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Data says inflation has fallen, so why do Americans feel like they're being pinched

By Kenny Malone

Published October 9, 2025 at 4:53 AM EDT

Inflation is down since its peak during the pandemic, but the feeling of sticker shock still lingers. Planet Money looks into why feelings about prices diverge so much from official inflation data.

Kenny Malone

Kenny Malone is a correspondent for NPR's Planet Money podcast. Before that, he was a reporter for WNYC's Only Human podcast. Before that, he was a reporter for Miami's WLRN. And before that, he was a reporter for his friend T.C.'s homemade newspaper, Neighborhood News.

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