JUST IN: US Inflation Hits 40-Year High

U.S. inflation has reached a 40-year high, according to the U.S. Department of Labor — which released June’s number on Wednesday.

The latest consumer price index shows overall inflation at 9.1 percent for the 12 months ending in June — the highest that number has been since November 1981.

Certain sectors of the economy have driven this massive hike in the overall number. Energy, in particular, has been the leading culprit. Gas has soared 59.9 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while fuel oil has skyrocketed 98.5 percent. The price of gas has come down somewhat in recent days, but the average cost per gallon nationally is still $4.63, according to AAA. Overall, the energy has increased 41.6 percent over the past year — marking the biggest jump since April 1980.

Elsewhere in the economy, food is up 10.4 percent, new vehicles are up 11.4 percent, and shelter is up 5.6 percent. The food index is up 10.4 percent for the 12-month period ending in June. That’s the highest since the period concluding in February 1981.

June was a particularly bad month, as the consumer price index registered a 1.3 percent jump during the past month alone — the biggest one-month increase of the past year.

Watch above, via Fox Business Network.