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Economy & cost of living

Last checked against the agencies' own services on Oct 8, 2026. Each figure is only as new as the agency that publishes it — the FBI's crime tables run about a year behind, the jobs numbers about a month.

Unemployment rate

September 2026
4.2%
down −0.2 pts vs a year earlier
Sep 2024Sep 2026

The share of people who want a job, are available for one, and looked for work in the past four weeks. Seasonally adjusted.

Bureau of Labor Statistics →
Every figure behind this line (24)
Period%
Sep 20264.2
Aug 20264.1
Jul 20264.1
Jun 20264.2
May 20264.3
Apr 20264.3
Mar 20264.3
Feb 20264.4
Jan 20264.3
Dec 20254.4
Nov 20254.5
Sep 20254.4
Aug 20254.3
Jul 20254.3
Jun 20254.1
May 20254.3
Apr 20254.2
Mar 20254.2
Feb 20254.2
Jan 20254
Dec 20244.1
Nov 20244.2
Oct 20244.1
Sep 20244.1

Labor force participation

September 2026
61.8%
down −0.7 pts vs a year earlier
Sep 2024Sep 2026

The share of everyone aged 16 and over who is either working or looking for work. Seasonally adjusted.

Bureau of Labor Statistics →
Every figure behind this line (24)
Period%
Sep 202661.8
Aug 202661.6
Jul 202661.4
Jun 202661.5
May 202661.8
Apr 202661.8
Mar 202661.9
Feb 202662
Jan 202662.1
Dec 202562.4
Nov 202562.5
Sep 202562.5
Aug 202562.3
Jul 202562.2
Jun 202562.3
May 202562.4
Apr 202562.6
Mar 202562.5
Feb 202562.5
Jan 202562.6
Dec 202462.5
Nov 202462.4
Oct 202462.5
Sep 202462.7

Inflation (CPI-U)

12 months to August 2026
3.4%
unchanged +0.0 pts vs the month before
Jan 2025Aug 2026

How much more a fixed basket of consumer goods and services costs than it did twelve months ago. All items, not seasonally adjusted.

Bureau of Labor Statistics →
Every figure behind this line (19)
Period%
Aug 20263.4
Jul 20263.4
Jun 20263.5
May 20264.2
Apr 20263.8
Mar 20263.3
Feb 20262.4
Jan 20262.4
Dec 20252.7
Nov 20252.7
Sep 20253
Aug 20252.9
Jul 20252.7
Jun 20252.7
May 20252.4
Apr 20252.3
Mar 20252.4
Feb 20252.8
Jan 20253

Core inflation

12 months to August 2026
2.4%
unchanged −0.0 pts vs the month before
Jan 2025Aug 2026

The same measure with food and energy removed, because those two swing hardest month to month. Not seasonally adjusted.

Bureau of Labor Statistics →
Every figure behind this line (19)
Period%
Aug 20262.4
Jul 20262.5
Jun 20262.6
May 20262.9
Apr 20262.8
Mar 20262.6
Feb 20262.5
Jan 20262.5
Dec 20252.6
Nov 20252.6
Sep 20253
Aug 20253.1
Jul 20253.1
Jun 20252.9
May 20252.8
Apr 20252.8
Mar 20252.8
Feb 20253.1
Jan 20253.3

Jobs added last month

September 2026
29,000 jobs
down −104,000 vs the month before
Oct 2024Sep 2026

The change in total non-farm payroll employment from the month before. Seasonally adjusted, and revised for two months after first release.

Bureau of Labor Statistics →
Every figure behind this line (24)
Periodjobs
Sep 202629000
Aug 2026133000
Jul 2026-10000
Jun 202631000
May 202663000
Apr 2026148000
Mar 2026214000
Feb 2026-156000
Jan 2026160000
Dec 2025-17000
Nov 202541000
Oct 2025-140000
Sep 202576000
Aug 2025-70000
Jul 202564000
Jun 2025-20000
May 202513000
Apr 2025108000
Mar 202567000
Feb 202542000
Jan 2025-48000
Dec 2024237000
Nov 2024134000
Oct 202433000

Average hourly earnings

September 2026
$37.81
up +3.0% vs a year earlier
Oct 2024Sep 2026

Average hourly pay of all private-sector employees, before tax and before inflation. Seasonally adjusted.

Bureau of Labor Statistics →
Every figure behind this line (24)
Period$
Sep 202637.81
Aug 202637.76
Jul 202637.64
Jun 202637.59
May 202637.49
Apr 202637.41
Mar 202637.35
Feb 202637.27
Jan 202637.15
Dec 202537.02
Nov 202537
Oct 202536.85
Sep 202536.7
Aug 202536.62
Jul 202536.47
Jun 202536.36
May 202536.28
Apr 202536.12
Mar 202536.11
Feb 202535.94
Jan 202535.84
Dec 202435.69
Nov 202435.6
Oct 202435.46

Gasoline, per gallon

August 2026
$4.20
up +27.5% vs a year earlier
Sep 2024Aug 2026

Average price of regular unleaded gasoline across U.S. cities. Not seasonally adjusted.

Bureau of Labor Statistics →
Every figure behind this line (24)
Period$
Aug 20264.2
Jul 20264.09
Jun 20264.2
May 20264.65
Apr 20264.26
Mar 20263.84
Feb 20263.07
Jan 20262.96
Dec 20253.05
Nov 20253.23
Oct 20253.24
Sep 20253.34
Aug 20253.3
Jul 20253.29
Jun 20253.31
May 20253.31
Apr 20253.33
Mar 20253.23
Feb 20253.26
Jan 20253.21
Dec 20243.15
Nov 20243.18
Oct 20243.28
Sep 20243.34

Electricity, per kWh

August 2026
$0.196
up +3.2% vs a year earlier
Aug 2024Aug 2026

Average residential price of electricity across U.S. cities. Not seasonally adjusted.

Bureau of Labor Statistics →
Every figure behind this line (24)
Period$
Aug 20260.196
Jul 20260.197
Jun 20260.198
May 20260.196
Apr 20260.194
Mar 20260.19
Feb 20260.189
Jan 20260.192
Dec 20250.189
Nov 20250.189
Sep 20250.188
Aug 20250.19
Jul 20250.189
Jun 20250.19
May 20250.182
Apr 20250.181
Mar 20250.181
Feb 20250.179
Jan 20250.179
Dec 20240.176
Nov 20240.176
Oct 20240.177
Sep 20240.178
Aug 20240.177

Eggs, per dozen

August 2026
$2.27
down −36.7% vs a year earlier
Aug 2024Aug 2026

Average price of grade A large eggs across U.S. cities. Not seasonally adjusted.

Bureau of Labor Statistics →
Every figure behind this line (24)
Period$
Aug 20262.27
Jul 20262.19
Jun 20262.14
May 20262.19
Apr 20262.25
Mar 20262.35
Feb 20262.5
Jan 20262.58
Dec 20252.71
Nov 20252.86
Sep 20253.49
Aug 20253.59
Jul 20253.6
Jun 20253.78
May 20254.55
Apr 20255.12
Mar 20256.23
Feb 20255.9
Jan 20254.95
Dec 20244.15
Nov 20243.65
Oct 20243.37
Sep 20243.82
Aug 20243.2

Bread, per pound

August 2026
$1.82
down −1.0% vs a year earlier
Aug 2024Aug 2026

Average price of white pan bread across U.S. cities. Not seasonally adjusted.

Bureau of Labor Statistics →
Every figure behind this line (24)
Period$
Aug 20261.82
Jul 20261.82
Jun 20261.81
May 20261.83
Apr 20261.87
Mar 20261.81
Feb 20261.85
Jan 20261.84
Dec 20251.83
Nov 20251.79
Sep 20251.87
Aug 20251.84
Jul 20251.85
Jun 20251.86
May 20251.88
Apr 20251.91
Mar 20251.88
Feb 20251.93
Jan 20251.93
Dec 20241.91
Nov 20241.92
Oct 20241.94
Sep 20241.98
Aug 20241.95
Where this comes from

Wages, prices and work, from the agency that produces the official series each figure comes from.

Every figure on this page was read from Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Record does not adjust, weight or re-base any of it. Bureau of Labor Statistics →