By SNN Newsroom | October 14, 2026
Consumer prices increased 0.6% in September 2026 on a seasonally adjusted basis, while the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 3.7% from a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.
The September increase followed a 0.4% monthly rise in August. Gasoline prices climbed 9.1% in September, accounting for more than half of the overall monthly increase. The broader energy index rose 5.2%, while shelter prices increased 0.4%.
The report measures changes in prices paid by urban consumers for a basket of goods and services; it does not mean all households experienced the same increase. The 0.6% monthly change is seasonally adjusted, while the 3.7% annual figure is reported before seasonal adjustment.
The figures provide one gauge of the cost of living ahead of the November 3 midterms, but the report itself does not determine the causes of individual price increases or establish how voters will respond.
Primary source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2026 Consumer Price Index release.
