CENTRAL INDIANA BUSINESS

U.S. consumer prices up 3.7% year-over-year in September 2026; core CPI 2.6%

The U.S. Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI‑U) rose 3.7% from September 2025 to September 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Oct. 14, 2026; the CPI excluding food and energy (core CPI) rose 2.6% over the same 12‑month period.

News BriefBy BusinessIndy News DeskCommentsPublished October 15, 2026 at 9:33 AM EDTLiving story · 2 sources

AI-generated illustration of the topic: U.S. consumer prices up 3.7% year-over-year in September 2026; core CPI 2.6% — AI illustration · Not a photograph of the reported event.

The BLS release dated 2026‑10‑14 shows the unadjusted CPI‑U index value for September 2026 at 336.940 (1982‑84=100). Energy costs rose 20.4% year over year, with gasoline up 34.2%. Food costs increased 2.5% over the year.

Selected other 12‑month changes reported by the BLS for Sep. 2025–Sep. 2026 include airline fares +22.4%, hospital services +5.6%, owners' equivalent rent +3.3%, shelter +3.2%, motor vehicle insurance −5.0% and used cars and trucks −1.5%.

WHY IT MATTERS

The CPI measures the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a basket of goods and services. A 3.7% 12‑month increase in the CPI‑U means that, on average, the prices included in that basket were 3.7% higher in September 2026 than in September 2025. Core CPI excludes food and energy, two categories whose prices often swing month to month; core rose 2.6% year over year, providing a view of underlying price trends without those volatile components.

Energy and gasoline were large contributors to the overall rise: energy was up 20.4% and gasoline up 34.2% over the year, while some transportation‑related items such as motor vehicle insurance and used cars fell. For a household, that means fuel costs and travel‑related expenses likely drove a meaningful share of the overall price increase in the year ending September 2026, while rents and medical services showed more moderate gains.

Watch for the Bureau of Labor Statistics' next monthly CPI release for the following update on how these trends evolve month to month.

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