Soaring gasoline prices, triggered by the U.S. war with Iran, have pushed inflation to its highest level in more than three years.
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A report from the Labor Department on Wednesday showed consumer prices in May were up 4.2% from a year ago. That’s the biggest annual increase since April of 2023. By contrast, the Labor Department says average wages have risen only 3.4% over the last year, so workers’ real spending power has declined.
Prices rose 0.5% between April and May, with higher energy costs accounting for more than 60% of that monthly increase. Gas prices have jumped by well over a dollar a gallon since the war began, strangling shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — a critical pathway for much of the world’s oil supply.
Higher fuel costs also pushed up airfares in May. Airline tickets cost about 27% more than they did a year ago.
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Grocery prices showed little change during the month, rising just 0.1%. Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, “core inflation” was 2.9% for the 12 months ending in May, a slightly larger annual increase than the previous month.
Stubborn inflation makes it less likely the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates anytime soon, especially since the U.S. job market appears to be stabilizing. Employers added 172,000 jobs last month.
Gasoline prices have eased in recent days, amid hopes of a possible negotiated settlement between the U.S. and Iran. But with an average price of $4.15 a gallon nationwide, pump prices are still about $1.17 higher than they were before the war began, according to AAA.
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