The cadence is monthly, not weekly or daily.
Basket Report currently shows May 2026. If a required source series is missing or incomplete, the site does not fill the gap with an estimate.
BLS release cadence
The Consumer Price Index is released monthly. BLS average-price series for grocery items are published with that CPI data, so Basket Report’s core price pages update on a monthly cadence after the official release lands.
Basket Report refresh process
The release workflow fetches named BLS series, validates data completeness, recalculates the fixed-weight 24-item basket, refreshes item changes and regional comparisons, generates The Receipt, updates downloads and rebuilds the static site. If the source month has not advanced, the release process does not publish stale pages as if they were fresh.
Missing or revised data
Some series can be unavailable in a month or revised later. Basket Report treats missing values as unavailable rather than zero and records the latest source month in visible page copy. That is why archive gaps or N/A values can appear when a comparison cannot be calculated from published BLS data.
Frequently asked questions
Does BLS update grocery prices every day?
No. Basket Report uses BLS CPI Average Price Data, which is published monthly rather than daily.
When does Basket Report update?
Basket Report updates after the monthly BLS release once the required source series are validated. The current visible data month is May 2026.
What happens if one item is missing?
Missing values stay unavailable. Basket Report does not substitute zero, carry forward a value, or invent a comparison.
Sources and methodology
- BLS Consumer Price Index news release
- BLS CPI Average Price Data factsheet
- BLS CPI data tables and databases
- Basket Report methodology
- Basket Report data downloads
Reviewed May 2026 · Source data is independently analyzed by Basket Report and does not imply BLS endorsement.
Read the release workflow
See how monthly data is validated before publication.