, prices continued to rise in April.
The April 2026 CPI inflation record is a developing history that will be updated with more information.
In April, prices rose as consumer prices rose as a result of the Iran War’s impact on the global economy and power markets.
The consumer price index ( CPI), a broad gauge of how much everyday items like gasoline, groceries, and rent cost, increased by 0.6 % from a month ago to 3.8 % from last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics ‘ data on Tuesday. Since May 2023, that is the highest levels.
The LSEG polled economics, and the regular increase of 0.6 % was higher than the LSEG forecast, but it was higher than the monthly increase.
So-called core prices increased by 0.4 % on a monthly basis and 2.8 % from a year ago, excluding volatile measurements of gasoline and food to better assess price growth trends. These figures were higher than economists ‘ predictions, which were 0.3 % and 2.7 %, respectively.
The data set pauses that occurred during the last night’s 43-day government shutdown have impacted inflation data from December 2025 through April 2026, according to economists.
The BLS used a carry-forward method to make up for the lack of an October CPI report and the missing files in the November statement during the closure by not gathering any information during the stoppage. Until this spring, when new data will dispel the discrepancy, economists predict that this will probably cause inflation data to be biased upwards.
Most U.S. households are currently under extreme financial pressure because of high inflation, which means they are now required to pay more for basic necessities like food and rent. Lower-income Americans have a harder time getting prices because they typically spend more of their already stretched payments on necessities and have less room to keep.
Middle Eastern oil supplies were hampered by the Iran War, which caused rises in energy prices in April of 3.8 %, with prices rising 17.9 % over the previous year. The power indicator accounted for more than 40 % of the April CPI increase nevertheless, according to the BLS.
GAS PRICE SURGE HITTING LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS HARDEST, FED STUDY Sees
Gas prices increased by 5.4 % in April and by 28.4 % from the same period last year. Prices for electricity increased by 2.8 % per month and by 6.1 % from the same period last year. Prices for utilities ‘ gas services increased by 3 % in the last year from their previous high of 0.1 % in April.
In April, food prices increased by 0.5 % and by 3.2 % from the previous month. The monthly food at home index increased by 0.7 % and by 2.9 % from the previous year. In April, the food-aways-from-home index increased by 0.2 % and by 3.6 % from the same period last year.
In April, housing prices increased by 0.6 % and by 3.3 % over the previous year. Compared to last month, homeowners ‘ and household insurance costs increased by 0.1 %, but they also increased by 7.2 %.
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