Moving economics
Moving cost index: how fast moving and storage prices are rising
Moving, storage, and freight expense prices rose 16.9 percent over the year ending June 2026, far ahead of the 3.53 percent rise in overall consumer prices. The index sits at 302.7 on a 1982 to 1984 base of 100. This series swings sharply month to month, so treat single months as noise.
Key takeaways
- Moving, storage, and freight expense prices rose 16.9 percent over the year ending June 2026.
- Overall consumer prices rose 3.53 percent over the same 12 months, so moving costs climbed roughly five times faster.
- Rent of a primary residence rose 2.84 percent, which means moving cost pressure is not tracking housing cost pressure.
- The moving index reads 302.7 against a 1982 to 1984 base of 100, up from 294.1 two months earlier, a swing that shows how volatile the series is.
Where prices stand, June 2026
+16.9%
Moving, storage, and freight expense
12-month change in the consumer price index for this category, not seasonally adjusted.
+3.53%
All items
12-month change in the all-items consumer price index over the same period.
+2.84%
Rent of primary residence
12-month change in rent, included to separate moving cost pressure from housing cost pressure.
302.7
Moving index level
Index value with the 1982 to 1984 average set to 100.
What is actually being measured
The moving, storage, and freight expense category tracks what households pay for the services involved in a move: hired labor, transportation of goods, and storage. It does not track what a carrier pays for fuel, wages, or equipment, and it does not track the price of a specific move.
That distinction matters when you compare a quote to this index. A quote reflects distance, weight, access, and the calendar week you booked. The index reflects an average across the country, so it tells you which direction prices are moving, not what your move should cost.
Moving costs against the broader basket
| Category | 12-month change | Index level |
|---|---|---|
| Moving, storage, and freight expense | +16.9% | 302.7 |
| All items | +3.53% | 334.0 |
| Rent of primary residence | +2.84% | 446.9 |
How to read a volatile series
This category covers a narrow slice of household spending, so its monthly readings jump around. The index printed 294.1 in April 2026, 305.5 in May, and 302.7 in June. Any one of those months read alone would tell a different story.
The honest read is the 12-month change, and even that should be checked against the prior year before you treat it as a trend. When a single month is quoted as proof that moving got dramatically cheaper or more expensive, it usually is not.
How we built this
Figures come straight from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Public Data API, series CUUR0000SETG, CUUR0000SA0, and CUUR0000SEHA, U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted.
- 01Pull the last 24 monthly index values for each series through the BLS API.
- 02Identify the most recent month with a published value for every series.
- 03Compute 12-month change from that month and the same month one year earlier.
- 04Store each index value and each computed change as a separate record with its own unit, so nothing on the page is a rounded restatement of something else.
Limitations
- Consumer price index categories measure average urban household expenditure, not carrier cost or individual quotes.
- This category is narrow and swings sharply month to month.
- Months affected by a lapse in federal appropriations can be unpublished, which shifts the most recent comparable month.
Terms used on this page
- Consumer price index
- A measure of the average change over time in prices paid by urban consumers for a basket of goods and services.
- Not seasonally adjusted
- Raw index values with no correction for predictable seasonal patterns such as summer moving demand.
- Index base
- The reference period set equal to 100. For these series it is the 1982 to 1984 average.
- Twelve-month change
- Percent change between the current month and the same month one year earlier.
Frequently asked questions
- How much have moving costs gone up in the past year?
- Prices for moving, storage, and freight expense rose 16.9 percent over the 12 months ending June 2026, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index for that category. Overall consumer prices rose 3.53 percent over the same period.
- Are moving costs rising faster than inflation?
- Yes. Over the year ending June 2026, the moving, storage, and freight expense index rose 16.9 percent against 3.53 percent for all items, roughly five times the pace of the broader basket.
- Does this index tell me what my move will cost?
- No. It tracks average price change across urban households, not the price of a specific move. Your cost depends on distance, shipment weight, access at both ends, and the week you book. Use the index for direction, and a written estimate for price.
- Why does this number change so much month to month?
- The category covers a narrow slice of spending, so its index swings. It read 294.1 in April 2026, 305.5 in May, and 302.7 in June. The 12-month change is the reliable read; a single month is not.
- How often is this page updated?
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes this series monthly, and this page refreshes when a new month clears validation. Each refresh is stored as a new versioned snapshot so earlier figures remain traceable.
Revision history
- August 1, 2026 · v1 · Initial publication from snapshot v1 (Initial build)
- August 1, 2026 · Page created from BLS series CUUR0000SETG, CUUR0000SA0, and CUUR0000SEHA, snapshot v1. (Initial build)