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US consumer price index rises to highest since 2023, as energy prices climb

Inflation rose to 3.8% in April 2026, according to the latest report of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

US consumer price index rises to highest since 2023, as energy prices climb

Inflation rose to 3.8% in April 2026, according to the latest report of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Here's how the war in Iran is hitting Americans' wallets. Doing the thing where I make myself really tiny again because we just got the latest inflation report showing that consumer prices rose 3.8% in the last year. That is the highest rate since May of 2023. Energy is driving that increase. Gas prices jumped 5.4% in the last month. They're now up 28.4% compared to ***. Fuel oil prices are also surging up 5.8% in the last month and more than 54% in the last year. That's having *** ripple effect on airfaree, which rose 2.8% in the last month and is up more than 20% over the last year as airlines deal with higher fuel costs. Grocery prices are rising too, but not nearly as fast. Those Prices were up 0.7% in the last month, 2.9% over the last year, but still, this is something economists are watching closely because higher fuel costs can make things like transportation, refrigeration, and shipping more expensive, especially for perishable foods. The Hearst Television Get the Facts data team dug deeper into the latest CPI numbers, so click the link in bio for our full breakdown.
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Updated: 5:15 PM EDT May 12, 2026
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US consumer price index rises to highest since 2023, as energy prices climb

Inflation rose to 3.8% in April 2026, according to the latest report of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

WLKY logo
Updated: 5:15 PM EDT May 12, 2026
Editorial Standards
Inflation rose to 3.8% year over year in April 2026, the highest since President Donald Trump’s second term in office. This was according to the latest Consumer Price Index released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday morning.The CPI measures how prices of goods change over time. Energy costs accounted for nearly half of the monthly all-items increase, according to the BLS. This comes as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran has choked global oil flows in the Strait of Hormuz and driven up gas prices. Fuel oil saw the highest among energy items, rising 5.8% in the past month. The gasoline index, which includes regular unleaded, midgrade unleaded and premium unleaded, also rose 5.4% from March 2026. Electricity saw a 2.1% month-over-month increase.The increase in fuel costs have trickled down to airline fares, which saw a 2.8% increase from the previous month. The food index appears to be unaffected by the war with Iran, rising 0.5% from March and less than 1% for groceries and food away from home. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4K

Inflation rose to 3.8% year over year in April 2026, the highest since President Donald Trump’s second term in office. This was according to the latest Consumer Price Index released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday morning.

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The CPI measures how prices of goods change over time.

Energy costs accounted for nearly half of the monthly all-items increase, according to the BLS. This comes as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran has choked global oil flows in the Strait of Hormuz and driven up gas prices.

Fuel oil saw the highest among energy items, rising 5.8% in the past month.

The gasoline index, which includes regular unleaded, midgrade unleaded and premium unleaded, also rose 5.4% from March 2026. Electricity saw a 2.1% month-over-month increase.

The increase in fuel costs have trickled down to airline fares, which saw a 2.8% increase from the previous month.

The food index appears to be unaffected by the war with Iran, rising 0.5% from March and less than 1% for groceries and food away from home.

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