rdwyer@fastmail.com · junk-mail

Is your hamburger getting more expensive?

Mon Jul 27, 2026 · 10:00 PM EDT

From: "USAFacts" <info@usafacts.org>
To: <rdwyer@fastmail.com>

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[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

The biggest inflation-drivers over the past year

Did your rent go up compared to last year? Or perhaps the price of your gro=
ceries, rideshare services, or your gym membership? Inflation might be part=
ly why. Inflation refers to general price increases in an economy, and it=
=E2=80=99s a measure of a nation=E2=80=99s economic well-being. Some inflat=
ion is to be expected (the Fed aims to keep it at 2%), but too much inflati=
on increases the cost of living. We have the data on [the biggest drivers o=
f inflation](usafacts.org/answers/what-are-the-bigg…vers-of-i=
nflation-in-the-past-year/country/united-states/?utm_content=3Dsection1_tex=
t) in the past year to help you make sense of potential changes in your spe=
nding.

Overall prices rose 3.5% from June 2025 to June 2026, as measured by the Co=
nsumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U). This was lower than May=E2=
=80=99s year-over-year rate of 4.2%, but still higher than the Fed=E2=80=99=
s target. The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses the CPI-U to measure price ch=
anges across the full range of goods and services urban households buy.

[Percent change in CPI-U from June 2025 to June2026](usafacts.org/a=
nswers/what-are-the-biggest-drivers-of-inflation-in-the-past-year/country/u=
nited-states/?utm_content=3Dsection1_chart)

Housing was the single biggest driver of inflation. It was responsible for =
1.5 percentage points, or about two-fifths of total inflation. Housing pric=
es (which also includes rent) were 3.3% higher in June 2026 than a year pri=
or.
=C2=A0

The weight assigned to each category reflects its relative importance in a =
typical household budget. Housing, which includes shelter, utilities, and h=
ousehold operations, holds the largest share of the CPI, hence, it can be t=
he biggest inflation driver while not having the biggest year-over-year cha=
nge. Transportation has the second-highest weight, while food and beverages=
are third.
=C2=A0

Transportation was also more expensive, with prices up 6.5% year over year,=
followed by other goods and services (4.6%) and apparel (3.9%).=E2=80=AFMe=
anwhile, education and communication prices dropped 0.1%.
=C2=A0

Zero in on more specific categories [here](usafacts.org/answers/wha=
t-is-the-current-inflation-rate/country/united-states/?utm_content=3Dsectio=
n1_chart). Plus, our [inflation calculator](usafacts.org/answers/in=
flation-calculator/?utm_content=3Dsection1_text) lets you track price chang=
es across 100+ years of data.

[See the data](usafacts.org/answers/what-are-the-bigg…rivers-of=
-inflation-in-the-past-year/country/united-states/?utm_content=3Dsection1_b=
utton)

[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

Is beef getting more expensive?

What are you paying at the meat counter? The stakes are high: beef prices a=
re one of the more tangible ways Americans are feeling inflation right now.=
The =E2=80=9Cbeef and veal=E2=80=9D category in the CPI-U rose 12.9% over =
the past year. We carved into the data to see [where average beef prices ra=
nk](usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-price…ntent=3Ds=
ection2_text) and how they=E2=80=99ve changed over time.

The average price of ground beef in US cities was $6.75 per pound as of May=
.=E2=80=AF

[Average inflation-adjusted price per pound of selected beef products](http=
s://usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-price-of-beef/?utm_content=3Dsection2_=
chart)

Adjusted for inflation (which, as previously mentioned, is rising), beef pr=
ices were near historic highs. As of May, chuck roast was $9.61 per pound =
=E2=80=94 its second-highest price since 1989. Ground beef and sirloin stea=
k were at their seventh-highest prices, and round steak was at its sixth-hi=
ghest.
=C2=A0

Sirloin steak prices climbed the most in 12 months, rising $2.07 per pound.=
Chuck roast was $1.73 higher, followed by round steak ($1.39) and ground b=
eef ($0.76).=E2=80=AF
=C2=A0

The West had the highest prices for sirloin steak and chuck roast, while th=
e Northeast paid the most for ground beef.

[See the data](usafacts.org/answers/what-is-the-price…eef/?utm_=
content=3Dsection2_button)

[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

Tell Congress Americans need data

Data is the love letter we send to our future selves. It=E2=80=99s partly w=
hy roads get repaired and why unemployment support exists when you need it,=
and it helps ensure the power grid can handle a summer heat wave. Governme=
nt data makes daily life work.

But the systems collecting that data haven=E2=80=99t kept up with modern ne=
eds, and the numbers aren't always easy for Americans to find or use. Agenc=
ies like the Social Security Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics=
, and the EPA deserve better tools to do their jobs well.

Join USAFacts Founder Steve Ballmer and [sign our open letter](usaf=
acts.org/data-we-depend-on/?utm_content=3Dblurb_text) telling Congress to m=
odernize how the government collects and uses data.

[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

Data behind the news

The House of Representatives passed a defense spending bill of more than $1=
trillion this week. [Here are the historical numbers](usafacts.org=
/explainers/what-does-the-us-government-do/agency/us-department-of-defense/=
?utm_content=3Ddbtn_text) on defense spending.

The federal government announced it is withholding $1 billion in [Medicaid]=
(usafacts.org/answers/how-much-does-med…s/country=
/united-states/?utm_content=3Ddbtn_text) funds from [California](us=
afacts.org/articles/california-and-medicaid-what-the-data-says/?utm_content=
=3Ddbtn_text) and [Minnesota](usafacts.org/articles/minnesota-and-m=
edicaid-what-the-data-says/?utm_content=3Ddbtn_text) while it investigates =
possible fraud. (By the way, Medicaid turned 60 years old this week.)

From the Northeast to the West Coast, it=E2=80=99s wildfire season. Here=E2=
=80=99s [how much land wildfires burn](usafacts.org/articles/how-mu=
ch-damage-do-wildfires-do-in-the-us/?utm_content=3Ddbtn_text) in the US.

Stay sharp with the [weekly fact quiz](usafacts.org/weekly-fact-qui=
z/?utm_content=3Ddbtn_text).

[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

One last fact

[How common are households with more than one refrigerator?](youtub=
e.com/shorts/GxgyoAdEgFA?is=3DnMeyUN4QU_WqaPgp)

Did you know the Energy Information Administration tracks how many househol=
ds have a fridge in their garage? In 2024, 20 million households =E2=80=94 =
15% of households nationwide =E2=80=94 had a secondary fridge in their gara=
ge. Learn about the =E2=80=9Csecond fridge belt=E2=80=9D on [YouTube](https=
://youtube.com/shorts/GxgyoAdEgFA?is=3DnMeyUN4QU_WqaPgp), [Instagram](https=
://www.instagram.com/reel/Da0SuL4B6VX/?ig…doOXI3Y3Nl), or [TikTok=
](www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8GT8sF4/)!

[USAFacts](usafacts.org/)

[Economy](usafacts.org/economy/)

[Crime](usafacts.org/crime/)

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