The U.S. consumer price index (CPI) rose 3 percent year on year in September of this year, slightly higher than the August reading of 2.9 percent.
The CPI grew 0.3 percent month on month in September, lower than the 0.4 percent increase reported in August, according to a report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday, the only official economic data allowed to be released during the government shutdown.
Core CPI, excluding food and energy, gained 0.2 percent month on month and 3 percent year on year, both 0.1 percentage point lower than the respective readings in August.
Gasoline was the largest contributor to inflation pressure, with prices jumping 4.1 percent last month. Food prices also rose 0.2 percent. Commodity prices overall rose 0.5 percent.
On an annual basis, prices of energy and food were up 2.8 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively.
The BLS released the data specifically as the U.S. Social Security Administration uses it as a benchmark for cost-of-living adjustments in benefit checks. Otherwise, the federal government has suspended all data compilation and releases until the fiscal impasse is settled in Washington, D.C., local media reported on Friday.
US inflation rises slightly in September
The United States' threats to acquire Greenland have met strong opposition among locals on the island, and some Greenlandic residents described the U.S. attempt as utterly ridiculous.
"I don't like it at all. I think it is preposterous. We are free people, and we don't wish to become a part of the United States. So I think it's a very bad proposal," said Greenlandic writer Kelly Berthelsen.
"I think they are lying. They don't want to make us a state. Because I think they will make us a smaller area that doesn't have the same status as a state," said Alibak Hard, a flight coordinator at a Greenland-based helicopter company.
Greenland has a self-governing government within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining authority over its defense and foreign policies. The United States maintains a military base on the island.
Since returning to the White House in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed a strong desire to "obtain" Greenland by any means. On Friday, he even threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do not support his Greenland plan.
On January 12, Randy Fine, a Republican congressman from Florida, proposed a bill authorizing Trump to take all necessary measures to annex Greenland and eventually make it "officially a state of the United States."
Locals strongly oppose U.S. threats to seize Greenland
