Chart assignment

Charts to read and discuss

Read each chart, then answer its questions. Every chart shows its source and date; open it for a table of the numbers and the data to download.

  1. Which everyday prices rose the most over the past year?

Chart 1 of 1 · Inflation

Which everyday prices rose the most over the past year?

The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.

In the 12 months to September 2026, the biggest price changes were for gasoline (34.2%) and airline fares (22.4%), while overall inflation was 3.7%. At the other end were eggs (-20.6%) and car insurance (-5%). Each bar compares the Consumer Price Index for the item in one month with the same month a year earlier.

Questions to discuss

  1. In one sentence of your own, what does this chart show?
  2. Find the biggest change or difference in the chart. What might explain it?
  3. Who collected these numbers, and how recent are they? What else would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) (Public domain (U.S. government work)) · Data as of Sep 30, 2026

Open the chart and its numbers

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