U.S. import prices rise 1.1% in September, up 8.1% from a year earlier
BLS data released Oct. 16 show fuel import prices up 4.8% and nonfuel up 0.7% for the month. These border price indexes are not consumer prices or mortgage rates.
By Christopher Salem · 3 min read
Prices of goods imported into the United States rose 1.1% in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, Oct. 16, after a 0.5% increase in August. Over the 12 months ended in September, import prices were up 8.1%, which BLS said was the largest annual advance since the year ended July 2022. BLS release.
Fuel rebounded, nonfuel kept climbing
Fuel import prices increased 4.8% in September after declines of 0.2% in August and 6.8% in July. BLS attributed the advance to higher prices for petroleum products and natural gas. Over the year, fuel import prices were up 34.5%.
Prices for nonfuel imports, which cover most manufactured and consumer goods, rose 0.7% for the month and 6.0% from September 2025. BLS noted that nonfuel import prices have not declined on a monthly basis since August 2025. Capital goods, industrial supplies, consumer goods and automotive categories all contributed to September's gain.
On the other side of the ledger, U.S. export prices rose 2.2% in September after a 1.2% increase in August.
BLS import and export price indexes, September 2026
| Index | Monthly change | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|
| All imports | +1.1% | +8.1% |
| Fuel imports | +4.8% | +34.5% |
| Nonfuel imports | +0.7% | +6.0% |
| All exports | +2.2% | See release |
What these numbers measure
The import and export price indexes track prices of goods and some services as they cross the border. According to the BLS technical note, all of the indexes are not seasonally adjusted, and import prices are based on U.S. dollar prices paid by the U.S. importer. BLS technical note.
That makes them different from the consumer price index, which measures what households pay at retail, and from the producer price index. They are also not Treasury yields or mortgage rates. A higher import price reading does not tell a borrower what rate a lender will quote, and this release by itself does not show how much, if any, of the change reaches home prices or building costs.
Why mortgage professionals may track it
The September report arrived after the month's consumer and producer price releases, so it adds a third, separate read on price pressure in the supply chain. For loan officers and housing analysts, the practical use is context: it is one more dated data point on inflation trends that bond investors and policymakers watch over time.
The release was published on a Friday, and the next regular trading session after this weekend is Monday. Any market response is a separate question that this data does not answer.
Cover: Shipping containers at the Port of Long Beach, California, photographed Oct. 15, 2008 by biofriendly, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Archival image, not taken for this release; cropped. Provenance and rights.
Watch: the verified facts in 15 seconds
Transcript (on-screen text; original instrumental music, no narration): BLS | RELEASED OCT. 16, 2026; SEPTEMBER IMPORT PRICES; +1.1%; Month over month, after +0.5% in August; Indexes are not seasonally adjusted. 12-MONTH CHANGE; ALL IMPORTS; +8.1%; September 2025 to September 2026; Largest 12-month rise since July 2022. BY CATEGORY; FUEL AND NONFUEL, MONTHLY; +4.8% | +0.7%; Fuel imports | nonfuel imports; Nonfuel up 6.0% over the year. WHAT IT IS NOT; EXPORT PRICES ALSO ROSE; +2.2%; Export prices, month over month; Border price indexes, not CPI or mortgage rates.