The headline inflation number is not at all intended to state the impact of anything. It's an aggregate number used as an indicator to inform macro policy. BLS

The headline inflation number is not at all intended to state the impact of anything. It's an aggregate number used as an indicator to inform macro policy. BLS reports all of the granular data points that roll up to the headline number. Your personal experience will absolutely never be accurately reflected in a single number for the nation. People hone in on food and energy because they buy them frequently and demand is inelastic, but they are by far the most volatile and can be affected by all sorts of heterogeneous inputs. National numbers will be heavily impacted by infrequent, larger purchases like housing and cars and other durable goods. The affects of inflation can hit certain verticals harder or softer. They can also be heavily regional. They can affect suburbs differently than urban residents (gas in particular doesn't affect subway riders). Go click through the BLS site for CPI reporting: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/ https://www.bls.gov/cpi/