Data behind the headlines

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Earlier edition

Published May 8, 2026

Inflation

What is the latest inflation rate, and which categories contributed most over the past year?

For inflation, USAFacts data reports overall prices increased 3.3% from March 2025 to March 2026, with housing contributing 1.5 percentage points, or about one-half of the increase.

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Annual price changes vary widely by type of spending. chart from Bureau of Labor Statistics

Gas prices

How have US gasoline prices changed in recent years?

USAFacts gasoline data puts the national average at $2.60 per gallon in 2019, nearly $4 in 2022, $3.52 in 2023, and $3.02 on March 2 versus $4.12 on April 27 in a March-to-April snapshot.

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