According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation slowed in housing, easing from 3.2% to 3%, as well as in food, where it fell from 3% to 2.7%.
On a monthly basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.4%, its strongest increase in three months, also in line with forecasts.
The core CPI, which excludes the most volatile components, rose by 0.3% month over month, compared with 0.2% in July, surpassing projections that also anticipated a 0.2% rise.
Core inflation, however, slowed to 2.4% year over year, its lowest level since March 2021, versus 2.5% previously, in line with expectations.
Gasoline prices rose by 27.4% year over year, up from 24.6% in July, while home heating oil prices advanced by 52%, after a 39.1% rise the previous month.
Gasoline prices rose 3.9% in August, contributing more than a third of the overall monthly increase. By contrast, natural gas prices fell 1.1% and electricity prices fell 0.2%.
Food prices edged up slightly by 0.1%, while housing-related costs rose by 0.3%.
Other increases were also recorded in communications (+2.3%), airfares (+2.7%), education (+0.8%), as well as used cars and trucks (+0.4%).
