This tracker follows the BLS CPI-U index for Food at Home (Groceries). Some categories run far hotter than the headline inflation number, which is why category detail matters when judging whether your pay kept up.
The headline rate is a weighted blend of every spending category, so a few hot or cold ones can hide inside the average. Tracking Food at Home (Groceries) on its own shows whether the prices you actually pay are rising faster or slower than the overall index — useful when deciding how big a raise it takes to stay even. The page reports year-over-year, five-year, and ten-year change for this category.
Compare other categories: Shelter · Food · Energy · Gasoline · Medical Care · Transportation · Apparel.
Check your raise against this category.
Updated July 2026