Consumer prices rose 0.4% in October 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on November 10. For the first time you won't find a normal yearly inflation rate in the report, because BLS collected no price data in October 2025 during a funding lapse. The last published yearly rate is 3.7%, for September. Next report: December 10.
Key takeaways
- The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.4% in October 2026 after rising 0.6% in September. Without food and energy, it rose 0.3%.
- BLS did not publish a 12-month inflation rate for October because it did not collect survey data in October 2025 during a lapse in appropriations.
- Gasoline rose 1.0% in October after jumping 9.1% in September. Before seasonal adjustment, gas prices fell 0.7%.
- Real average hourly earnings, which is pay after adjusting for prices, were unchanged for all employees from September to October.
- The November CPI report is scheduled for December 10, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
Every month the government reports how much prices changed. This month’s report has a gap. On November 10, 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the October consumer price index, and the usual “inflation is up X% from a year ago” number is missing.
Here is what the report does say, why the yearly number is blank, and how you can still judge your own prices.
What did prices do in October 2026?
The consumer price index, or CPI, tracks the cost of a typical basket of things households buy. The broadest version is called CPI-U. In October it rose 0.4% after seasonal adjustment, which smooths out normal swings like holiday shopping. September’s rise was 0.6%.
| Category | October 2026 change (seasonally adjusted) |
|---|---|
| All items | +0.4% |
| Food | +0.5% (food at home +0.4%, restaurants +0.5%) |
| Energy | +0.7% |
| Gasoline | +1.0% |
| Shelter (rent and housing costs) | +0.3% |
| All items less food and energy (“core”) | +0.3% |
| Medical care | +0.3% |
| Used cars and trucks | −1.2% |
Shelter accounted for over thirty percent of the monthly rise in the all-items index, BLS says. Before seasonal adjustment, the all-items index rose 0.2% to 337.511 (the index uses 1982–84 as 100).
Why is there no yearly inflation rate?
BLS says it “did not collect survey data for October 2025 because of a lapse in appropriations.” In plain words, the government ran out of funding in fall 2025 and its price collectors could not do their work. BLS could not go back and collect those prices later.
A yearly rate compares this October’s prices with last October’s. With last October missing, BLS says it “cannot publish 12-month percent changes for October 2026 for indexes where October 2025 data are unavailable.” In the report’s tables, those cells are blank.
BLS explains in its FAQ on the shutdown’s effect on CPI that November 2025 indexes were built using carried-forward October prices. It also says the rent distortion from that method was set to resolve in April 2026, when the housing sample was used again.
Real earnings are affected too. BLS says over-the-year comparisons from October 2025 to October 2026 are not available in its real earnings release.
What is the latest yearly inflation rate?
The most recent official yearly rate is for September 2026: 3.7%, with core at 2.6%. We explain it in our September inflation post. October’s monthly numbers are the newest data, so treat 3.7% as the last published yearly rate, not a figure for October.
Why does gas look different in this report?
Gasoline rose 1.0% in October after seasonal adjustment, on top of a 9.1% jump in September. But BLS also says that before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices decreased 0.7% in October. Both are true: gas usually gets cheaper in the fall, and the adjusted number subtracts that usual drop. If you fill up often, the second number is closer to what you felt at the pump on average.
Is my pay keeping up?
For October, roughly yes. Real average hourly earnings for all employees were unchanged from September, and for production and nonsupervisory employees they rose 0.1%, seasonally adjusted. Average hourly earnings themselves rose 0.4%, the same as prices.
BLS cannot say how pay compares with a year ago, so the yearly comparison will have to wait. Your own pay may differ from the average.
What does 0.4% mean for my budget?
This is an illustration, not a prediction, using BLS’s percentage and our own arithmetic.
- If you spend $4,000 a month and your costs followed the overall CPI, one month at 0.4% is $4,000 × 0.004 = $16 more.
- Monthly changes add up. BLS lists these seasonally adjusted monthly changes for April through October: 0.6, 0.5, −0.4, 0.1, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.4 percent. Multiplying them together (1.006 × 1.005 × 0.996 × 1.001 × 1.004 × 1.006 × 1.004) gives about 1.022, so prices rose roughly 2.2% over those seven months. That is our math from rounded figures, not a BLS yearly rate.
What happens next?
BLS scheduled the November report for December 10, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. We will see then which yearly comparisons it includes. Nobody can say in advance what prices did in November.
What to do now
- Use the monthly numbers. Core +0.3% and food +0.5% tell you where prices moved this month.
- Update your budget. Put your real spending into our budget calculator, especially food and fuel.
- Compare your raise. Use the pay raise calculator to see your raise next to the last published rate of 3.7%.
- Check older prices. The inflation calculator shows what a dollar from a past year buys today.
- Mark December 10. That is when the next CPI report comes out.
This is general information, not personal financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
What was inflation in October 2026?
BLS did not publish a yearly inflation rate for October 2026. It reported that the CPI-U rose 0.4% in October on a seasonally adjusted basis, after rising 0.6% in September. The last published 12-month rate is 3.7%, for September 2026. The next report, covering November, is scheduled for December 10, 2026.
Why is there no 12-month inflation rate for October 2026?
BLS says it did not collect survey data for October 2025 because of a lapse in appropriations, which means government funding ran out. A yearly rate compares this October with last October, so without last October's prices there is nothing to compare. BLS says it cannot publish 12-month changes where October 2025 data are unavailable.
Did prices go up in October 2026?
Yes, on average. The all-items CPI rose 0.4% after seasonal adjustment. Food rose 0.5%, energy rose 0.7%, shelter rose 0.3% and medical care rose 0.3%. Used cars and trucks fell 1.2%. Before seasonal adjustment, the all-items index rose 0.2% to 337.511.
Is my pay keeping up with prices?
For the month, about even. BLS reports real average hourly earnings for all employees were unchanged from September to October. Real earnings means pay after adjusting for price changes. BLS could not publish the over-the-year comparison for October. Your own raise may be higher or lower than the average.
When is the next CPI report?
BLS scheduled the November 2026 CPI release for Thursday, December 10, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. That report will cover prices for November. Check that release to see which yearly comparisons it includes.