PCE Inflation Rate

The PCE price index rose 3.6% over the 12 months ending September 2026, up from 3.4% in August 2026. The PCE price index stood at 132.257 (2017 = 100). A year earlier (Sep 2025), the reading was 2.8%.

PCE covers a broader range of spending, updates its weights as consumers shift between products, and can be revised as better data come in. The Federal Open Market Committee defines its 2% inflation goal in terms of the annual change in the PCE price index.

The two use different formulas and weights. PCE gives housing a much smaller weight than CPI and captures consumers' switching toward cheaper goods, which tends to keep it a little lower over time.

Monthly, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, typically in the last week of the following month. Because it comes after the CPI, much of the result can be estimated in advance.