CPI Inflation

Overview

CPI Inflation sources data directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) API, the official source for US inflation data. Monthly data is available back to 1947, with category breakdowns for detailed inflation analysis.

Endpoint

One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/cpiinflation?date=2023-06&category=food" \
  -H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here"

const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/cpiinflation?date=2023-06&category=food', {
  headers: { 'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here' },
});

if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);

const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/cpiinflation?date=2023-06&category=food",
    headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
    timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()

print(res.json()["data"])

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
)

func main() {
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/cpiinflation?date=2023-06&category=food", nil)
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")

	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()

	out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(out))
}

Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.

Parameters

Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Response

Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "yearMonth": "2024-01",
    "year": 2024,
    "month": 1,
    "categories": {
      "all": {
        "index": 308.417,
        "yearOverYearChange": 3.1
      },
      "food": {
        "index": 327.891,
        "yearOverYearChange": 2.6
      },
      "housing": {
        "index": 341.256,
        "yearOverYearChange": 4.8
      },
      "transportation": {
        "index": 278.543,
        "yearOverYearChange": 1.2
      },
      "medical": {
        "index": 542.189,
        "yearOverYearChange": 3.5
      },
      "gasoline": {
        "index": 287.654,
        "yearOverYearChange": -3.2
      },
      "electricity": {
        "index": 298.123,
        "yearOverYearChange": 5.1
      }
    }
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.

Use cases

Inflation Tracking

Monitor inflation trends across different spending categories

Economic Analysis

Analyze inflation patterns for economic research and forecasting

Cost Adjustments

Calculate inflation adjustments for contracts, salaries, and pricing

Investment Research

Factor inflation data into investment decisions and real returns

Other ways to use CPI Inflation

Set up CPI Inflation on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

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