Publication date: October 14, 2026
Location: United States
Topic: Economy, inflation, cost of living
Source: CNN, with figures corroborated by Reuters and The Associated Press
U.S. inflation accelerated in September, with consumer prices rising at an annual rate of 3.7%, up from 3.4% in August, according to data released by the U.S. Labor Department on Wednesday.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures changes in the prices consumers pay for goods and services, increased 0.6% from August to September. A sharp rise in gasoline prices was the main driver of the monthly increase, adding to pressure on household budgets.
Gasoline prices jumped 9.1% during September and accounted for more than half of the monthly increase in the overall CPI. Higher energy costs have raised concerns about further increases in transportation and other everyday expenses.
Core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices because they can fluctuate significantly, rose 0.3% during the month. Core prices were 2.6% higher than a year earlier, exceeding economists’ expectations for the monthly reading.
Food prices were broadly unchanged overall in September, while grocery-store prices edged down 0.1% during the month. However, price changes varied across categories, and consumers continued to face higher costs for some services, airline fares and other goods.
The latest figures create another challenge for the Federal Reserve as it considers how to balance inflation control with economic growth. Persistent price increases could affect its decisions on interest rates, although the September report alone does not determine what policymakers will do next.
For American households, the figures mean that the overall cost of living remains higher than a year ago. Inflation measures how quickly prices are rising; it does not mean that all prices increased by the same amount or that every household experiences the same costs.
Source: CNN, October 14, 2026. The figures above were cross-checked against reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press.
Original CNN article: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/14/economy/us-cpi-inflation-september
Publication date: October 14, 2026
Location: United States
Topic: Economy, inflation, cost of living
Source: CNN, with figures corroborated by Reuters and The Associated Press
