US consumer confidence rebounds to 91.7 in October as gas prices ease

As of 5:40 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026

U.S. consumer confidence recovered to June levels in October as gasoline prices eased, The Conference Board said Tuesday, though its economist cautioned that the rebound did not reverse a longer slide.

The board's Consumer Confidence Index rose 7.5 points to 91.7 (1985=100) from 84.2 in September, a figure that was revised slightly upward. The Present Situation Index, based on consumers' views of current business and job conditions, rose 8.6 points to 120.4. The Expectations Index, which tracks the short-term outlook for income, business and jobs, rose 6.9 points to 72.6, only partly reversing three straight monthly declines, the board said. The preliminary results are based on a survey conducted Oct. 1-21.

September's reading was the lowest in the board's survey since April 2014, The Associated Press reported.

Gas prices and costs

"The recovery was in line with retail gasoline prices easing from September to October," said Fergus McCormick, senior economist for global indicators at The Conference Board. "Yet, despite the increase in October, consumer confidence remained on the long-term downward trend that's persisted over the past few years. Consumers planned less spending on services and durable goods over the next six months."

The average price of a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. was $4.27 on Tuesday, down from $4.48 a month earlier but up from $3.05 a year ago, according to AAA figures cited by AP.

McCormick said write-in responses showed continued frustration with rising costs, with more mentions of prices, food and groceries, and oil and diesel. Comments about war and conflict eased for a second straight month but stayed elevated, and mentions of jobs as a concern ticked up, he said.

Inside the survey

• 26.7% of consumers said jobs were "plentiful," up from 24.3% in September, while 21.4% said jobs were "hard to get," unchanged.
• 17.7% expected business conditions to improve over the next six months, up from 16.5%, and 20.7% expected them to worsen, down from 25.2%.
• Average 12-month inflation expectations declined but remained elevated at 5.8%.
• 43.3% of consumers planned a vacation in the next six months, down from 44.2%.

Confidence improved across all political affiliations, "but much more so for Republicans," the board said. On a six-month moving-average basis, only consumers under 35 and those with household incomes of $100,000 or more showed an increase in confidence. "Somewhat likely" remained consumers' most common answer when asked about the chance of a recession in the next 12 months.

The survey comes one week before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, in which affordability has been a central issue, AP reported.