CPI Inflation in Google Sheets
Formula
Track inflation from a cell. =VERVE("cpiinflation", "food") returns monthly CPI and year-over-year rates by category, auto-refreshing — Sheets or Excel.
=VERVE("cpiinflation")=VERVE.CALL("cpiinflation")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
date | string | "date", value | Optional date in YYYY-MM format for historical lookup. Omit for current data. (e.g. 2023-06) |
category | string | "category", value | Optional category filter: all, food, housing, apparel, transportation, medical, recreation, education, gasoline, electricity (e.g. food) |
Passing an option
=VERVE("cpiinflation", "date", "2023-06")What lands in your sheet
With no "field" pair the formula spills the whole response as two columns — field name on the left, value on the right — starting at the cell you typed in. Make sure the cells below and to the right are empty.
Pulling one value
Add a "field" pair to get a single cell back instead of a table. The field name is the dot-path from the table below.
=VERVE("cpiinflation", "field", "yearMonth")=VERVE.CALL("cpiinflation", "field", "yearMonth")Available fields
#PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.| Use as "field" | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
yearMonth | string | 2024-01 | Year and month in YYYY-MM format for the data |
year | number | 2024 | The year of the CPI data point |
month | number | 1 | The month (1-12) of the CPI data |
categories | object | {…} | |
categories.all | object | {…} | |
categories.all.index | number | 308.417 | Consumer Price Index for all items |
categories.all.yearOverYearChange | number | 3.1 | Year-over-year inflation rate for all items |
categories.food | object | {…} | |
categories.food.indexPremium | number | 327.891 | Consumer Price Index for food category |
categories.food.yearOverYearChangePremium | number | 2.6 | Year-over-year inflation rate for food |
categories.housing | object | {…} | |
categories.housing.indexPremium | number | 341.256 | Consumer Price Index for housing category |
categories.housing.yearOverYearChangePremium | number | 4.8 | Year-over-year inflation rate for housing |
categories.transportation | object | {…} | |
categories.transportation.indexPremium | number | 278.543 | Consumer Price Index for transportation category |
categories.transportation.yearOverYearChangePremium | number | 1.2 | Year-over-year inflation rate for transportation |
categories.medical | object | {…} | |
categories.medical.indexPremium | number | 542.189 | Consumer Price Index for medical care category |
categories.medical.yearOverYearChangePremium | number | 3.5 | Year-over-year inflation rate for medical care |
categories.gasoline | object | {…} | |
categories.gasoline.indexPremium | number | 287.654 | Consumer Price Index for gasoline category |
categories.gasoline.yearOverYearChangePremium | number | -3.2 | Year-over-year inflation rate for gasoline |
categories.electricity | object | {…} | |
categories.electricity.indexPremium | number | 298.123 | Consumer Price Index for electricity category |
categories.electricity.yearOverYearChangePremium | number | 5.1 | Year-over-year inflation rate for electricity |
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() won't catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | The preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in cpiinflation | An option name that this source doesn't take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The "field" path isn't in the response. Check the dot-path against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan doesn't include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The month's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet doesn't leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Other ways to use CPI Inflation in Google Sheets
Set up CPI Inflation in Google Sheets on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Frequently asked questions
Does CPI Inflation in Google Sheets work in both Google Sheets and Excel?
Yes — the same source, the same arguments. Sheets calls it =VERVE("cpiinflation", …) and Excel calls it =VERVE.CALL("cpiinflation", …); that function name is the only difference.
Do the cells recalculate on their own?
They recalculate when the sheet does — on edit, on open, or on a manual recalc. Each recalculation is a fresh call and spends credits, so for a large static column it's worth copying the results and pasting them as values.
How many credits does a filled column cost?
1 credit per row looked up, whether you drag the formula or pass a range. The range form is one HTTP call instead of many, but the credit count is the same.
Can I share the sheet without sharing my key?
Yes. The key is stored against your account, not in the file. Collaborators see the values already in the cells; formulas only recalculate for someone who has connected their own account.
Why is a cell showing #ERR instead of an error?
So you can read the reason. Excel can't display a custom message on a real spreadsheet error, so the add-in returns the explanation as text on both platforms instead.