US inflation reaches 3.7% as gasoline drives September’s increase

139 words · 1 min

September’s inflation report shows a renewed squeeze on household budgets.

The all-items Consumer Price Index rose 3.7% over 12 months, up from 3.4% in August. Prices rose 0.6% during September after seasonal adjustment. Gasoline increased 9.1% on that monthly basis and contributed more than half of the overall rise. [1][2]

The pressure was broader than fuel. Excluding food and energy, prices rose 0.3% in the month and 2.6% over the year, compared with 2.4% annual inflation in August. Food prices were unchanged during September. These categories describe different parts of one basket; their percentage changes cannot be added. [1]

For a household budget, the practical distinction is exposure: a larger fuel bill and an unchanged food index can coexist. Compare your own recurring costs rather than applying 3.7% to every expense. This release measures past prices, not the next interest-rate decision. [1][2]

Sources & details 2 sources

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Reporting sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics · September CPI
Original release October 14. Monthly changes are seasonally adjusted; annual changes are not. Table A and opening paragraphs provide the plotted values.
Reuters · September price report
Lucia Mutikani’s report, published October 14, corroborates headline and core CPI. Its internal October 13 dateline conflicts with the original BLS release; publication uses the BLS date. Reuters’s EIA gasoline series is distinct from BLS CPI.

Images & figures

Both headline and core annual inflation increased. Twelve-month changes, not seasonally adjusted.
Euangelion · original data figure · Source · CC BY 4.0 · Download figure