Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Are prices down from last year? I'll check the latest inflation data.

No, on average prices in stores are higher than a year ago, though the pace has slowed and a few categories are cheaper.

•Overall prices: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in September after rising 0.4 percent in Augustand over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.7 percent before seasonal adjustment.

September 2026 CPI rose 3.7% year over year, a larger increase than the 3.4-percent increase reported for the 12 months ending in August. The U.S. is not in deflation:

> No, the US Is Not in Deflation Right Now As of September 2026, the United States is dealing with the opposite problem. Headline CPI ran at 3.4 percent in August 2026

The monthly increase was driven largely by energy - The index for gasoline rose 9.1 percent in September, accounting for over half of the monthly all items increase. The energy index increased 20.4 percent for the 12 months ending September.

•Grocery / store food prices:

> food was unchanged in September, as the index for food away from home increased 0.2 percent and the index for food at home fell 0.1 percent

On a seasonally adjusted basis, grocery prices declined 0.1% last month and remained 1.8% above where they stood twelve months prior- That annual reading landed far under the broader inflation rate of 3.7%.

In the detailed BLS release:

> The food at home index rose 1.8 percent over the 12 months ending in September
> The food index increased 2.5 percent over the last year
> The food away from home index rose 3.5 percent over the last year

So grocery prices dipped month-to-month in September (-0.1%) but are still up 1.8% year-over-year - not lower than a year ago on average.

•What is lower vs. a year ago within groceries:

•Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes decreased in September

•The dairy and related products index fell 0.7 percent over the year

•Egg prices tumbled over 20% in the year through September, signaling recovery from a shortage tied to bird flu outbreak. Butter, milk, cheese also declined over that span.

•The meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index decreased 0.5 percent over the month, up only 0.3% year-over-year.

Some retailers have promoted lower prices on specific items vs. last fall - for example on September 23, 2026, Aldi announced that nearly one-third of its everyday products are priced lower than they were in fall 2025- but the average basket is still higher than a year ago.

In short: disinflation (inflation slowing) not deflation (prices falling). Groceries are up about 1.8% vs. September 2025, overall CPI up 3.7%, with only a small 0.1% monthly pullback in September after a steep climb earlier in 2026.

Citations (2)

1bls.govGovernment
Consumer Price Index - September 2026
Backs: “No, on average prices in stores are higher than a year ago, though the pace has slowed and a few categories are cheaper. Overall prices: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in September after rising 0.4 percent in Augustand over the last 12…”
statistic, official document, points to no. Claim: CPI-U rose 0.6% in September and the all items index increased 3.7% over the last 12 months, so overall prices are higher than a year ago.
2indexbox.ioData and tools
Grocery Prices Fall 0.1% in September: Meat, Eggs, Dairy Cheaper - News and Statistics - IndexBox
Backs: “food was unchanged in September, as the index for food away from home increased 0.2 percent and the index for food at home fell 0.1 percent. On a seasonally adjusted basis, grocery prices declined 0.1% last month and remained 1.8% above where they stood twelve months prior- That annual reading landed far under the…”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: Grocery prices fell 0.1% in September but remain 1.8% above a year earlier, with some categories like dairy and eggs cheaper.