Skip to content

Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021

Is inflation currently at a historic high?

EconoFact, EconoFact

no

The change in the seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers between June 2020 and June 2021 was 5.32%. This statistic, the year-on-year monthly inflation rate, was 5.28% in July. This is the highest the inflation rate has been since September 2008.

But the average year-on-year monthly inflation rate in the 1970s was 7.1% and 5.6% in the 1980s. In the 1981 to 1982 period the average inflation rate was 12%. Year-on-year inflation exceeded 10% in every month between February 1974 and April 1975, March 1979 through April 1981 and July through October 1981.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

EconoFact is a non-partisan publication designed to bring key facts and incisive analysis to the national debate on economic and social policies. Launched in January 2017, it is written by leading academic economists from across the country who belong to the EconoFact Network. It is published by the Edward R. Murrow Center for a Digital World at The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.