Transportation costs lead Consumer Price Index rise

Consumer Price Index.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) released the change in the costs faced by consumers for transportation goods and services, from April 2025 to April 2026, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The annual change in CPI is a measure of inflation.

The CPI for all transportation goods and services rose 7.1% from April 2025 to April 2026. Transportation contributed a full 31.1% to the 3.8% increase in the price of all goods and services per the CPI.

Not surprisingly the cost of gasoline contributed the most to inflation, as it rose 28.4% year-over-year. Gasoline’s contribution to the annual change in the price of all goods and services was 24.2%.

By item, the top three contributors to inflation in April 2026 were as noted gasoline (all types) rising 24.2%. Airline Fares went up 4.9% and motor vehicle maintenance and repair, which rose 1.4%.

The couple of items managed to dampen transportation’s contribution to inflation in April. Used car and truck prices dipped 2.0% while leasing costs for cars and trucks dropped 0.2%.

For additional information and interactive charts on transportation’s role in the economy and trends over time, visit BTS’ Transportation Economic Trends at the link.

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