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US energy prices and overall inflation, June to September 2026: two series, month by month

The official US energy price series showed a 12-month increase of 20.4% in September 2026, and the separate overall consumer price series (CPI-U) showed 3.7%. Each is tracked here on its own terms.

Published 2 min read

  • 2026-0615.7%
  • 2026-0714.7%
  • 2026-0816.3%
  • 2026-0920.4%
United States energy price inflation (12-month change) · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

U.S. Energy price inflation →

What happened

If you pay for energy in the United States, the official energy price series for September 2026 was 20.4% higher than in September 2025. This is a 12-month change. It compares September 2026 with the same month a year earlier, not with August.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

The overall consumer price index for urban consumers, CPI-U, had a 12-month change of 3.7% in September 2026. This is a separate statistic with its own definition. This report follows each series over time rather than setting one against the other.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

Energy prices: the monthly readings

The 12-month change in energy prices was 15.7% in June 2026. It was 14.7% in July, which is lower than June. It rose to 16.3% in August. It rose again to 20.4% in September.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

Each figure compares one month with the same month a year earlier. The September reading was the highest of these four months.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

Overall consumer prices: the monthly readings

The CPI-U 12-month change was 3.5% in June 2026. It was 3.4% in July and stayed at 3.4% in August. It rose to 3.7% in September.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

Like the energy series, each CPI-U figure is a 12-month change. The September reading was the highest of these four months.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

How September compares with June in each series

Within the energy series, the 12-month change went from 15.7% in June 2026 to 20.4% in September 2026. The path was not a straight line, because July came in lower than June.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

Within the CPI-U series, the 12-month change went from 3.5% in June 2026 to 3.7% in September 2026. It dipped in July and held level in August before rising.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

What the September figures show for US households

If you fill up a car, the motor fuel price series for September 2026 was 34.2% higher than in September 2025. This is a 12-month change in its own series.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

If you shop for groceries, the food price series showed a 12-month change of 1.8% in September 2026.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

If you rent or own a home, the shelter component of the CPI showed a 12-month change of 3.2% in September 2026.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

On the pay side, average hourly earnings for private employees showed a 12-month change of 3% in September 2026.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

These are separate official series. The facts here do not show how much of a typical household budget goes to each one, so this report does not say which affects households most.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

What the data does and does not show

The facts give 12-month changes only. They do not include the change from one month to the next, so they cannot show how prices moved within a single month.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

The facts do not explain why energy prices moved as they did. They also do not show household spending shares, regional differences or how individual households are affected.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

The latest readings are for September 2026. Figures for October 2026 are not in this data.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

Scenarios to watch

  • Scenario, not a forecast If the October 2026 energy reading comes in above 20.4%, the series would extend the rise seen in August and September.
  • Scenario, not a forecast If the October 2026 energy reading comes in below 20.4%, September would stand as the high point of the readings covered here.
  • Scenario, not a forecast If the October 2026 CPI-U reading differs from 3.7%, it would show whether the September increase in that series continued or reversed.

What to check next

  • The October 2026 12-month change in the US energy price series
  • The October 2026 12-month change in CPI-U
  • The October 2026 12-month change in motor fuel prices
  • Month-over-month figures, if published, to see short-term movement in each series

Verified data used in this report

IndicatorValuePeriodSourcesAccessed
F1United States energy price inflation (12-month change)15.7%2026-06U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
F2United States energy price inflation (12-month change)14.7%2026-07U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
F3United States energy price inflation (12-month change)16.3%2026-08U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
F4United States energy price inflation (12-month change)20.4%2026-09U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
F5United States consumer price inflation (CPI-U, 12-month change)3.5%2026-06U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
F6United States consumer price inflation (CPI-U, 12-month change)3.4%2026-07U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
F7United States consumer price inflation (CPI-U, 12-month change)3.4%2026-08U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
F8United States consumer price inflation (CPI-U, 12-month change)3.7%2026-09U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
C44United States GDP growth (annual %)2.16%2025World Bank
C45United States Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate)4.2%2025World Bank
C46United States Fertility rate, total (births per woman)1.632024World Bank
C47United States Population aged 65 and above (% of total population)18.39%2025World Bank
C48United States Population growth (annual %)0.52%2025World Bank
C51United States food price inflation (12-month change)1.8%2026-09U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
C52United States motor fuel price inflation (12-month change)34.2%2026-09U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
C53United States shelter prices (CPI, 12-month change)3.2%2026-09U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
C54United States unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)4.2%2026-09U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
C55United States average hourly earnings, private employees (12-month change)3%2026-09U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Sources

  • Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — license
  • Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) — license

How this report was checked

  • Data: the newest reference period cited is 2026-09.
  • Figures were collected from the source on
  • Written by an AI model (claude-opus-5-5) using only the official figures listed in this report.
  • Automatic checks passed: every number matches a cited figure, every paragraph names its evidence, and there is no investment advice or copied source text.
  • A separate quality-check model found no unsupported or speculative sentences.
  • No person reviewed this report before publication. Automatic checks confirm the numbers, not every interpretation.
Update history
  • 2026-10-29 16:00 UTC — created
  • 2026-10-29 16:00 UTC — approved+published

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