The inflation rate is expressed as a percentage increase in average prices over a year. For example, if the cost of the CPI "basket" rises from $100 one year ago to $110 today, the current inflation rate is 10 percent. When the CPI rises, the purchasing power of currency and the value of a worker's labor falls.<ref> | The inflation rate is expressed as a percentage increase in average prices over a year. For example, if the cost of the CPI "basket" rises from $100 one year ago to $110 today, the current inflation rate is 10 percent. When the CPI rises, the purchasing power of currency and the value of a worker's labor falls.<ref> |