Producer prices rose 0.3% in October and 6.5% from a year earlier, the most since 2022, BLS says
The Producer Price Index's monthly rise slowed from September's 1.4% jump. Food and truck freight prices climbed, while diesel fuel fell 7.9% in the month.
By Economy Desk · · 2 min read
What it means for you
- The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.3% in October, seasonally adjusted, after 1.4% in September and 0.4% in August.
- Over the 12 months to October the index rose 6.5% before seasonal adjustment, the largest 12-month rise since November 2022, according to BLS.
- Goods prices rose 0.5% in the month, and BLS traces over 60% of that rise to goods other than foods and energy. Foods rose 1.3%, while energy edged down 0.1%, with diesel fuel down 7.9%.
- Services rose 0.2%, and BLS traces over 80% of that rise to truck freight prices, which climbed 3.9%.
- BLS revised its June to September figures in this release. The November report is scheduled for December 15.
Prices at the producer level rose 0.3% in October after seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on November 13 in its Producer Price Index release. That was a far smaller increase than September's 1.4% and close to August's 0.4%. BLS revised its figures for June through September in the same release to reflect late reports and corrections.
Over the 12 months to October, the index for final demand rose 6.5% before seasonal adjustment. BLS said that was the largest 12-month rise since November 2022, when the index was up 7.4%. A narrower measure that leaves out foods, energy and trade services rose 0.5% in October, as in September, and was up 4.9% from a year earlier.
Goods: food up, energy down slightly
Prices for final demand goods rose 0.5%, after 2.5% in September. More than 60% of the October increase came from goods other than food and energy, which rose 0.5%. Food prices rose 1.3%, while energy edged down 0.1%. Over 12 months, goods prices were up 10.2%, the largest such increase since October 2022, BLS said.
Among individual products, basic organic chemicals rose 3.9%, and prices for fresh and dry vegetables, gas fuels, jet fuel and processed young chickens also went up. Diesel fuel fell 7.9%, and pork and passenger cars also cost less.
Services: freight trucking leads
Prices for final demand services rose 0.2%, the fifth monthly increase in a row. Transportation and warehousing services rose 2.0% and account for three-fourths of the gain, BLS said. Within that, truck transportation of freight rose 3.9%, which by itself accounts for more than 80% of the services increase. Margins for final demand trade services fell 0.2%, with machinery and vehicle wholesaling margins down 4.2%. Airline passenger services and system software publishing also declined.
| Index | August 2026 | September 2026 | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final demand | 0.4% | 1.4% | 0.3% |
| Less foods, energy and trade services | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Goods | 1.1% | 2.5% | 0.5% |
| Foods | -0.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% |
| Energy | 4.2% | 10.0% | -0.1% |
| Goods less foods and energy | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Services | 0.1% | 1.0% | 0.2% |
| Trade services (margins) | -0.2% | 2.1% | -0.2% |
| Transportation and warehousing services | 2.4% | 3.4% | 2.0% |
| Final demand, 12-month change | 5.5% | 6.3% | 6.5% |
| Less foods, energy and trade, 12-month change | 4.8% | 5.0% | 4.9% |
Intermediate demand
In the index for intermediate demand, prices for processed goods rose 0.4%, a third straight monthly increase, and were 14.6% higher than a year earlier, the biggest 12-month rise since July 2022. Unprocessed goods fell 3.1%, the largest drop since June, as crude petroleum fell 10.3%; raw milk rose 8.2%. Services for intermediate demand rose 0.6%, and their 6.8% rise over 12 months was the largest since November 2022.
How it compares with consumer prices
Consumer prices rose 0.4% in October, seasonally adjusted, BLS reported on November 10, but the bureau could not publish a 12-month change for most consumer price series because it did not collect survey data in October 2025 during a lapse in appropriations. The producer index does have an October 2025 figure, a 0.1% monthly rise in BLS's table, which is why a 12-month change could be reported this time (our reading of the two releases). We covered the consumer figures in our report on October's CPI.
The October data also bring in new samples of producers for nine industries, among them construction sand and gravel mining and support activities for oil and gas operations, BLS said. The November figures are scheduled for Tuesday, December 15, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Sources
- Producer Price Indexes - October 2026 (USDL-26-1687) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 13, 2026
- Consumer Price Index - October 2026 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 10, 2026
Researched and drafted with AI assistance, then checked against the 2 sources above in a separate fact-check on November 13, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us.