May 2019 CPI Release Highlights

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released May 2019 Consumer Price Indexes (CPI) today. The all items category increased 0.2% over the last month & rose by 1.8% over the last year while All items less food and energy increased 0.1% between April – May ’19 and rose by 2.0% between May ’18 – ’19. The Commodities less food and energy commodities category decreased 0.3% over the last month & decreased by 0.2% over the last year. Newspapers and magazines increased 2.2% between April – May ’19 & rose by 7.7% between May ’18 – ’19. Carbonated drinks increased by 0.5% over the last month & rose by 5.8% over the last year. Food from vending machines & mobile vendors increased 1.2% from April – May ’19 & increased by 5.5% between May ’18 – ’19. Canned fruits and vegetables increased 1.9% over the last month & rose by 4% over the last year. Vehicle parts and equipment other than tires increased 0.6% between April – May ’19 & increased by 3.5% between May ’18 – ’19. Medical equipment and supplies increased 1.6% over the last month & rose by 2.9% over the last year. All inflation rates mentioned above are seasonally unadjusted.

Shown below are historical inflation rates through May 2019 for selected CPI categories: