interference with releases despite broader tensions with economic data agencies.

In 2025, the DOGE initiative proposed significant budget cuts to BLS, including reductions to the Current Population Survey sample size (which would widen the margin of error on the unemployment rate), elimination of some regional data products, and a reduction in OEWS coverage. Statistical methodologists warned that CPS sample reductions would make the unemployment rate statistically unreliable for many demographic subgroups and state-level comparisons. Several statistical agency leaders publicly described DOGE data-access requests — particularly for BLS microdata files linking individual respondents across surveys — as potential violations of CIPSEA's confidentiality protections.

Recent Developments

• 2026 — BLS proposed FY2026 budget reflects flat funding following 2025 rescissions; CPS sample maintained but some state-level occupation data products suspended.
• 2025 — DOGE proposed workforce reductions at BLS; SPD 1 cited as barrier to DOGE access to survey microdata; no changes to release calendar or methodology were implemented.
• 2024 — Annual benchmark revision (March 2024) revised FY2023 nonfarm payrolls down by 818,000 — the largest downward revision since 2009; sparked debate over real-time reliability of jobs data.
• 2023 — BLS published updated CPI shelter methodology documentation responding to widespread criticism of OER lag effects on measured inflation.
• 2022 — CPI reached 9.1% (June 2022), the highest since 1981; BLS CPI releases drove historic Federal Reserve rate-hiking cycle; "supercore" inflation concept emerged from BLS data breakdowns.

In August 2025, President Trump fired BLS Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer following a benchmark revision showing 258,000 fewer jobs added in prior months than initially reported, accusing her without evidence of "rigging" data — a move economists and former BLS Commissioners from both parties described as an unprecedented breach of statistical independence. In September 2025, BLS announced a delay in releasing the annual Consumer Expenditure Survey — the primary source for CPI market-basket weights — from its original publication date to October 30, 2025, raising concerns about downstream effects on CPI methodology. On September 22, 2025, Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren and ten Democratic senators sent a letter to White House and OMB officials demanding written answers about the Consumer Expenditure Survey delay, the McEntarfer firing, administration officials' public statements casting doubt on BLS data integrity, and plans to ensure adequate agency resources and statistical independence. Senate Banking Committee letter, September 22, 2025

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for December 2025, released February 10, 2026, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 0.7 percent for the three-month period ending December 2025 and 3.4 percent over the prior year—a deceleration from the 3.8 percent annual gain recorded in December 2024. Wages and salaries increased 3.3 percent over the year while benefit costs rose 3.4 percent; inflation-adjusted wages and salaries for private industry workers increased 0.7 percent over the year. Union workers in private industry saw compensation grow 4.0 percent over the year compared with 3.3 percent for non-union workers, with union wage and salary growth of 4.3 percent outpacing the non-union rate of 3.3 percent. BLS Employment Cost Index — December 2025, February 10, 2026

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for September 2025, released December 10, 2025, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 0.8 percent for the three-month period ending September 2025 and 3.5 percent over the prior year—a deceleration from the 3.9 percent annual gain recorded in September 2024. Wages and salaries and benefit costs each increased 3.5 percent over the year for civilian workers, while inflation-adjusted wages and salaries for private industry workers rose 0.6 percent. Union workers in private industry saw compensation grow 4.5 percent over the year compared with 3.5 percent for non-union workers. BLS also noted that publication of the September 2025 ECI was delayed by more than five weeks due to a lapse in federal appropriations, which reduced survey response rates, and that the December 2025 ECI release was rescheduled to February 10, 2026. BLS Employment Cost Index — September 2025, December 10, 2025

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for June 2025, released July 31, 2025, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 0.9 percent for the three-month period ending June 2025 and 3.6 percent over the prior year—holding steady from the March 2025 annual rate but decelerating from the 4.1 percent annual gain recorded in June 2024. Wages and salaries increased 3.6 percent and benefit costs rose 3.5 percent over the year for civilian workers, while inflation-adjusted wages and salaries for private industry workers increased 0.8 percent. Union workers in private industry saw compensation grow 4.3 percent over the year compared with 3.4 percent for non-union workers, with union wage and salary growth of 4.6 percent outpacing the non-union rate of 3.5 percent. Effective with this release, BLS also implemented two methodological changes: index levels are now published to three decimal places, and metropolitan area definitions were updated per OMB Bulletin No. 23-01. BLS Employment Cost Index — June 2025, July 31, 2025

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for March 2025, released April 30, 2025, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 0.9 percent for the three-month period ending March 2025 and 3.6 percent over the prior year—a continued deceleration from the 4.2 percent annual gain recorded in March 2024. Wages and salaries increased 3.5 percent over the year while benefit costs rose 3.8 percent; inflation-adjusted wages and salaries for private industry workers increased 1.0 percent over the year. Union workers in private industry saw compensation grow 4.6 percent over the year compared with 3.3 percent for non-union workers, and state and local government workers saw compensation rise 4.3 percent, down from 4.8 percent a year earlier. BLS Employment Cost Index — March 2025, April 30, 2025

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for December 2024, released January 31, 2025, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 0.9 percent for the three-month period ending December 2024 and 3.8 percent over the prior year—a deceleration from the 4.2 percent annual gain recorded in December 2023. Wages and salaries increased 3.8 percent over the year while benefit costs rose 3.6 percent; inflation-adjusted wages and salaries for private industry workers increased 0.8 percent over the year. Union workers in private industry saw compensation grow 5.1 percent over the year compared with 3.4 percent for non-union workers, with union wage and salary growth of 5.5 percent outpacing the non-union rate of 3.5 percent. State and local government worker compensation rose 4.7 percent over the year, up from 4.6 percent in December 2023. BLS Employment Cost Index — December 2024, January 31, 2025

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for September 2024, released October 31, 2024, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 0.8 percent for the three-month period ending September 2024 and 3.9 percent over the prior year—a deceleration from the 4.3 percent annual gain recorded in September 2023. Wages and salaries and benefit costs each increased 3.9 percent and 3.7 percent respectively over the year for civilian workers, while inflation-adjusted wages and salaries for private industry workers rose 1.2 percent. Union workers in private industry saw compensation grow 5.8 percent over the year compared with 3.4 percent for non-union workers, with union wage and salary growth of 6.4 percent outpacing the non-union rate of 3.6 percent. State and local government worker compensation rose 4.7 percent over the year, while BLS announced that beginning with the June 2025 ECI release, index levels would be published to three decimal places. BLS Employment Cost Index — September 2024, October 31, 2024

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for June 2024, released July 31, 2024, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 0.9 percent for the three-month period ending June 2024 and 4.1 percent over the prior year—a deceleration from the 4.5 percent annual gain recorded in June 2023. Wages and salaries increased 4.2 percent and benefit costs rose 3.8 percent over the year for civilian workers, while inflation-adjusted compensation for private industry workers increased 0.9 percent. Union workers in private industry saw compensation grow 6.0 percent over the year compared with 3.6 percent for non-union workers, with union wage and salary growth of 6.5 percent outpacing the non-union rate of 3.8 percent; state and local government worker compensation rose 4.9 percent over the year, unchanged from June 2023. BLS Employment Cost Index — June 2024, July 31, 2024

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for March 2024, released April 30, 2024, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 1.2 percent for the three-month period ending March 2024 and 4.2 percent over the prior year—a deceleration from the 4.8 percent annual gain recorded in March 2023. Wages and salaries increased 4.4 percent over the year while benefit costs rose 3.7 percent; inflation-adjusted compensation for private industry workers increased 0.6 percent over the year. Union workers in private industry saw compensation grow 5.3 percent over the year compared with 3.9 percent for non-union workers, with union wage and salary growth of 6.3 percent outpacing the non-union rate of 4.1 percent; state and local government worker compensation rose 4.8 percent over the year. BLS also noted that the March 2024 ECI incorporated a transition from NAICS 2017 to NAICS 2022 industry classifications, with series determined to remain continuous. BLS Employment Cost Index — March 2024, April 30, 2024

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for December 2023, released January 31, 2024, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 0.9 percent for the three-month period ending December 2023 and 4.2 percent over the prior year—a deceleration from the 5.1 percent annual gain recorded in December 2022. Wages and salaries increased 4.3 percent over the year while benefit costs rose 3.8 percent; inflation-adjusted compensation for private industry workers increased 0.7 percent over the year. Union workers in private industry saw compensation grow 4.5 percent over the year compared with 4.0 percent for non-union workers, with union wage and salary growth of 5.4 percent outpacing the non-union rate of 4.2 percent; state and local government worker compensation rose 4.6 percent over the year, down from 4.8 percent in December 2022. BLS Employment Cost Index — December 2023, January 31, 2024

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for September 2023, released October 31, 2023, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 1.1 percent for the three-month period ending September 2023 and 4.3 percent over the prior year—a deceleration from the 5.0 percent annual gain recorded in September 2022. Wages and salaries increased 4.6 percent and benefit costs rose 4.1 percent over the year for civilian workers, while inflation-adjusted wages and salaries for private industry workers increased 0.8 percent. State and local government worker compensation rose 4.8 percent over the year, up from 4.6 percent in September 2022. BLS Employment Cost Index — September 2023, October 31, 2023

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for June 2023, released July 28, 2023, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 1.0 percent for the three-month period ending June 2023 and 4.5 percent over the prior year. Wages and salaries increased 4.6 percent over the year while benefit costs rose 4.2 percent. BLS Employment Cost Index — June 2023, July 28, 2023

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for March 2023, released April 28, 2023, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 1.2 percent for the three-month period ending March 2023 and 4.8 percent over the prior year. Wages and salaries increased 5.0 percent over the year while benefit costs rose 4.5 percent. BLS Employment Cost Index — March 2023, April 28, 2023

The BLS Employment Situation report for March 2026, released April 3, 2026, showed total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 178,000, with job gains concentrated in health care (+76,000, partly reflecting the return of physicians' office workers from a strike), construction (+26,000), and transportation and warehousing (+21,000). The unemployment rate held little changed at 4.3 percent, with 7.2 million unemployed. Federal government employment continued to decline, falling 18,000 in March and totaling a loss of 355,000 (11.8 percent) since its October 2024 peak. Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose 3.5 percent over the year to $37.38, while the January estimate was revised up by 34,000 and February revised down by 41,000, leaving the two-month net 7,000 lower than previously reported. BLS Employment Situation — March 2026, April 3, 2026

The BLS Employment Situation report for February 2026, released March 6, 2026, showed total nonfarm payroll employment edging down by 92,000—the first monthly decline in recent months—with health care losing 28,000 jobs primarily due to a physicians' office strike and federal government employment falling a further 10,000, bringing total federal job losses to 330,000 (11.0 percent) since the October 2024 peak. The unemployment rate held little changed at 4.4 percent, with 7.6 million unemployed. Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose 3.8 percent over the year to $37.32, while prior-month revisions left December and January combined employment 69,000 lower than previously reported. The release also incorporated updated Census Bureau population controls for January 2026—delayed one month due to the 2025 federal government shutdown—which reduced the estimated civilian labor force by approximately 1.4 million and lowered the labor force participation rate by 0.4 percentage point, without affecting the unemployment rate. BLS Employment Situation — February 2026, March 6, 2026

The BLS Employment Situation report for January 2026, released February 11, 2026, showed total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 130,000, with gains concentrated in health care (+82,000), social assistance (+42,000), and construction (+33,000), while federal government employment fell a further 34,000—bringing total federal job losses to 327,000 (10.9 percent) since the October 2024 peak. The unemployment rate held little changed at 4.3 percent, with 7.4 million unemployed, and average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose 3.7 percent over the year to $37.17. The release also incorporated the annual benchmark revision, which revised the seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment level for March 2025 downward by 898,000 and reduced the net change in total nonfarm employment for 2025 from +584,000 to +181,000—the largest downward benchmark revision on record. BLS also noted that the annual population control adjustments to the household survey were delayed one month and would instead be introduced with the February 2026 release. BLS Employment Situation — January 2026, February 11, 2026

The BLS Employment Situation report for December 2025, released January 9, 2026, showed total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by just 50,000—well below the 2025 monthly average of 49,000, itself a sharp deceleration from the 168,000 average monthly gain in 2024—while the unemployment rate held little changed at 4.4 percent, with 7.5 million unemployed. Job gains were concentrated in food services and drinking places (+27,000), health care (+21,000), and social assistance (+17,000), while retail trade lost 25,000 jobs; federal government employment was little changed in December but stood 277,000 (9.2 percent) below its January 2025 peak. Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose 3.8 percent over the year to $37.02, and prior-month revisions left October and November combined employment 76,000 lower than previously reported. The release also noted that household survey data were not collected for October 2025 due to the federal government shutdown, making 2025 annual household estimates based on 11-month averages not strictly comparable with other years. BLS Employment Situation — December 2025, January 9, 2026

The BLS Employment Situation report for November 2025, released December 16, 2025, showed total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by just 64,000—little changed from prior months—with job gains in health care (+46,000) and construction (+28,000) partially offset by losses in transportation and warehousing (-18,000). The unemployment rate held little changed at 4.6 percent, with 7.8 million unemployed, up from 4.2 percent a year earlier. Federal government employment fell a further 6,000 in November, following a sharp decline of 162,000 in October as employees who accepted deferred resignation offers came off payrolls, bringing total federal job losses to 271,000 since the January 2025 peak. The release also noted that publication was delayed by more than a week due to the October–November 2025 federal government shutdown, that no household survey data were collected for October 2025, and that the November household estimates carry higher-than-usual standard errors due to lower response rates and composite weighting adjustments. BLS Employment Situation — November 2025, December 16, 2025

The BLS Employment Situation report for September 2025, released November 20, 2025, showed total nonfarm payroll employment edging up by 119,000—little changed since April—with job gains in health care (+43,000), food services and drinking places (+37,000), and social assistance (+14,000), while transportation and warehousing lost 25,000 jobs and federal government employment fell a further 3,000, bringing total federal job losses to 97,000 since the January 2025 peak. The unemployment rate held little changed at 4.4 percent, with 7.6 million unemployed, up from 4.1 percent a year earlier. Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose 3.8 percent over the year to $36.67, and prior-month revisions left July and August combined employment 33,000 lower than previously reported. BLS noted that publication was delayed by more than six weeks due to a lapse in federal appropriations, that no October 2025 Employment Situation release would be published, and that household survey data were not collected for October 2025 and would not be collected retroactively. BLS Employment Situation — September 2025, November 20, 2025

The BLS Employment Situation report for August 2025, released September 5, 2025, showed total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by just 22,000—little changed from prior months—while the unemployment rate held at 4.3 percent. Job gains in health care were partially offset by losses in federal government employment and in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. BLS Employment Situation — August 2025, September 5, 2025

The BLS Employment Situation report for July 2025, released August 1, 2025, showed total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by just 73,000—little changed from prior months and continuing a pattern of weak job growth since April 2025. The unemployment rate held little changed at 4.2 percent. Job gains were concentrated in health care and social assistance, while federal government employment continued to decline. BLS Employment Situation — July 2025, August 1, 2025

The BLS Employment Situation report for June 2025, released July 3, 2025, showed total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 147,000, with job gains concentrated in state government and health care, while federal government employment continued to decline. The unemployment rate held little changed at 4.1 percent. BLS Employment Situation — June 2025, July 3, 2025

The BLS Employment Situation report for May 2025, released June 6, 2025, showed total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 139,000, with the unemployment rate unchanged at 4.2 percent. Job gains were concentrated in health care, leisure and hospitality, and social assistance, while federal government employment continued to decline. BLS Employment Situation — May 2025, June 6, 2025

The BLS Employment Situation report for April 2025, released May 2, 2025, showed total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 177,000, with the unemployment rate unchanged at 4.2 percent. Job gains were concentrated in health care, transportation and warehousing, financial activities, and social assistance, while federal government employment continued to decline. BLS Employment Situation — April 2025, May 2, 2025

The BLS Employment Situation report for March 2025, released April 4, 2025, showed total nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 228,000, with the unemployment rate little changed at 4.2 percent. Job gains were concentrated in health care, social assistance, and transportation and warehousing, while federal government employment continued to decline. BLS Employment Situation — March 2025, April 4, 2025

The BLS Real Earnings release for February 2026, published March 11, 2026, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees increasing 0.2 percent from January to February, seasonally adjusted, reflecting a 0.4 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings combined with a 0.3 percent increase in CPI-U. Over the year from February 2025 to February 2026, real average hourly earnings rose 1.4 percent, while real average weekly earnings increased 1.7 percent, the latter boosted by a 0.3 percent expansion in the average workweek. For production and nonsupervisory employees, real average hourly earnings were unchanged over the month but also rose 1.4 percent over the year, with real average weekly earnings up 2.0 percent year-over-year. BLS Real Earnings — February 2026, March 11, 2026

The BLS Real Earnings release for January 2026, published February 13, 2026, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees increasing 0.3 percent from December to January, seasonally adjusted, reflecting a 0.4 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings combined with a 0.2 percent increase in CPI-U. Real average weekly earnings rose 0.5 percent over the month, boosted by a 0.3 percent expansion in the average workweek. Over the year from January 2025 to January 2026, real average hourly earnings increased 1.2 percent, while real average weekly earnings rose 1.9 percent; for production and nonsupervisory employees, the corresponding year-over-year gains were 1.5 percent and 2.2 percent respectively. The release also incorporated revised seasonal adjustment factors and updated employment benchmarks affecting hours and earnings data from January 2021 through December 2025. BLS Real Earnings — January 2026, February 13, 2026

The BLS Real Earnings release for December 2025, published January 13, 2026, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees unchanged from November to December, seasonally adjusted, as a 0.3 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings was offset by a 0.3 percent increase in CPI-U. Real average weekly earnings fell 0.3 percent over the month, reflecting no change in real hourly earnings combined with a 0.3 percent contraction in the average workweek. Over the year from December 2024 to December 2025, real average hourly earnings increased 1.1 percent, with real average weekly earnings also up 1.1 percent; for production and nonsupervisory employees, the corresponding year-over-year gains were 0.9 percent and 1.0 percent respectively. The release noted that October 2025 data remain unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations. BLS Real Earnings — December 2025, January 13, 2026

The BLS Real Earnings release for November 2025, published December 18, 2025, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees increasing 0.8 percent from November 2024 to November 2025, seasonally adjusted, reflecting a 3.5 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings combined with a 2.7 percent increase in CPI-U; real average weekly earnings also rose 0.8 percent over the year, with no change in the average workweek. For production and nonsupervisory employees, real average hourly earnings increased 1.1 percent over the year, driven by a 3.9 percent gain in nominal earnings against a 2.7 percent rise in CPI-W, while real average weekly earnings rose 1.4 percent year-over-year. The release noted that October 2025 Real Earnings data were not published because BLS could not collect the relevant CPI data during the lapse in federal appropriations and was unable to retroactively collect those data. BLS Real Earnings — November 2025, December 18, 2025

The BLS Real Earnings release for September 2025, published November 21, 2025, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees unchanged from August to September, seasonally adjusted, as a 0.2 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings was offset by a 0.3 percent increase in CPI-U; real average weekly earnings fell 0.1 percent over the month due to no change in real hourly earnings combined with no change in the average workweek. Over the year from September 2024 to September 2025, real average hourly earnings increased 0.8 percent, with real average weekly earnings up 0.7 percent. For production and nonsupervisory employees, real average hourly earnings decreased 0.1 percent over the month but rose 0.8 percent over the year, with real average weekly earnings also up 0.8 percent year-over-year. BLS Real Earnings — September 2025, November 21, 2025

The BLS Real Earnings release for August 2025, published September 11, 2025, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees decreasing 0.1 percent from July to August, seasonally adjusted, as a 0.3 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings was more than offset by a 0.4 percent increase in CPI-U. Real average weekly earnings also fell 0.1 percent over the month. BLS Real Earnings — August 2025, September 11, 2025

The BLS Real Earnings release for July 2025, published August 12, 2025, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees increasing 0.1 percent from June to July, seasonally adjusted, as a 0.3 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings outpaced a 0.2 percent increase in CPI-U. Real average weekly earnings rose 0.4 percent over the month. BLS Real Earnings — July 2025, August 12, 2025

The BLS Real Earnings release for June 2025, published July 15, 2025, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees decreasing 0.1 percent from May to June, seasonally adjusted, as a 0.2 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings was more than offset by a 0.3 percent increase in CPI-U. Real average weekly earnings fell 0.4 percent over the month. BLS Real Earnings — June 2025, July 15, 2025

The BLS Real Earnings release for May 2025, published June 11, 2025, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees increasing 0.3 percent from April to May, seasonally adjusted, as a 0.4 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings outpaced a 0.1 percent increase in CPI-U. Real average weekly earnings also rose 0.3 percent over the month. BLS Real Earnings — May 2025, June 11, 2025

The BLS Real Earnings release for April 2025, published May 13, 2025, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees unchanged from March to April, seasonally adjusted, as a 0.2 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings was offset by a 0.2 percent increase in CPI-U. Real average weekly earnings fell 0.1 percent over the month. BLS Real Earnings — April 2025, May 13, 2025

The BLS Real Earnings release for March 2025, published April 10, 2025, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees increasing 0.3 percent from February to March, seasonally adjusted, as a 0.3 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings was combined with a 0.1 percent decrease in CPI-U. Real average weekly earnings also rose 0.3 percent over the month. BLS Real Earnings — March 2025, April 10, 2025

The BLS Real Earnings release for February 2025, published March 12, 2025, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees increasing 0.1 percent from January to February, seasonally adjusted, reflecting a 0.3 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings combined with a 0.2 percent increase in CPI-U. Real average weekly earnings also increased 0.1 percent over the month. BLS Real Earnings — February 2025, March 12, 2025

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in February 2026, after rising 0.2 percent in January; over the prior 12 months the all-items index increased 2.4 percent, unchanged from the January 2026 annual rate. Shelter was the largest contributor to the monthly increase, rising 0.2 percent, while the food index rose 0.4 percent and the energy index increased 0.6 percent; the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent. Core CPI (all items less food and energy) rose 2.5 percent over the year, with owners' equivalent rent up 3.2 percent and the rent of primary residence index posting its smallest one-month increase since January 2021, at 0.1 percent. The CPI-W increased 2.2 percent over the 12 months ending February 2026. BLS Consumer Price Index — February 2026, March 11, 2026

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in January 2026, with the all-items index up 2.4 percent over the prior 12 months—a deceleration from the 2.7 percent annual rate recorded in December 2025. Shelter was the largest contributor to the monthly increase, rising 0.2 percent, while energy fell 1.5 percent; the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent over the month and 2.5 percent over the year. Owners' equivalent rent increased 3.3 percent over the year, and the CPI-W rose 2.2 percent over the 12 months ending January 2026. BLS also noted that October 2025 data remain unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations, and implemented annual revisions to seasonal adjustment factors covering 2021–2025 with this release. BLS Consumer Price Index — January 2026, February 13, 2026

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in December 2025, with the all-items index up 2.7 percent over the prior 12 months—matching the annual rate recorded in November 2025. Shelter was the largest contributor to the monthly increase, rising 0.4 percent, while food rose 0.7 percent and energy increased 0.3 percent; the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent over the month and 2.6 percent over the year. Owners' equivalent rent increased 3.4 percent over the year, and the CPI-W rose 2.6 percent over the 12 months ending December 2025. BLS also noted that October 2025 data remain unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations, and announced that beginning with the January 2026 release several CPI index titles would change and the compressed tape format files would be discontinued. BLS Consumer Price Index — December 2025, January 13, 2026

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 2.7 percent over the 12 months ending November 2025, a deceleration from the 3.0 percent annual rate recorded through September 2025, with the all-items index reaching 324.122 (1982–84=100). Because BLS did not collect survey data for October 2025 due to the federal government shutdown and could not retroactively collect those data, the November release covers a two-month period (September–November), during which the seasonally adjusted all-items index rose 0.2 percent and shelter increased 0.2 percent. Core CPI (all items less food and energy) rose 2.6 percent over the year, with owners' equivalent rent up 3.4 percent and energy services up 7.4 percent; the CPI-W also increased 2.7 percent over the 12 months ending November 2025. Effective with this release, BLS removed long-term care insurance from the health insurance index, citing market changes that rendered it out of scope for CPI pricing. BLS Consumer Price Index — November 2025, December 18, 2025

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in September 2025, after rising 0.4 percent in August; over the prior 12 months the all-items index increased 3.0 percent, up from 2.9 percent for the 12 months ending August 2025. The gasoline index rose 4.1 percent in September and was the largest factor in the monthly increase, while the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent—a deceleration from 0.3 percent in each of the two preceding months. Owners' equivalent rent rose just 0.1 percent in September, its smallest one-month increase since January 2021, though the shelter index remained up 3.6 percent over the year. BLS noted that September CPI data collection was completed before the lapse in appropriations, and announced that beginning with the next release it would remove long-term care insurance from the health insurance index due to market changes rendering it out of scope. BLS Consumer Price Index — September 2025, October 24, 2025

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in August 2025, after rising 0.2 percent in July; over the prior 12 months the all-items index increased 2.9 percent. Shelter and food were the primary contributors to the monthly increase, while the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent over the month and 3.1 percent over the year. BLS Consumer Price Index — August 2025, September 11, 2025

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in July 2025, after rising 0.4 percent in June; over the prior 12 months the all-items index increased 2.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted. Shelter was a primary contributor to the monthly increase, while the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent over the month and 3.1 percent over the year. BLS Consumer Price Index — July 2025, August 12, 2025

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in June 2025, after rising 0.4 percent in May; over the prior 12 months the all-items index increased 2.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted. Shelter was a primary contributor to the monthly increase, while the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent over the month and 2.9 percent over the year. BLS Consumer Price Index — June 2025, July 15, 2025

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in May 2025, after rising 0.4 percent in April; over the prior 12 months the all-items index increased 2.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted. Shelter was a primary contributor to the monthly increase, while the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent over the month and 2.8 percent over the year. BLS Consumer Price Index — May 2025, June 11, 2025

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in April 2025, after rising 0.1 percent in May; over the prior 12 months the all-items index increased 2.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted. Shelter was a primary contributor to the monthly increase, while the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent over the month and 2.8 percent over the year. BLS Consumer Price Index — April 2025, May 13, 2025

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) fell 0.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in March 2025—the first monthly decline in recent years—while the all-items index rose 2.4 percent over the prior 12 months, not seasonally adjusted, matching the annual rate recorded in February 2025. The decline was driven primarily by a drop in gasoline prices, while the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent over the month and 2.8 percent over the year. BLS Consumer Price Index — March 2025, April 10, 2025

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in February 2025, with the all-items index up 2.8 percent over the prior 12 months, not seasonally adjusted—an acceleration from the 2.4 percent annual rate recorded in January 2025. Shelter rose over the month while gasoline declined; the index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent over the month and 3.1 percent over the year. BLS Consumer Price Index — February 2025, March 12, 2025

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for February 2026, released March 25, 2026, showed U.S. import prices rising 1.3 percent in February—the largest monthly increase since March 2022—following a 0.6 percent advance in January, driven by higher nonfuel import prices (up 1.1 percent) and fuel import prices (up 3.8 percent), with nonfuel imports up 2.5 percent over the prior year. U.S. export prices rose 1.5 percent in February, also the largest monthly advance since May 2022, with nonagricultural exports up 1.7 percent and agricultural exports up 0.7 percent; over the 12 months ending February 2026, export prices increased 3.5 percent. Import prices from China rose 0.5 percent in February but remained down 1.9 percent year-over-year, while import prices from Canada increased 1.6 percent and export prices to Canada rose 1.9 percent, the largest monthly advance since March 2022, bringing the 12-month gain for exports to Canada to 6.5 percent. BLS noted that some October and November 2025 import and export price index values remain permanently suppressed due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — February 2026, March 25, 2026

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for January 2026, released March 5, 2026, showed U.S. import prices rising 0.2 percent in January, following a 0.2 percent advance in December, driven by higher nonfuel import prices (up 0.5 percent) that more than offset a 2.2 percent decline in fuel import prices; over the 12 months ending January 2026, import prices fell 0.1 percent. U.S. export prices rose 0.6 percent in January, matching the December gain, with nonagricultural exports up 0.7 percent and agricultural exports up 0.2 percent; export prices advanced 2.6 percent over the prior year. Import prices from China rose 0.3 percent in January but remained down 2.6 percent year-over-year, while export prices to Canada surged 3.4 percent in January and export prices to Japan rose 3.2 percent, the largest monthly advance for Japan since March 2022. BLS noted that some October and November 2025 import and export price index values remain permanently suppressed due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — January 2026, March 5, 2026

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for December 2025, released February 10, 2026, showed U.S. import prices rising 0.1 percent in December, driven by higher nonfuel import prices, while export prices advanced 0.3 percent; over the prior year, import prices were unchanged and export prices increased 3.1 percent. BLS issued only a summary data update rather than a full detailed news release, citing the compressed release schedule resulting from the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations. BLS also noted that some October 2025 import and export price index values remain permanently suppressed due to the shutdown, and that the subsequent January 31–February 3, 2026 appropriations lapse did not affect price index data collection. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — December 2025, February 10, 2026

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for November 2025, released January 15, 2026, showed U.S. import prices rising 0.1 percent over the 12 months ending November 2025, with nonfuel import prices up 0.7 percent year-over-year while fuel import prices fell 6.6 percent; import prices from China recorded their largest 12-month decline since the index was first published in December 2003, falling 3.6 percent. U.S. export prices increased 3.3 percent over the same 12-month period, led by nonagricultural industrial supplies and materials (up 4.9 percent) and capital goods (up 2.1 percent), with export prices to Canada rising 5.4 percent year-over-year. Because BLS did not collect survey data for October 2025 due to the lapse in federal appropriations, the release covers a two-month period (September–November), and numerous October 2025 index values—including the all-goods import and export indexes—remain permanently suppressed. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — November 2025, January 15, 2026

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for September 2025, released December 3, 2025, showed U.S. import prices unchanged in September—following a 0.1 percent advance in August—as higher nonfuel import prices (up 0.2 percent) offset a 1.5 percent decline in fuel import prices; over the 12 months ending September 2025, import prices rose 0.3 percent, the first over-year advance since March 2025. U.S. export prices were also unchanged in September, though the 12-month gain of 3.8 percent was the largest since December 2022, driven by nonagricultural industrial supplies and materials (up 6.0 percent over the year) and primary metals (up 15.6 percent). Import prices from China rose 0.8 percent in September—the largest monthly increase since July 2008—but remained down 2.6 percent year-over-year, while export prices to Canada surged 2.5 percent in September and export prices to Japan rose 1.7 percent. BLS noted that while September data collection was completed before the lapse in federal appropriations, the release was delayed by more than five weeks due to that lapse, and that subsequent Import and Export Price Index releases would also be delayed. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — September 2025, December 3, 2025

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for August 2025, released September 16, 2025, showed U.S. import prices rising 0.3 percent in August, following a 0.2 percent advance in July; over the prior 12 months, import prices were unchanged. U.S. export prices also rose 0.3 percent in August, matching the July gain, with export prices up 3.4 percent over the prior year. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — August 2025, September 16, 2025

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for July 2025, released August 15, 2025, showed U.S. import prices rising 0.4 percent in July, following a 0.1 percent decrease in June; over the prior 12 months, import prices declined 0.2 percent. U.S. export prices rose 0.1 percent in July, after a 0.5 percent increase in June, with export prices up 2.2 percent over the prior year. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — July 2025, August 15, 2025

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for June 2025, released July 17, 2025, showed U.S. import prices rising 0.1 percent in June following a 0.4 percent decrease in May, driven by higher nonfuel import prices; over the prior 12 months, import prices declined 0.2 percent. U.S. export prices rose 0.5 percent in June after falling 0.6 percent in May, with export prices up 2.8 percent over the prior year. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — June 2025, July 17, 2025

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for May 2025, released June 17, 2025, showed U.S. import prices unchanged in May following a 0.1 percent advance in April, while export prices decreased 0.9 percent after rising 0.1 percent in April. Over the 12 months ending May 2025, import prices rose 0.2 percent and export prices increased 1.7 percent. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — May 2025, June 17, 2025

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for April 2025, released May 16, 2025, showed U.S. import prices rising 0.1 percent in April, following a 0.4 percent decline in March, driven by higher nonfuel import prices. U.S. export prices advanced 0.1 percent for the second consecutive month in April. Over the 12 months ending April 2025, import prices rose 0.1 percent and export prices increased 2.0 percent. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — April 2025, May 16, 2025

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for March 2025, released April 15, 2025, showed U.S. import prices declining 0.1 percent in March, following a 0.2 percent rise in February, driven by lower fuel prices. U.S. export prices were unchanged in March after advancing 0.5 percent in February. Over the 12 months ending March 2025, import prices increased 0.9 percent and export prices rose 2.4 percent. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — March 2025, April 15, 2025

The BLS Import and Export Price Indexes for February 2025, released March 18, 2025, showed U.S. import prices rising 0.4 percent in February, matching the 0.4 percent advance recorded in January, while export prices rose 0.1 percent following a 1.3 percent increase the prior month. Over the 12 months ending February 2025, import prices increased 2.0 percent and export prices rose 2.1 percent. BLS Import and Export Price Indexes — February 2025, March 18, 2025

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.7 percent in February 2026 (seasonally adjusted), the largest monthly increase since August 2023, with final demand goods up 1.1 percent—driven by a 2.4 percent jump in foods (including a 48.9 percent surge in fresh and dry vegetables) and a 2.3 percent rise in energy—while final demand services advanced 0.5 percent. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand rose 3.4 percent for the 12 months ending February 2026, matching the largest 12-month advance since February 2025; the index for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services rose 3.5 percent over the same period, its tenth consecutive monthly advance. Intermediate demand also showed broad-based price increases, with processed goods rising 1.6 percent, unprocessed goods up 3.1 percent, and services for intermediate demand advancing 0.8 percent in February. BLS noted that the October–November 2025 federal government shutdown continued to delay transmission of PPI price-update requests, though the response rate for February data was within the normal range and no methodology changes were required. BLS Producer Price Indexes — February 2026, March 18, 2026

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.5 percent in January 2026 (seasonally adjusted), driven by a 0.8 percent advance in final demand services—the largest monthly services increase since July 2025—while final demand goods fell 0.3 percent, led by a 5.5 percent drop in gasoline prices. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand rose 2.9 percent for the 12 months ending January 2026, and the index for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services posted its ninth consecutive monthly increase, up 3.4 percent over the year. Effective with this release, BLS updated the commodity weight allocations for the Final Demand–Intermediate Demand aggregation structure to reflect 2017 Bureau of Economic Analysis Input-Output Accounts data, replacing allocations previously based on 2012 data, and recalculated seasonal adjustment factors for January 2021 through December 2025. BLS also noted that the October–November 2025 federal government shutdown continued to delay transmission of PPI price-update requests, though the response rate for January data was within the normal range. BLS Producer Price Indexes — January 2026, February 27, 2026

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.5 percent in December 2025 (seasonally adjusted), driven by a 0.7 percent advance in final demand services—the largest monthly services increase since July 2025—while final demand goods were unchanged, with a 1.7 percent jump in trade service margins accounting for two-thirds of the services gain. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand rose 3.0 percent in 2025, following a 3.5 percent advance in 2024; the index for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services posted its eighth consecutive monthly increase, rising 3.5 percent for the full year. BLS noted that the October–November 2025 federal government shutdown significantly delayed transmission of PPI price-update requests, with price-update requests for the December 9 pricing date not sent to respondents until January 5, 2026, though the response rate was within the normal range and no methodology changes were required. BLS Producer Price Indexes — December 2025, January 30, 2026

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for February 2026, released March 31, 2026, showed job openings little changed at 6.9 million (rate: 4.2 percent), while hires fell to 4.8 million—a decrease of 498,000 over the month and the lowest hires rate (3.1 percent) since April 2020. Total separations were little changed at 5.0 million, with quits holding at 3.0 million (rate: 1.9 percent) and layoffs and discharges unchanged at 1.7 million; federal government separations decreased by 16,000 over the month. Notable industry-level declines in hires were concentrated in accommodation and food services (-178,000) and construction (-88,000), while January job openings were revised upward by 294,000 to 7.2 million. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — February 2026, March 31, 2026

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.2 percent in November 2025 (seasonally adjusted), with final demand goods advancing 0.9 percent—the largest monthly goods increase since February 2024—driven primarily by a 4.6 percent jump in energy prices, while final demand services were unchanged. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand rose 3.0 percent for the 12 months ending November 2025, and the index for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services climbed 3.5 percent over the same period, its largest 12-month increase since March 2025. BLS noted that the October–November 2025 federal government shutdown significantly delayed transmission of PPI price-update requests, with October pricing-date requests not sent to respondents until November 19, though response rates for both months were within the normal range and no methodology changes were required. BLS Producer Price Indexes — November 2025, January 14, 2026

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for January 2026, released March 13, 2026, showed job openings little changed at 6.9 million (rate: 4.2 percent), while hires were unchanged at 5.3 million and total separations changed little at 5.1 million; quits held at 3.1 million (rate: 2.0 percent) and layoffs and discharges were little changed at 1.6 million. Job openings increased in finance and insurance (+184,000), while hires decreased in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-67,000) and real estate and rental and leasing (-20,000); federal government separations fell by 10,000 over the month. This release incorporated the annual benchmarking update to CES employment estimates and revised JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors, with not seasonally adjusted and seasonally adjusted data from January 2021 forward subject to revision; the annual revision reduced the 2025 average job openings level to 7.1 million, down 571,000 from 2024, and showed annual layoffs and discharges rising by 1.2 million in 2025 to 21.2 million while annual quits fell by 1.3 million to 38.0 million. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — January 2026, March 13, 2026

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.3 percent in September 2025 (seasonally adjusted), driven by a 0.9 percent increase in final demand goods—the largest monthly goods advance since February 2024—with gasoline accounting for roughly 60 percent of that rise; final demand services were unchanged. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand advanced 2.7 percent over the 12 months ending September 2025, while the index for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services rose 2.9 percent year-over-year. BLS noted that while September data collection was completed before the lapse in federal appropriations, data processing could not be completed until appropriations resumed, delaying the release by more than five weeks; subsequent PPI releases were also expected to be delayed. BLS Producer Price Indexes — September 2025, November 25, 2025

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for December 2025, released February 5, 2026, showed job openings continuing to trend down to 6.5 million (rate: 3.9 percent), a decline of 386,000 over the month and 966,000 over the year, with notable decreases in professional and business services (-257,000), retail trade (-195,000), and finance and insurance (-120,000). Hires and total separations were little changed at 5.3 million each, while the quits rate held steady at 2.0 percent (3.2 million), and layoffs and discharges were little changed at 1.8 million. Federal government separations increased by 10,000 over the month, while federal hires fell by 11,000. November job openings were revised down by 218,000 to 6.9 million with this release. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — December 2025, February 5, 2026

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand edged down 0.1 percent in August 2025 (seasonally adjusted), as a 0.2 percent decline in final demand services more than offset a 0.1 percent rise in final demand goods. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand advanced 2.6 percent for the 12 months ending August 2025. BLS Producer Price Indexes — August 2025, September 10, 2025

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for November 2025, released January 7, 2026, showed job openings little changed at 7.1 million (rate: 4.3 percent), down 885,000 over the year, with notable decreases in accommodation and food services (-148,000), transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-108,000), and wholesale trade (-63,000), partially offset by an increase in construction (+90,000). Hires were little changed at 5.1 million (rate: 3.2 percent), with declines in state and local government education (-31,000) and state and local government excluding education (-39,000), while federal government hires increased by 11,000. Total separations were unchanged at 5.1 million, with quits holding at 3.2 million (rate: 2.0 percent) and layoffs and discharges little changed at 1.7 million; other separations fell to a series low of 232,000. October job openings were revised down by 221,000 to 7.4 million, with BLS noting that revisions were larger than normal because the alignment procedure was suspended for October preliminary data due to the federal government shutdown. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — November 2025, January 7, 2026

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.9 percent in July 2025 (seasonally adjusted), the largest monthly increase in recent months, driven by a 1.1 percent advance in final demand services and a 0.7 percent rise in final demand goods. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand increased 3.3 percent for the 12 months ending July 2025. BLS Producer Price Indexes — July 2025, August 14, 2025

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand was unchanged in June 2025 (seasonally adjusted), as a 0.3 percent advance in final demand goods was offset by a 0.1 percent decline in final demand services. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand rose 2.3 percent for the 12 months ending June 2025. BLS Producer Price Indexes — June 2025, July 16, 2025

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for August 2025, released September 30, 2025, showed job openings unchanged at 7.2 million (rate: 4.3 percent), with both hires and total separations little changed at 5.1 million each. Within separations, quits held at 3.1 million (rate: 1.9 percent) and layoffs and discharges were little changed at 1.7 million; notable industry-level declines in job openings were concentrated in construction (-115,000) and federal government (-61,000). The quits rate of 1.9 percent continued its gradual decline from the 2.0 percent rate recorded in August 2024, consistent with a cooling but stable labor market. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — August 2025, September 30, 2025

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.1 percent in May 2025 (seasonally adjusted), with final demand services up 0.1 percent and final demand goods up 0.2 percent. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand increased 2.6 percent for the 12 months ending May 2025. BLS Producer Price Indexes — May 2025, June 12, 2025

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for July 2025, released September 3, 2025, showed job openings little changed at 7.2 million, with hires and total separations both unchanged at 5.3 million. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — July 2025, September 3, 2025

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand fell 0.5 percent in April 2025 (seasonally adjusted), driven by a 0.7 percent decline in final demand services while final demand goods were unchanged. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand rose 2.4 percent for the 12 months ending April 2025. BLS Producer Price Indexes — April 2025, May 15, 2025

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for June 2025, released July 29, 2025, showed job openings little changed at 7.4 million, with hires also little changed at 5.2 million and total separations little changed at 5.1 million. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — June 2025, July 29, 2025

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand fell 0.4 percent in March 2025 (seasonally adjusted), driven by a 0.9 percent decline in final demand goods and a 0.2 percent drop in final demand services. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand rose 2.7 percent for the 12 months ending March 2025. BLS Producer Price Indexes — March 2025, April 11, 2025

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for May 2025, released July 1, 2025, showed job openings little changed at 7.8 million, with hires also little changed at 5.5 million and total separations little changed at 5.2 million. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — May 2025, July 1, 2025

The BLS Producer Price Index for final demand was unchanged in February 2025 (seasonally adjusted), as a 0.3 percent increase in final demand goods was offset by a 0.2 percent decline in final demand services. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand rose 3.2 percent for the 12 months ending February 2025. BLS Producer Price Indexes — February 2025, March 13, 2025

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for April 2025, released June 3, 2025, showed job openings little changed at 7.4 million, with hires also little changed at 5.6 million and total separations little changed at 5.3 million. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — April 2025, June 3, 2025

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for March 2025, released April 29, 2025, showed job openings little changed at 7.2 million, with hires holding at 5.4 million and total separations little changed at 5.1 million. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — March 2025, April 29, 2025

The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for February 2025, released April 1, 2025, showed job openings little changed at 7.6 million, with hires holding at 5.4 million and total separations unchanged at 5.3 million. BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey — February 2025, April 1, 2025

The BLS Productivity and Costs release for Q4 2025 (revised), published March 24, 2026, showed nonfarm business sector labor productivity increasing 1.8 percent in Q4 2025 (annualized)—revised down from the preliminary estimate of 2.8 percent—as output rose 1.5 percent and hours worked fell 0.2 percent; over the full year 2025, nonfarm business productivity grew 2.1 percent, above the 1.5 percent rate of the prior business cycle. Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector surged 4.4 percent in Q4 2025 (annualized), revised up sharply from the preliminary 2.8 percent, reflecting a 6.3 percent jump in hourly compensation that outpaced productivity gains; over the four quarters of 2025, unit labor costs rose 2.4 percent. Manufacturing sector unit labor costs increased 9.1 percent in Q4 2025—the largest quarterly increase since Q3 2022—driven by a 2.5 percent productivity decline combined with a 6.3 percent rise in hourly compensation, though full-year 2025 manufacturing unit labor costs rose a more moderate 2.4 percent, the smallest annual increase in three years. BLS noted that publication of the release was delayed due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations. BLS Productivity and Costs — Q4 2025 Revised, March 24, 2026

The BLS Productivity and Costs release for Q4 2025 (preliminary), published March 5, 2026, showed nonfarm business sector labor productivity increasing 2.8 percent in Q4 2025 (annualized), as output rose 2.6 percent and hours worked fell 0.2 percent; annual average productivity grew 2.2 percent in 2025, matching the long-term rate since 1947 and above the 1.5 percent rate of the prior business cycle. Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector also increased 2.8 percent in Q4 2025 (annualized), reflecting a 5.7 percent rise in hourly compensation; over the four quarters of 2025, unit labor costs rose just 1.3 percent. Manufacturing sector unit labor costs surged 8.3 percent in Q4 2025—the largest quarterly increase since Q3 2022—driven by a 1.9 percent productivity decline combined with a 6.2 percent jump in hourly compensation, though full-year 2025 manufacturing unit labor costs rose a more moderate 2.3 percent. BLS noted that publication was delayed due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations, and that a revised release was scheduled for March 24, 2026. BLS Productivity and Costs — Q4 2025 Preliminary, March 5, 2026

The BLS Productivity and Costs release for Q3 2025 (revised), published January 29, 2026, showed nonfarm business sector labor productivity increasing 4.9 percent in Q3 2025 (annualized)—unrevised from the preliminary estimate—as output rose 5.4 percent and hours worked increased 0.5 percent; over the four quarters ending Q3 2025, nonfarm business productivity grew 1.9 percent. Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector decreased 1.9 percent in Q3 2025 (annualized), reflecting a 2.9 percent rise in hourly compensation more than offset by the productivity gain; over the four quarters, unit labor costs increased 1.3 percent. Manufacturing sector productivity was revised up to 3.7 percent growth in Q3 2025 from the previously reported 3.3 percent, with total manufacturing unit labor costs revised down to a 1.1 percent increase; the largest four-quarter gain in manufacturing productivity since Q2 2021 was recorded at 2.4 percent. BLS noted that publication of the release was delayed due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations. BLS Productivity and Costs — Q3 2025 Revised, January 29, 2026

The BLS Productivity and Costs release for Q3 2025 (preliminary), published January 8, 2026, showed nonfarm business sector labor productivity increasing 4.9 percent in Q3 2025 (annualized), as output rose 5.4 percent and hours worked increased 0.5 percent; unit labor costs decreased 1.9 percent, reflecting a 2.9 percent rise in hourly compensation more than offset by the productivity gain. Manufacturing sector productivity increased 3.3 percent in Q3 2025, with total manufacturing unit labor costs rising 1.5 percent, while the four-quarter gain in manufacturing productivity of 2.3 percent was the largest since Q2 2021. The release incorporated historical revisions reflecting the 2025 Annual Update of the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA), which revised nonfarm business sector Q2 2025 productivity up to 4.1 percent from the previously reported 3.3 percent and revised Q2 unit labor costs sharply downward to a decrease of 2.9 percent from a previously reported increase of 1.0 percent. BLS noted that publication was delayed due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations, and that a revised release was scheduled for January 29, 2026. BLS Productivity and Costs — Q3 2025 Preliminary, January 8, 2026

The BLS Productivity and Costs release for Q2 2025 (revised), published September 4, 2025, showed nonfarm business sector labor productivity increasing 3.3 percent in Q2 2025 (annualized)—revised up from the preliminary estimate of 2.4 percent—as output rose 4.4 percent and hours worked increased 1.1 percent; unit labor costs increased 1.0 percent, revised down from the preliminary 1.6 percent. Over the four quarters ending Q2 2025, nonfarm business productivity grew 1.5 percent and unit labor costs rose 2.5 percent. Manufacturing sector productivity was revised up to 2.5 percent growth in Q2 2025 from the previously reported 2.1 percent, with total manufacturing unit labor costs of 2.0 percent representing the largest four-quarter gain in manufacturing productivity since Q2 2021 at 1.6 percent. In the nonfinancial corporate sector, preliminary Q2 2025 measures showed productivity increasing 5.7 percent and unit profits rising 1.9 percent at an annual rate. BLS Productivity and Costs — Q2 2025 Revised, September 4, 2025

The BLS Productivity and Costs release for Q2 2025 (preliminary), published August 7, 2025, showed nonfarm business sector labor productivity increasing 2.4 percent in Q2 2025 (annualized), as output rose 3.7 percent and hours worked increased 1.3 percent; unit labor costs increased 1.6 percent, reflecting a 4.0 percent rise in hourly compensation. Manufacturing sector productivity increased 2.1 percent in Q2 2025, with total manufacturing unit labor costs rising 1.7 percent, while the four-quarter gain in manufacturing productivity of 1.5 percent was the largest since Q2 2021. The release also incorporated revisions to Q1 2025, with nonfarm business productivity revised down to a decrease of 1.8 percent and unit labor costs revised up to 6.9 percent. BLS Productivity and Costs — Q2 2025 Preliminary, August 7, 2025

The BLS Productivity and Costs release for Q1 2025 (revised), published June 5, 2025, showed nonfarm business sector labor productivity decreasing 1.5 percent in Q1 2025 (annualized)—revised down from the preliminary estimate of -0.8 percent—as output fell 0.2 percent and hours worked increased 1.3 percent; this was the first quarterly decline in nonfarm business productivity since Q2 2022. Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector surged 6.6 percent in Q1 2025 (annualized), revised up from the preliminary 5.7 percent, reflecting a 5.0 percent rise in hourly compensation combined with the productivity decline; over the four quarters ending Q1 2025, unit labor costs rose 1.9 percent. Manufacturing sector productivity increased 4.4 percent in Q1 2025—the largest quarterly gain since Q2 2021—with durable manufacturing up 7.2 percent, though total manufacturing unit labor costs rose 2.0 percent as hourly compensation increased 6.4 percent. The release also incorporated a significant upward revision to Q4 2024 nonfarm business unit labor costs, from the previously reported 2.0 percent to 3.8 percent, driven by a sharp upward revision to hourly compensation. BLS Productivity and Costs — Q1 2025 Revised, June 5, 2025

The BLS Productivity and Costs release for Q1 2025 (preliminary), published May 8, 2025, showed nonfarm business sector labor productivity decreasing 0.8 percent in Q1 2025 (annualized)—the first quarterly decline since Q2 2022—as output fell 0.3 percent and hours worked increased 0.6 percent. Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector surged 5.7 percent (annualized), reflecting a 4.8 percent rise in hourly compensation combined with the productivity decline, though over the four quarters ending Q1 2025 unit labor costs rose a more moderate 1.3 percent. Manufacturing sector productivity increased 4.5 percent in Q1 2025—the steepest quarterly gain since Q2 2021—with durable manufacturing up 7.1 percent, while total manufacturing unit labor costs rose 1.6 percent. BLS also released preliminary Q4 2024 nonfinancial corporate sector measures showing productivity up 4.9 percent and unit labor costs down 0.4 percent for the quarter. BLS Productivity and Costs — Q1 2025 Preliminary, May 8, 2025

The BLS Productivity and Costs release for Q4 2024 (preliminary), published February 6, 2025, showed nonfarm business sector labor productivity increasing 1.2 percent in Q4 2024 (seasonally adjusted annual rate), while unit labor costs rose 3.0 percent over the same period. In the manufacturing sector, productivity increased 0.8 percent and unit labor costs increased 3.3 percent. BLS Productivity and Costs — Q4 2024 Preliminary, February 6, 2025

The BLS Productivity and Costs release for Q3 2024 (preliminary), published November 7, 2024, showed nonfarm business sector labor productivity increasing 2.2 percent in Q3 2024 (seasonally adjusted annual rate), while unit labor costs increased 1.9 percent. In the manufacturing sector, productivity increased 1.0 percent and unit labor costs increased 5.3 percent. BLS Productivity and Costs — Q3 2024 Preliminary, November 7, 2024

The BLS Real Earnings release for March 2026, published April 10, 2026, showed real average hourly earnings for all employees decreasing 0.6 percent from February to March, seasonally adjusted, as a 0.2 percent rise in nominal average hourly earnings was more than offset by a 0.9 percent increase in CPI-U—the largest monthly CPI-U gain in recent months. Real average weekly earnings fell 0.9 percent over the month, reflecting the decline in real hourly earnings combined with a 0.3 percent contraction in the average workweek. Over the year from March 2025 to March 2026, real average hourly earnings increased just 0.3 percent, a sharp deceleration from the 1.4 percent year-over-year gain recorded in February 2026, as the 12-month CPI-U rate accelerated to 3.3 percent. For production and nonsupervisory employees, real average hourly earnings fell 0.9 percent over the month and rose only 0.1 percent over the year, with CPI-W also up 3.3 percent year-over-year. BLS Real Earnings — March 2026, April 10, 2026

The BLS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in March 2026—the largest monthly increase since June 2022—driven primarily by a 10.9 percent surge in energy prices, including a 21.2 percent jump in gasoline that was the largest monthly increase since the series was first published in 1967. Over the prior 12 months, the all-items index increased 3.3 percent, an acceleration from the 2.4 percent annual rate recorded in February 2026; core CPI (all items less food and energy) rose 2.6 percent over the year. Shelter increased 0.3 percent over the month and 3.0 percent over the year, with owners' equivalent rent up 3.1 percent annually, while the food index was unchanged in March and the CPI-W also rose 3.3 percent over the 12 months ending March 2026. BLS Consumer Price Index — March 2026, April 10, 2026

The BLS Employment Cost Index (ECI) for March 2026, released April 30, 2026, showed civilian worker compensation costs rising 0.9 percent for the three-month period ending March 2026 and 3.4 percent over the prior year, holding steady with the December 2025 annual rate. The BLS ECI homepage also references a 2026 notice regarding fixed weights and the removal of workers' compensation from the index, indicating a forthcoming methodological change to the ECI. BLS Employment Cost Index Home