US Consumer Prices Increase 0.5% in May; Real Wages Decline

The U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) saw a 0.5 percent increase in May 2026, on a seasonally adjusted basis, leading to a 4.2 percent rise over the past year. Concurrently, real average hourly earnings for employees experienced a slight decrease of 0.1 percent during the same month. The unemployment rate remained stable at 4.3 percent, with payroll employment adding 172,000 jobs.