October inflation report due Tuesday as 57% say high prices hurt their living standards

The government will release its October inflation report on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern ¹. It will be the first major price report since voters handed Democrats control of Congress, in an election where about 9 in 10 voters called the cost of living a "crucial" or "major" factor in their choice ⁷.

The report is the Consumer Price Index, or CPI. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) puts it out every month to track what Americans pay for groceries, gas, rent, electricity and other everyday costs. Social Security's yearly cost-of-living raise is calculated from a version of this same price data.

Where prices stood in September

The last report, released Oct. 14, showed prices up 3.7% from a year earlier and up 0.6% in September alone ². The Associated Press noted that inflation was about 3% when President Trump began his second term ⁷.

Energy drove much of the increase. Energy prices were up 20.4% over 12 months, and gasoline was up 34.2% ². Electricity rose 4.4%, and shelter costs, which include rent, rose 3.2% ². Grocery prices rose more slowly, up 1.8% over the year ².

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So-called core inflation, which leaves out food and energy because they swing so much, was 2.6% over the year ².

Gas is easing, but still at a record for November

Pump prices have come down lately. AAA said Nov. 5 that the national average for regular gas fell 12 cents in a week, to $4.10 a gallon, as crude oil slipped back to between the high $80s and low $90s a barrel ⁶.

Even so, AAA said pump prices are the highest they have ever been at this time of year. The national average is more than a dollar higher than a year ago ⁶. Before 2026, the November average had never gone above $4 ⁶.

Some of that drop could show up in Tuesday's numbers, since October gas prices were falling from their peak. But the report covers October, so most of the recent decline will not be counted until the November report, due Dec. 10 ¹.

Shoppers feel a little better, but not much

The University of Michigan's closely watched consumer sentiment index rose to 51.0 in early November, up from 48.0 in October ³. Economists surveyed by Reuters had expected no change ⁴. The reading was the same as in November 2025 ³. Interviews ran from Oct. 20 to Nov. 2, so they ended before Election Day ³.

The survey's director, Joanne Hsu, said cost of living concerns "continue to be at the forefront of consumers' minds" ³. Bloomberg reported that the share of people who brought up high prices on their own was the highest since May ⁵.

About 57% spontaneously mentioned that their living standards have been eroded by high prices

The improvement was concentrated among political independents, according to Bloomberg. Sentiment among both Democrats and Republicans got worse ⁵. Hsu said sentiment rose for lower- and middle-wealth households but fell 5% for people with the largest stock portfolios ⁴.

People still expect prices to keep climbing. Shoppers expect prices to rise 4.3% over the next year, down from 4.7% in October ³. That is the lowest since August but well above the 3.4% recorded in February, before the Iran conflict, according to the university ³.

Despite this month's improvement, sentiment is down 10% from February.

The president's words, and the voters' verdict

At one of his final midterm rallies, in Iowa, Trump told the crowd: "I've done a great job." ⁷

Prices are coming way down.

Speaking to reporters the day after the election, Trump said the Iran war "drove the gasoline up a little bit short-term," the AP reported ⁷. Voters saw it differently. About two-thirds told AP VoteCast, a large survey of midterm voters, that Trump's own policies had fueled inflation ⁷. Only about half of 2022 midterm voters said the same about President Biden's policies ⁷.

The VoteCast survey also found about 7 in 10 voters said the economy favors wealthy people ⁷. About 6 in 10 voters earning under $50,000 said they were worse off than two years ago ⁷.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become speaker in January, made the cost of living his first theme the day after the vote ⁸. Democrats campaigned on lowering the cost of groceries, gas, housing and health care, Al Jazeera reported ⁸.

We ran on affordability. We won on affordability. And now it's our job to govern on affordability

What to watch

That matters because Tuesday's report is the starting point Democrats will be measured against. They do not take control of Congress until January, and until then Republicans still run the House, the Senate and the White House.

The pattern is clear in the numbers so far. Grocery inflation has cooled, but energy, utility and housing costs keep pushing the overall rate up, and those are the bills that are hardest for people living on fixed incomes to cut. The university's final November sentiment reading, which will reflect the election results, comes out Nov. 20 ³.

The Record

1. Oct 14, 2026BLS reports September consumer prices up 3.7% from a year earlier, with gasoline up 34.2% ²
2. Nov 4, 2026A day after Democrats win Congress, Jeffries says it is now Democrats' job to govern on affordability ⁸
3. Nov 5, 2026AAA reports gas at $4.10 a gallon, down 12 cents in a week but still the highest ever for this time of year ⁶
4. Nov 6, 2026University of Michigan's early November sentiment index rises to 51.0; about 57% say high prices have eroded their living standards ³
5. Nov 10, 2026BLS scheduled to release the October Consumer Price Index at 8:30 a.m. Eastern ¹

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<h2>October inflation report due Tuesday as 57% say high prices hurt their living standards</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Kitchen-Table Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/october-inflation-report-due-tuesday-as-57-say-high-prices-hurt-their-living-standards">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 9, 2026.</em></p> <p>The government will release its October inflation report on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern . It will be the first major price report since voters handed Democrats control of Congress, in an election where about 9 in 10 voters called the cost of living a &quot;crucial&quot; or &quot;major&quot; factor in their choice .</p> <p>The report is the Consumer Price Index, or CPI. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) puts it out every month to track what Americans pay for groceries, gas, rent, electricity and other everyday costs. Social Security&#39;s yearly cost-of-living raise is calculated from a version of this same price data.</p> <h2>Where prices stood in September</h2> <p>The last report, released Oct. 14, showed prices up 3.7% from a year earlier and up 0.6% in September alone . The Associated Press noted that inflation was about 3% when President Trump began his second term .</p> <p>Energy drove much of the increase. Energy prices were up 20.4% over 12 months, and gasoline was up 34.2% . Electricity rose 4.4%, and shelter costs, which include rent, rose 3.2% . Grocery prices rose more slowly, up 1.8% over the year .</p> <p>So-called core inflation, which leaves out food and energy because they swing so much, was 2.6% over the year .</p> <h2>Gas is easing, but still at a record for November</h2> <p>Pump prices have come down lately. AAA said Nov. 5 that the national average for regular gas fell 12 cents in a week, to $4.10 a gallon, as crude oil slipped back to between the high $80s and low $90s a barrel .</p> <p>Even so, AAA said pump prices are the highest they have ever been at this time of year. The national average is more than a dollar higher than a year ago . Before 2026, the November average had never gone above $4 .</p> <p>Some of that drop could show up in Tuesday&#39;s numbers, since October gas prices were falling from their peak. But the report covers October, so most of the recent decline will not be counted until the November report, due Dec. 10 .</p> <h2>Shoppers feel a little better, but not much</h2> <p>The University of Michigan&#39;s closely watched consumer sentiment index rose to 51.0 in early November, up from 48.0 in October . Economists surveyed by Reuters had expected no change . The reading was the same as in November 2025 . Interviews ran from Oct. 20 to Nov. 2, so they ended before Election Day .</p> <p>The survey&#39;s director, Joanne Hsu, said cost of living concerns &quot;continue to be at the forefront of consumers&#39; minds&quot; . Bloomberg reported that the share of people who brought up high prices on their own was the highest since May .</p> <blockquote><p>About 57% spontaneously mentioned that their living standards have been eroded by high prices</p><p>&mdash; Joanne Hsu, director, University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers</p></blockquote> <p>The improvement was concentrated among political independents, according to Bloomberg. Sentiment among both Democrats and Republicans got worse . Hsu said sentiment rose for lower- and middle-wealth households but fell 5% for people with the largest stock portfolios .</p> <p>People still expect prices to keep climbing. Shoppers expect prices to rise 4.3% over the next year, down from 4.7% in October . That is the lowest since August but well above the 3.4% recorded in February, before the Iran conflict, according to the university .</p> <blockquote><p>Despite this month&#39;s improvement, sentiment is down 10% from February.</p><p>&mdash; Joanne Hsu, director, University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers</p></blockquote> <h2>The president&#39;s words, and the voters&#39; verdict</h2> <p>At one of his final midterm rallies, in Iowa, Trump told the crowd: &quot;I&#39;ve done a great job.&quot;</p> <blockquote><p>Prices are coming way down.</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Speaking to reporters the day after the election, Trump said the Iran war &quot;drove the gasoline up a little bit short-term,&quot; the AP reported . Voters saw it differently. About two-thirds told AP VoteCast, a large survey of midterm voters, that Trump&#39;s own policies had fueled inflation . Only about half of 2022 midterm voters said the same about President Biden&#39;s policies .</p> <p>The VoteCast survey also found about 7 in 10 voters said the economy favors wealthy people . About 6 in 10 voters earning under $50,000 said they were worse off than two years ago .</p> <p>House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become speaker in January, made the cost of living his first theme the day after the vote . Democrats campaigned on lowering the cost of groceries, gas, housing and health care, Al Jazeera reported .</p> <blockquote><p>We ran on affordability. We won on affordability. And now it&#39;s our job to govern on affordability</p><p>&mdash; Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic leader, D-N.Y.</p></blockquote> <h2>What to watch</h2> <p>That matters because Tuesday&#39;s report is the starting point Democrats will be measured against. They do not take control of Congress until January, and until then Republicans still run the House, the Senate and the White House.</p> <p>The pattern is clear in the numbers so far. Grocery inflation has cooled, but energy, utility and housing costs keep pushing the overall rate up, and those are the bills that are hardest for people living on fixed incomes to cut. The university&#39;s final November sentiment reading, which will reflect the election results, comes out Nov. 20 .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/october-inflation-report-due-tuesday-as-57-say-high-prices-hurt-their-living-standards">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/october-inflation-report-due-tuesday-as-57-say-high-prices-hurt-their-living-standards.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Schedule of Releases for the Consumer Price Index” (2026-11-09). bls.gov/schedule/news_release/cpi.htm
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Consumer Price Index – September 2026” (2026-10-14). bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm
3. University of Michigan, “Surveys of Consumers: Preliminary Results for November 2026” (2026-11-06). sca.isr.umich.edu/
4. Reuters (via Investing.com), “US consumer sentiment improves in November; worries about AI bubble emerge” (2026-11-06). investing.com/news/economic-indicators/us-consumer-sentiment
5. Bloomberg (via Yahoo Finance), “US Consumer Sentiment Unexpectedly Rises, Fueled by Independents” (2026-11-06). uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/us-consumer-sentiment-unexpectedly
6. AAA, “National Average Falls 12 Cents in One Week” (2026-11-05). newsroom.aaa.com/2026/11/national-average-falls-12-cents-in-
7. AP (via WCAX), “Inflation, tariffs and a voter revolt: The midterm verdict on Trump's economy” (2026-11-05). wcax.com/2026/11/05/inflation-tariffs-voter-revolt-midterm-v
8. Al Jazeera, “Hakeem Jeffries promises 'affordability' focus after Democratic midterm win” (2026-11-04). aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/4/hakeem-jeffries-promises-afford

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