US consumer prices rise about 0.35% in October 2026 as diesel hits a record

Diesel reached a new high for the series in October

Fuel costs feed into shipping, farming and many other parts of the economy.

• Diesel: $6.496 a gallon on average, up from $6.331 in September and $3.73 a year earlier. This is well above the June 2022 peak of $5.758.
• Regular gasoline: $4.454 a gallon, down slightly from $4.482. It is still about 37% above October 2025, when it was $3.239.
• Energy prices overall: The seasonally adjusted energy index rose about 0.7% to 340.197.

Prices outside food and energy rose about 0.3%

The consumer price index measures the average change in prices that consumers pay for goods and services. The seasonally adjusted all-items index, which removes regular seasonal swings, rose to 337.476 from 336.298. Core CPI leaves out food and energy because their prices move sharply. It rose to 339.900 from 338.896.

There is no official 12-month inflation rate for October

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is not publishing 12-month changes this month. The data have no October 2025 reading because of the shutdown. Compared with September 2025, 13 months earlier, the headline index is up about 4.1% and core is up about 2.9%.

Food and electricity prices were mixed

• Electricity: $0.190 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), down from $0.196.
• Eggs: $2.32 a dozen, still about a third below a year ago.
• Ground beef: $6.755 a pound, roughly flat.
• Coffee: $9.249 a pound, easing.