The Consumer Price Index gained in September, rising 0.3% as core prices rose 0.1% and energy prices gained 2.9% and food prices stayed flat, data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed.
Overall CPI is now up 1.5% year over year, the fastest pace of gains since October 2014, when it rose 1.7% over the previous 12 months. Core CPI is up 2.2%, down 0.1 percentage point from August's pace.
Driving core inflation this month, the large owners' equivalent rents category, a proxy for homeownership costs, posted another 0.4% gain while the rent index also rose 0.3%.
Shelter prices, which contributes about a third of the CPI and includes rents and the owners' equivalent rents, is up 3.4% over the year.
Medical care services, which have gained 4.8% over the year, was flat in September. Medical goods rose another 0.6% for a 5.2% gain over the past 12 months.
Energy prices rose 2.9% in the month, the most since April. Excluding only energy prices, the September CPI would have been up 0.1%.
