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US energy prices were 20.4% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier

The 12-month change in US energy prices reached 20.4% in September 2026, up from 16.3% in August, a rise of 4.1 percentage points.

Published 1 min read

  • 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 →

The headline figure

US energy prices in September 2026 were 20.4% higher than they were 12 months earlier. This is a 12-month change, so it compares September 2026 with the same month one year before.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

What the official figures show

The energy price inflation rate was 20.4% for the period 2026-09. The unit is percent, and the measure is the change over 12 months, not over the previous month.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

The same measure stood at 16.3% for the period 2026-08. The gap between the two readings is 4.1 percentage points.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

August versus September

The 12-month rate rose from 16.3% in August to 20.4% in September. Both figures come from the same series, so they can be compared directly. The 4.1-point increase means the yearly pace of energy price growth got faster from one month to the next.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

This does not mean energy prices rose 4.1% in a single month. The figure is the difference between two 12-month rates, measured in percentage points.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

What it means for people in the United States

For US residents, the energy prices tracked by this measure were 20.4% higher in September 2026 than 12 months before. How much this affects any one home depends on how much energy it uses. The data does not show individual bills or how the rise is spread across households.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

What the data does not tell us

The figures provided show the overall energy rate and its change from August. They do not break the rise down by type of energy or by region. They also do not explain why prices rose.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

Other price series exist, such as overall consumer prices, food, shelter and motor fuel. Each is a separate statistic with its own definition, so this report does not set them side by side with the energy rate.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

Scenarios to watch

  • Scenario, not a forecast If the next monthly release shows a 12-month energy rate below 20.4%, September would stand as a peak in the recent run of readings.
  • Scenario, not a forecast If the next release shows a 12-month rate at or above 20.4%, the faster yearly pace seen in September would have continued for another month.

What to check next

  • The October 2026 reading of the US energy price inflation rate (12-month change)
  • Whether the month-to-month gap in the 12-month rate widens or narrows from 4.1 percentage points
  • Official breakdowns of the energy index by component, to see which parts moved most

Verified data used in this report

IndicatorValuePeriodSourcesAccessed
F1United States energy price inflation (12-month change)20.4%2026-09U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
F2United States energy price inflation (12-month change)16.3%2026-08U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
F3Change from previous period (percentage points)4.1pp2026-09U.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
C49United States consumer price inflation (CPI-U, 12-month change)3.7%2026-09U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
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 raised concerns, and the report was rewritten once to address them.
  • No person reviewed this report before publication. Automatic checks confirm the numbers, not every interpretation.
Update history
  • 2026-10-27 10:00 UTC — created
  • 2026-10-27 10:00 UTC — approved+published

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