Loading data…
A monthly explainer generated directly from Basket Index data. Republished by Basket Index, attributed to public BLS, FRED, and EIA sources.
As of Feb 2021 · Base 100 = Jan 2020
Generated from Feb 2021's observations.
As of February 2021, the Basket Index for a US family of 4 sits at 102.0 — meaning the cost of a standard household basket has risen 2.3% versus a year ago and is up 0.93% from the previous month.
Most of the move comes from rent of primary residence, gasoline (regular unleaded), electricity (residential) and chicken (whole, fresh). Together these items account for roughly 39% of the year-over-year basket cost change.
Inflation is rarely caused by one thing. Energy prices feed into food production and shipping; rent moves with housing supply and interest rates; and grocery prices respond to supply shocks, weather, and demand patterns. Basket Index does not claim causality — it tracks the prices households actually face, and lets you see which categories are pulling the basket up.
Year-over-year change for each item, ranked by contribution to the basket move.
Items down year-over-year, helping offset the rise.
| Month | Family of 4 · US |
|---|---|
| Jan 2020 | 100.00 |
| Feb 2020 | 99.64 |
| Mar 2020 | 98.95 |
| Apr 2020 | 97.58 |
| May 2020 | 98.01 |
| Jun 2020 | 99.55 |
| Jul 2020 | 99.87 |
| Aug 2020 | 99.88 |
| Sep 2020 | 99.91 |
| Oct 2020 | 99.82 |
| Nov 2020 | 99.84 |
| Dec 2020 | 100.33 |
| Jan 2021 | 101.03 |
| Feb 2021 | 101.97 |
A dated release covering one month. The period it describes is fixed, but the figures are recomputed from the source series — an official revision upstream can still move them.
Period covered: Feb 2021 · United States · family of 4 · Basket Index base 100 = January 2020
Permalink: https://basketindex.org/why-prices-rising/2021-02
Suggested citation: Basket Index™, “Why were prices rising in Feb 2021?” (Feb 2021), built from public data published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Reserve and the US Energy Information Administration. How this is calculated · Data status
67 dated snapshots, each recomputed as of the end of that month.
One email a month. The Basket Index reading, biggest movers, one chart.