Answer in brief
A sharp September decline in the confidence survey points to household caution, though sentiment is not itself a measure of actual spending.
A steeper decline in September
The Conference Board said on 29 September that its US consumer confidence index fell 6.7 points to 81.9 in September from 88.6 in August. AP reported that the reading was the lowest since April 2014. The board's present-situation gauge dropped 7.9 points to 109.3, while the expectations gauge lost 5.9 points to 63.6. Both current assessments and short-term outlooks therefore weakened; the headline decline was not driven by only one side of the survey.
What respondents were reacting to
The board said respondents increasingly mentioned prices, the cost of goods and services, and oil and gas. It also reported weaker assessments of the labour market and business conditions. The preliminary survey ran from 1 to 23 September, so it captures views during that period rather than developments later in the month. These responses tell editors which pressures consumers noticed, but they do not establish a causal share for fuel prices, interest rates or any single policy move.
Why the expectations measure matters
The expectations index asks about income, business and labour-market conditions over the next six months. Its September level of 63.6 was its third consecutive monthly decline, according to the board. That makes it a useful signal of concern for retailers and policymakers. It is not a recession verdict or a forecast of a precise drop in sales. Households can express caution in a survey while still buying essentials, or change purchases for reasons the survey does not observe.
Read the next data alongside the survey
The board said its online sample was collected by Toluna and called the published figures preliminary, with a 23 September cutoff. Readers should compare later retail sales, income and inflation releases before drawing conclusions about actual consumption. Survey levels can also be revised. As of the 30 September evidence cutoff, the confirmed story is a broad deterioration in measured confidence, not proof that the economy had already contracted or that every household shared the same experience.
Questions and answers
What was the US consumer confidence reading for September 2026?
The Conference Board reported 81.9, down 6.7 points from August's 88.6.
Does falling confidence prove retail spending fell?
No. The index reports how surveyed consumers view conditions and the near future; spending is measured separately in other data.