US core inflation rose 0.3% in the reference period of September 2026, the data showed. The reading came in above the market forecast of 0.2%, though it matched the previous period’s 0.3%. The figure was released at 12:30 GMT on 14 October 2026.
What the figure measures
Core inflation strips out food and energy prices, which can swing sharply from one month to the next, and tracks the broader change in the cost of goods and services. A monthly reading of 0.3% means prices, on this measure, were 0.3% higher than in the month before. Because the figure is compared with the previous period, it shows the most recent change rather than a full year of price growth.
Against the forecast, the print was higher than economists expected. Against the previous period, it was unchanged. The two comparisons tell different stories: the release was firmer than analysts had anticipated, but it did not accelerate from the prior month’s pace.
US annual inflation stood at 3.4% in the August 2026 reading, a separate monthly statistic that covers a different period and is not a result of this release.
Data: FRED — St. Louis Fed
