Did you know that consumer prices in the U.S. have climbed every single year for nine straight years?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI), the average annual CPI has risen without interruption from 2015 through 2024 — a streak of nine consecutive years of upward movement.
To put that in perspective, the index started at roughly 237 in 2015 and crossed 313 by 2024. That's a cumulative increase of about 32% over the period. In plain terms, something that cost you $100 in 2015 would run you roughly $132 today.
The sharpest jumps came during 2021 and 2022, when pandemic-era supply chain disruptions and surging demand pushed inflation to levels not seen in decades. In 2022 alone, the index leapt by more than 21 points — the largest single-year increase in the entire streak.
While year-over-year inflation has cooled since that peak, prices themselves have not come back down. That's a distinction worth understanding: lower inflation doesn't mean lower prices. It means prices are still rising, just more slowly.
Nine years without a single dip is a reminder that the cost of living is a one-way escalator for most Americans. Whether it's groceries, rent, or gas, the data tells a clear story — everything keeps getting more expensive.
Source: BLS Consumer Price Index
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