U.S. Producer Prices Rise 6% in April as Energy Costs Surge

U.S. wholesale inflation accelerated in April 2026, with producer prices rising 6% from a year earlier, the Labor Department said May 13, 2026. The increase, the largest since December 2022, adds pressure on companies to pass higher costs to consumers. The producer price index rose 1.4% from March 2026, the biggest monthly gain since March 2022 and above economists’ forecasts. Energy prices climbed 7.8% month over month and 22.7% from April 2025. Gasoline rose 15.6% from March, while diesel increased 12.6%. Excluding food and energy, core producer prices rose 1% from March and 5.2% from a year earlier. The data followed a May 12 report showing consumer prices rose 3.8% year over year in April, the largest annual increase in more than three years. Producer-price components feed into the Federal Reserve’s preferred PCE inflation gauge, raising scrutiny of inflation risks ahead of the November 03, 2026, congressional elections.