Rising food and housing costs have hit the lowest-income Americans the hardest in recent years.

Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the cost of living continues to outpace earnings, leaving many Americans struggling to make ends meet.

Progress on inflation should stall this year” as fiscal, immigration and trade policies shift, caution Bank of America economists.

Entering 2025, models from forecasting companies like Trading Economics anticipate inflation rates between 2.4% and 2.9% between the end of 2024 and the start of 2026. Unfortunately, actually predicting inflation can be difficult, as rates can be affected by a variety of factors, including political climates and supply-chain interruptions.

Economists like me rely on data from federal data collection agencies like the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). They provide critical data on

And all this productivity is why wage growth keeps beating inflation, said Betsey Stevenson, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan. “Real wage growth has to come from productivity growth. Because we’re doing more with less, we get more in the end,” she said.

The Consumer Price Index rose 2.9 percent from a year earlier, but a measure of underlying inflation was more encouraging.

Newly released federal inflation data shows that prices rose last month. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday released its Consumer Price Index, a key marker of inflation, which jumped 0.4% in December,

There are growing concerns about the stickiness of inflation and fears that the Federal Reserve may have to keep interest rates restrictively high for longer.

Measuring key aspects of a nation’s economy is important, but the metrics used are often misunderstood by many. Quantifying output of goods and services, price levels, and labor use provides

Buying produce in season is another great way to save money. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are often priced lower due to their abundance. For instance, berries are more affordable in the summer, while root vegetables like sweet potatoes and squash tend to be less expensive in the fall.

The latest inflation report slashed the risk that the Fed could go back to hiking interest rates this year, Wall Street strategists say.