The Casey's Pizza Inflation Index (CPI)
The price of gas station food matters to Iowans
Around four years ago, I posted a joke on Twitter about Casey’s gas station pizza getting more expensive. I called it the “Casey’s Pizza Inflation Index (CPI)” and framed it as a quasi-earnest effort to track inflation, with a subtle jab at the money printers and self-serious economic bean counters. This post checked a few boxes for me as I’m a financial advisor, a bit of an inflation truther, and native Iowan. And honestly, I like the pizza. I’m also part of the bitcoin community that has inherited the sound money critique from gold bugs and made it relevant in 2025.
So a combination of good humor, a meaningful midwest brand, inflation angst, and love for gas station pizza have now turned this into an annual thing.
Here is the 2025 post:
Followed by a new FAQ this year:
Is this pure slop? Tapping into midwest zeitgeist? The true measure of inflation? Just a reason for this analyst to eat gas station pizza? I’ll let the reader decide.
My favorite indicator. One data point per year really cuts out all the noise
This is actualy a clever way to track real inflation that people feel in their wallets. The 6.3% annualized rate since 2020 is way mor accurate than what official CPI numbers show. Gas station food is a perfect proxy becuse its a staple for so many people and the prices aren't manipulated by substitution effects like government inflation calculations.