An inflation report to be released on Wednesday will provide the latest snapshot of prices as a monthlong surge in costs for gasoline and other essentials continues to weigh on shoppers.

The fresh data, which details prices in September, will arrive as affordability stands as a top concern for voters ahead of early November's midterm elections.

Economists expect prices to have climbed 3. 6% over the year ending in September, which would mark an uptick from an annual inflation rate of 3. 4% registered a month earlier.