The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is scheduled to publish the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September 2026 on Wednesday, October 14, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. That is 3:30 p.m. in Türkiye. The figures were not yet available when this preview was prepared, so no result or forecast is presented here.
What does the CPI report measure?
The CPI tracks changes over time in prices paid by urban consumers for a broad range of goods and services. It is one of the most closely watched U.S. inflation measures, but it is an index—not a bill showing what every household spends. Individual experiences differ with location, income, housing, transport and shopping choices.
Headline inflation and core CPI
Readers will commonly see the CPI-U all-items index, including its monthly and 12-month changes. The “core” measure usually refers to all items less food and energy. It can help analysts examine price movements outside those often-volatile categories, while the all-items figure still captures what consumers pay for food and energy. Core CPI does not replace the headline measure.
What to check when the release arrives
Look at both the monthly change and the 12-month rate, then review the detail tables. Shelter, food, energy, transportation and medical care can move differently, so the overall number alone may not describe every part of the report. Compare the September figures with the prior month and the same month a year earlier, and check the BLS release notes for context or revisions.
Why the release matters
Inflation data can inform public discussion about household costs and the U.S. economy. The BLS also publishes separate CPI series for different population groups; Social Security’s annual cost-of-living adjustment uses the CPI-W calculation. That is a distinct series and process from simply reading the CPI-U headline.
The official schedule lists the release for October 14 at 8:30 a.m. ET. This is a pre-release explainer: the reported September change can only be stated after BLS publishes the data. Check the official release for the figures and methodology.