by Wolf Richter
Wolf Street
It’s based on CPI-W for the third quarter. July came in at 6.0%.
One of the inflation measures released today, in addition to the regular Consumer Price Index data, was the CPI-W which is used to figure the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits.
The COLA is based on the average percentage increase of CPI-W in the third quarter compared to the same period in the prior year. So today’s report for July, figured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and released by the Social Security Administration, covers the first month of the three months that will determine the Social Security COLA applied to benefits paid in the year starting in January 2022.