U.S. will publish CPI report for COLA
Shutdown has delayed other economic data
By: Lucia Mutikani
Reuters
WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Labor Statistics said on October 10 [2025] that it would publish September's consumer inflation report on October 24 [2025] to assist the Social Security Administration with its annual cost-of-living adjustment for 2026 for millions of retirees and other benefits recipients.
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But the collection, processing and publishing of other economic data remained suspended until the government resumed regular operations, the bureau said. The government shut down October 1 [2025] after funding lapsed, delaying the release of September's [2025] employment report due October 10. [2025]
..... "This release allows the Social Security Administration to meet statutory deadlines necessary to ensure the accurate and timely payment of benefits," the bureau said in a statement.
..... The Consumer Price Index report was originally scheduled for release on October 15. [2025] The Social Security Administration uses the CPI for Urban Wage earners and Clerical Workers data from the third quarter of 2025 to determine the annual cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for 2026.
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The programs benefit older Americans who have retired as well as the disabled and certain widows, widowers and children. The COLA announcement - a wildly anticipated event each October among the households relying on those payments - is typically made shortly after the September's CPI report is released.
..... In 2025, more than 72.5 million Social Security and SSI beneficiaries received a 2.5% COLA increase.
..... The Senior Citizens League, one of the nation's biggest seniors groups, last month [09/2025] projected a 2.7% COLA boost in 2026, which would lift the average monthly benefit for retirees by $54 to $2,062 from $2,008.
..... The
rescheduled CPI report will be published just in time for the Federal Reserve's policy meeting on October 28-29. [2025] The U.S. central bank is expect4d to deliver another 25 basis points interest rate cut at that meeting.
..... The Fed resumed easing policy last month, [09/2025] reducing its benchmark overnight interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to the 4% to 4.25% range, to aid the labor market.
..... Investors will also welcome the reprieve form the official economic data blackout, but concerns are mounting over the quality of October's [2025] CPI report, with potential spillovers to November and December [2025] given the suspension of data collection.