Data is sourced from official US government agencies and updated automatically:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): Consumer Price Index (CPI) by region and metro area, Producer Price Index (PPI). Updated monthly, typically released 2 weeks after month end.
- Federal Reserve (FRED): Federal funds rate, inflation breakeven rates, Michigan consumer inflation expectations. Updated daily for rates, monthly for surveys.
- Energy Information Administration (EIA): State-level gasoline prices (weekly) and residential electricity prices (monthly). Monthly kWh consumption averages per state used to convert rates into estimated bills.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA): Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index. Updated monthly.
- Zillow Research: Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI) by state, smoothed and seasonally adjusted. Reflects rental market only. Updated monthly.
Forecasts use a momentum-based approach: 3-month annualized trend rates from relevant CPI subcategories, adjusted by leading indicators specific to each category. Confidence is rated high (consistent 4-month trend), moderate (mixed signals), or low (insufficient data).
States without metro-level CPI data use BLS regional averages (Northeast, Midwest, South, West). Gas, electricity, and rent data is available at the state level for all states.
Household size scaling in the budget calculator adjusts grocery, electricity, and medical spending defaults proportionally to the BLS consumer unit reference (2.5 people). Rent and gas are not scaled as they are per-unit and per-vehicle respectively.