US Consumer Confidence Rises to 91.7 in October as Gasoline Prices Ease, Conference Board Says
The Conference Board said on October 27, 2026, in New York that its Consumer Confidence Index rose 7.5 points to 91.7 (1985=100) in October, up from an upwardly revised 84.2 in September and back to June levels. The Present Situation Index, based on consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions, increased 8.6 points to 120.4. The Expectations Index, based on consumers' short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions, recovered 6.9 points to 72.6, only partially reversing three consecutive monthly declines. The survey period for the preliminary results was October 1-21.
Fergus McCormick, senior economist for global indicators at the Conference Board, said consumer confidence advanced in October driven primarily by improved perceptions of current and expected business conditions, in line with retail gasoline prices easing from September to October. Despite the increase, he said, confidence remained on the long-term downward trend of the past few years, and consumers planned less spending on services and durable goods over the next six months, likely reflecting higher price levels and persistent inflation eroding purchasing power.
In detail, 21.4% of consumers said business conditions were "good" in October, while 17.8% said they were "bad," down from 20.0% in September. Some 26.7% said jobs were "plentiful," up from 24.3% in September, while 21.4% said jobs were "hard to get," unchanged, leaving the labor market differential up 2.4 points at +5.3%. Looking six months ahead, 17.7% expected business conditions to improve and 20.7% expected them to worsen, down from 25.2% in September; 18.7% expected their income to increase and 12.0% expected it to decline, down from 14.9%.
In write-in responses, consumers continued to express frustration with rising costs, with references to prices, the high cost of food and groceries, and oil and diesel prices rising. Comments about war and conflict eased for a second straight month but remained elevated, and mentions of jobs as a concern also ticked up. Consumers' average 12-month inflation expectations declined to 5.8% in October but remained elevated, and more consumers expected stock prices to increase over the next 12 months. Plans to purchase autos and homes both declined slightly on a six-month moving average basis, and 43.3% of consumers planned a vacation in the next six months, down from an upwardly revised 44.2% in September. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index at 81. The survey was conducted online by Toluna. Among consumers planning a vacation, more planned domestic trips while fewer planned to travel abroad. The Conference Board releases the index at 10 a.m. ET on the last Tuesday of each month.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Virginia州Fairfax县Richmond Highway一家Walmart超市内的冷冻食品通道（资料图）。照片：Ben Schumin，CC BY-SA 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / A frozen-food aisle inside a Walmart store on Richmond Highway in Fairfax County, Virginia (file photo). Photo: Ben Schumin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
