FRED Macro Data

Energy Spending Share of Income

Energy's share of income

3.57%Aug 2026Score 10/10 · Healthy

Households spend 3.57% of their disposable income on energy (Aug 2026), 15.2% below the 1997–2025 median (4.22%).

What households spend on energy (gasoline, electricity, gas…) as a share of disposable income. It is the observed aggregate burden: it mixes prices, usage, weather, efficiency and income, so it does not isolate the effect of prices. It falls over time as less energy is used per dollar of income.

Source: BEA (DNRGRC1M027SBEA, DSPI) · FRED DNRGRC1M027SBEA

Indicators: 8
Score: 3/10

Energy tab score

3/10Alert

worst block 3.00

Energy is expensive. Diesel sets the score: it costs $6.10 after inflation (in December 2025 dollars), 47.1% above its average of the past three years. Gasoline: amber; home energy: green.

The 3 scored blocks and 3 that are not counted

HouseholdsWhat does it cost to fill the tank?6.0 TransportWhat does it cost to move goods?3.0 HomeWhat does home energy cost?9.0 Electricity and gas, separatelynot counted in the score10.0 Wholesale pricesnot counted in the score7.0 Share of incomenot counted in the score10.0

What would turn it red

Gasoline above $5.10 after inflation or more than 30% above its three-year average. Today: $4.25 and +24.0%.
Diesel above $5.80 after inflation or more than 30% above its three-year average. Today: $6.10 and +47.1%.
Home energy more than 30% above its reference level or its three-year average. Today: +9.6% and +4.0%.

The score is the number of bars lit: 10 is healthiest and 1 is worst. The spark marks where it is today.

Energy Spending Share of Income

+0.07

%

-0.16

%

+0.3

%

+0.36

%

Last

3.57 %

3.5 %

All-time: 2.22 – 8.34 % · since Jan 59 · now at 22% of that range

Energy Spending Share of Income stands at 3.57% (Aug 1, 2026), up from 3.5% on Jul 1, 2026. Since Aug 1, 2025 it has moved +0.36 pp.

Loading chart…

Y axis zoomed to the selected range, so week-to-week moves are visible. It does not start at zero.

Source: FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)

Energy Indicators

Sort:

Indicator	Last	Previous	Change	Highest	Lowest	Range %	Gauge	Date
Gasoline Prices $/gal	4.28	4.33	-0.05-1.1% · 1W	5	0.9	82%	—	Oct 26
WTI Crude Oil $/bbl	107.89	110.01	-2.12-1.9% · 1D	145.3	-37	80%	—	Oct 26
Natural Gas (Henry Hub) $/MMBtu	3.1	3.28	-0.18-5.5% · 1D	30.7	1.2	6%	—	Oct 26
Diesel Prices $/gal	6.28	6.18	+0.1+1.6% · 1W	6.5	0.9	96%	—	Oct 26
Household Energy CPI idx	297.94	297.12	+0.82idx · 1M	298.1	21.3	100%	—	Sep 26
Electricity CPI idx	309.85	310.06	-0.21idx · 1M	311.8	26.5	99%	—	Sep 26
Utility Gas CPI idx	264.25	266.45	-2.2idx · 1M	291.7	12	90%	—	Sep 26
Energy Spending Share of Income %	3.57	3.5	+0.07% · 1M	8.34	2.22	22%	—	Aug 26

The 8 indicators

Households: What does it cost to fill the tank?

average 6.0 · Caution

Gasoline

Gasoline Prices

6/10Caution

$4.28weeks of Sep 28, 2026 to Oct 19, 2026 · CPI of Sep 2026

A gallon of gasoline costs $4.28. After inflation, the four-week average is $4.25 in December 2025 dollars, 24.0% above its average of the past three years.

See scale and last 10 years

A gallon of regular gasoline in the US. It is measured after inflation, against its history and against its average of the past three years, so a return to normal does not look like a spike.

Measures: Real gasoline price, 4-week average (Dec-2025 $).

Oct 2016last 10 yearsOct 2026

Score	Real price (Dec-2025 $)	vs. its 3-year average (%)
10	3.30 or less	5.0 or less
9	3.31 to 3.70	5.1 to 10.0
8	3.71 to 4.10	10.1 to 15.0
7	4.11 to 4.50	15.1 to 20.0
6	4.51 to 4.80	20.1 to 25.0
5	4.81 to 5.10	25.1 to 30.0
4	5.11 to 5.40	30.1 to 40.0
3	5.41 to 5.80	40.1 to 50.0
2	5.81 to 6.20	50.1 to 65.0
1	more than 6.20	more than 65.0

Real price (Dec-2025 $): 4.25 → 7 · vs. its 3-year average (%): 24.0 → 6. The worse one rules.

EIA (GASREGW) · BLS (CPILFENS) · FRED

Transport: What does it cost to move goods?

average 3.0 · Alert

Diesel

Diesel Prices

3/10Alert

$6.28weeks of Sep 28, 2026 to Oct 19, 2026 · CPI of Sep 2026

A gallon of diesel costs $6.28. After inflation, the four-week average is $6.10 in December 2025 dollars, 47.1% above its average of the past three years.

See scale and last 10 years

A gallon of on-highway diesel. It moves trucks, farms and construction: households feel it in the price of goods. It has its own scale because it costs more than gasoline. EIA changed its diesel sample on June 13, 2022 and did not revise earlier data: the series is used as published.

Measures: Real diesel price, 4-week average (Dec-2025 $).

Oct 2016last 10 yearsOct 2026

Score	Real price (Dec-2025 $)	vs. its 3-year average (%)
10	3.60 or less	5.0 or less
9	3.61 to 4.00	5.1 to 10.0
8	4.01 to 4.40	10.1 to 15.0
7	4.41 to 4.80	15.1 to 20.0
6	4.81 to 5.30	20.1 to 25.0
5	5.31 to 5.80	25.1 to 30.0
4	5.81 to 6.20	30.1 to 40.0
3	6.21 to 6.60	40.1 to 50.0
2	6.61 to 7.00	50.1 to 65.0
1	more than 7.00	more than 65.0

Real price (Dec-2025 $): 6.10 → 4 · vs. its 3-year average (%): 47.1 → 3. The worse one rules.

EIA (GASDESW) · BLS (CPILFENS) · FRED

Home: What does home energy cost?

average 9.0 · Healthy

Home energy

Household Energy CPI

9/10Healthy

+9.6%Sep 2026 data, used in Oct 2026

After inflation, home energy (electricity, gas, heating oil, propane, kerosene and firewood) is 9.6% above its reference level and 4.0% above its average of the past three years.

See scale and last 10 years

The CPI index for household energy: electricity, piped gas, heating oil, propane, kerosene and firewood, each weighted by its share of spending. After inflation, it is compared with its reference level (the 1997–2025 median, a choice rather than a damage threshold) and with its average of the past three years.

Measures: Real home energy vs. its reference level (%).

Nov 2016last 10 yearsOct 2026

Score	vs. its reference level (%)	vs. its 3-year average (%)
10	5.0 or less	5.0 or less
9	5.1 to 10.0	5.1 to 10.0
8	10.1 to 15.0	10.1 to 15.0
7	15.1 to 20.0	15.1 to 20.0
6	20.1 to 25.0	20.1 to 25.0
5	25.1 to 30.0	25.1 to 30.0
4	30.1 to 40.0	30.1 to 40.0
3	40.1 to 50.0	40.1 to 50.0
2	50.1 to 65.0	50.1 to 65.0
1	more than 65.0	more than 65.0

vs. its reference level (%): 9.6 → 9 · vs. its 3-year average (%): 4.0 → 10. The worse one rules.

BLS (CUUR0000SAH21, CPILFENS) · FRED

Electricity and gas, separately: What does each one cost its users?

average 10.0 · not counted in the score

Electricity

Electricity CPI

10/10Healthy

$0.196/kWhSep 2026 data, used in Oct 2026

Electricity costs $0.196 per kWh. After inflation, its index is 3.0% above its average of the past three years. This is what users of it feel; the score counts home energy as a whole.

See scale and last 10 years

Home electricity: its CPI index, after inflation, against its average of the past three years. The average price per kWh is a guide only: BLS publishes it as a level, not to track changes.

Measures: Real electricity vs. its 3-year average (%).

Nov 2016last 10 yearsOct 2026

Score	Real electricity vs. its 3-year average (%)
10	5.0 or less
9	5.1 to 10.0
8	10.1 to 15.0
7	15.1 to 20.0
6	20.1 to 25.0
5	25.1 to 30.0
4	30.1 to 40.0
3	40.1 to 50.0
2	50.1 to 65.0
1	more than 65.0

BLS (CUUR0000SEHF01, APU000072610, CPILFENS) · FRED

Home natural gas

Utility Gas CPI

10/10Healthy

$1.700/thermSep 2026 data, used in Oct 2026

Home natural gas costs $1.700 per therm. After inflation, its index is 2.8% above its average of the past three years. This is what users of it feel; the score counts home energy as a whole.

See scale and last 10 years

Piped natural gas at home: its CPI index, after inflation, against its average of the past three years. Some winters it soars (52% in February 2001), but it weighs little in total energy spending.

Measures: Real home gas vs. its 3-year average (%).

Nov 2016last 10 yearsOct 2026

Score	Real home gas vs. its 3-year average (%)
10	5.0 or less
9	5.1 to 10.0
8	10.1 to 15.0
7	15.1 to 20.0
6	20.1 to 25.0
5	25.1 to 30.0
4	30.1 to 40.0
3	40.1 to 50.0
2	50.1 to 65.0
1	more than 65.0

BLS (CUUR0000SEHF02, APU000072620, CPILFENS) · FRED

Wholesale prices: What are crude oil and natural gas doing?

average 7.0 · not counted in the score

WTI crude oil

WTI Crude Oil

4/10Alert

$107.89per barrel · Oct 20, 2026

WTI crude trades at $107.89 a barrel. Its 20-session average, $98.34, is 30.3% above the past three years' average; the 28-day high was $110.01. It is a wholesale price: shown, not counted.

See scale and last 10 years

A barrel of Texas crude. It is the raw material of gasoline and diesel, which are what the score counts: the barrel is shown for reference. It includes the day it traded below zero (April 2020).

Measures: 20-session average vs. the past 3 years (%).

Oct 2016last 10 yearsOct 2026

Score	20-session average vs. the past 3 years (%)
10	5.0 or less
9	5.1 to 10.0
8	10.1 to 15.0
7	15.1 to 20.0
6	20.1 to 25.0
5	25.1 to 30.0
4	30.1 to 40.0
3	40.1 to 50.0
2	50.1 to 65.0
1	more than 65.0

EIA (DCOILWTICO) · FRED

Natural gas (Henry Hub)

Natural Gas (Henry Hub)

10/10Healthy

$3.10per MMBtu · Oct 20, 2026

Henry Hub gas trades at $3.10 per MMBtu. Its 20-session average, $3.12, is 3.8% above the past three years' average; the 28-day high was $3.30. It is a wholesale price: shown, not counted.

See scale and last 10 years

The wholesale price of natural gas in Louisiana. A one-day spike (like $30.72 on January 23, 2026) is not the home bill: that counts in home energy.

Measures: 20-session average vs. the past 3 years (%).

Oct 2016last 10 yearsOct 2026

Score	20-session average vs. the past 3 years (%)
10	5.0 or less
9	5.1 to 10.0
8	10.1 to 15.0
7	15.1 to 20.0
6	20.1 to 25.0
5	25.1 to 30.0
4	30.1 to 40.0
3	40.1 to 50.0
2	50.1 to 65.0
1	more than 65.0

EIA (DHHNGSP) · FRED

Share of income: How much of their income do households spend on energy?

average 10.0 · not counted in the score

Energy's share of income

Energy Spending Share of Income

10/10Healthy

3.57%latest published: Aug 2026

Households spend 3.57% of their disposable income on energy (Aug 2026), 15.2% below the 1997–2025 median (4.22%).

See scale and last 10 years

Measures: Burden vs. its 1997–2025 median (%).

Sep 2016last 10 yearsAug 2026

Score	Burden vs. its 1997–2025 median (%)
10	5.0 or less
9	5.1 to 10.0
8	10.1 to 15.0
7	15.1 to 20.0
6	20.1 to 25.0
5	25.1 to 30.0
4	30.1 to 40.0
3	40.1 to 50.0
2	50.1 to 65.0
1	more than 65.0

BEA (DNRGRC1M027SBEA, DSPI) · FRED

If this gauge had existed since 1997

Each month's score, with today's rules and cuts and today's revised data. It is a look back: what had been published on each date was not checked. It starts in April 1997, because diesel starts in 1994 and three years of month-ends are needed to compare. Each month uses its last week and the previous month's CPI; if that CPI was not published (October 2025), the one from two months earlier. These are national prices. Gray bands are recessions.

AFeb 2001 · home gas runs 52% above its three-year average; home energy as a whole, 16%
BSep 2005 · Hurricane Katrina sends gasoline and diesel soaring
CJul 2008 · oil hits $145 and gasoline sets its highest real price: $6.23 in December 2025 dollars
DApr 2020 · COVID: oil trades below zero
EJun 2022 · gasoline sets its record: $5.01 a gallon
FSep 2026 · diesel sets its record: $6.53 a gallon
GToday · score 3: energy is expensive

How it is calculated

The rules

Gasoline and diesel each have two readings: the real price (the four-week average, adjusted for inflation with core CPI, in December 2025 dollars) and how far it is above that price's average over the previous 36 month-ends.
Home energy (the CPI index for electricity, piped gas, heating oil, propane, kerosene and firewood) has the same two readings, after inflation: how far it is above its reference level (the 1997–2025 median) and above its three-year average.
For each one the worse reading counts, and the score is the worst of the three. Falling prices do not lower the score.
The score needs all three. Each reading is compared with its table using the value shown: two decimals in dollars, one in percentages.
Electricity and home gas separately, crude oil, wholesale natural gas and energy's share of income are shown but not counted. Their colors use the same % cuts only as a reference: the same cuts do not mean the same rarity or the same impact.

Deliberate choices

It looks at the real price, not the one-year change: comparing with a year ago mistakes a return to normal for a spike. In April 2021 oil was up 230% only because it had collapsed in 2020.
It counts diesel, which moves trucks and farms: in 2026 it set a record while gasoline was far from its own.
Home energy enters with the CPI's own weights. On its own, home gas soars some winters, but it weighs little in spending: it is shown separately.
These are national prices: a calm score can coexist with regional problems, like the Texas freeze of February 2021.
The home energy reference level is a choice (the 1997–2025 median), not a damage threshold, and it is fixed.
Each card shows the date of its data: the weeks, the CPI month and the home-energy month. It describes prices from those data: it does not forecast prices and is not a buy or sell signal.

Sources: US Energy Information Administration (EIA), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), via FRED. Recessions: NBER. Not investment advice.