Numerator: Everyday Goods Prices Up 2.7% YOY in February

Prices for everyday household purchases increased 0.26% in February, up 2.7% from the year prior, according to consumer data research firm Numerator’s February 2026 Numerator Consumer Goods Price Index (CGPI). February’s increase follows a 0.24% decrease in January and a 0.23% increase in December.

A similar year-over-year trend is expected for the comparable categories covered in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI release scheduled for later this week, Numerator said.

“February’s data is a reminder that the path back to price stability won’t be linear,” said Paul Stanley, senior economist, Numerator. “After some welcome relief in January, inflation reaccelerated in February, and the uptick suggests that cost pressures on everyday essentials remain high. Consumers are still navigating a choppy pricing environment, particularly lower-income and younger households who continue to feel a disproportionate impact.”

Additional key findings from Numerator’s February CGPI included:

• Low income and Gen Z consumers experience higher levels of inflation for everyday household goods. Prices have increased 33.7% and 36.0% respectively for those groups since January 2018 vs. the 31.8% national average.
• Regionally, consumers in the South and West census regions have experienced higher levels of inflation since 2018, though the Midwest has seen stronger month-over-month inflation over the past few months.

Also in February, the U.S. job market cut 92,000 jobs and the unemployment rate went back up to 4.4%, “a sign that the job market continues to struggle across a broad range of sectors,” reported the Wall Street Journal.

The employment numbers, reported Friday by the Labor Department, fell far short of January’s gain of 126,000 jobs.

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