---
title: "University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index"
slug: the-mood-ring
summary: "Consumer sentiment was 48 in October 2026, down from 53.6 in October 2025"
category: "Warning Signs"
unit: index
frequency: monthly
direction: lower_is_worse
latest_value: 48.0
latest_period: "2026-10"
trend: falling
last_updated: "2026-10-23T14:39:04Z"
source: "Surveys of Consumers, University of Michigan, University of Michigan: Consumer Sentiment © [UMCSENT], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis"
required_credit: "Surveys of Consumers, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan. Copyright © 1946–2026 The Regents of the University of Michigan."
source_url: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UMCSENT
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-mood-ring/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-mood-ring/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index.\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-mood-ring/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index.\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-mood-ring/."
---

# University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index

Also tracked as The Mood Ring.

> Consumer sentiment was 48 in October 2026, down from 53.6 in October 2025

## Current Reading

As of October 2026, University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is **48** (falling — worsening for households).

on the Michigan sentiment index, down from 53.6 a year earlier

## What Changed

- The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index was 48 in October 2026, down from 53.6 in October 2025.
- The index was 48.1 in September 2026, a move within survey noise and seasonal swings.

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2026-10 [^fb-2026-10-01] | 48 |
| 2026-09 [^fb-2026-09-01] | 48.1 |
| 2026-08 [^fb-2026-08-01] | 51.7 |
| 2026-07 | 55.2 |
| 2026-06 | 49.5 |
| 2026-05 | 44.8 |
| 2026-04 | 49.8 |
| 2026-03 | 53.3 |
| 2026-02 | 56.6 |
| 2026-01 | 56.4 |
| 2025-12 | 52.9 |
| 2025-11 | 51 |

[^fb-2026-10-01]: 2026-10: University of Michigan, Surveys of Consumers — final reading, direct from its own release ([https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/files/tbmics.pdf](https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/files/tbmics.pdf)). FRED had not published this period yet.
[^fb-2026-09-01]: 2026-09: University of Michigan, Surveys of Consumers — final reading, direct from its own release ([https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/files/tbmics.pdf](https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/files/tbmics.pdf)). FRED had not published this period yet.
[^fb-2026-08-01]: 2026-08: University of Michigan, Surveys of Consumers — final reading, direct from its own release ([https://data.sca.isr.umich.edu/fetchdoc.php?docid=81854](https://data.sca.isr.umich.edu/fetchdoc.php?docid=81854)). FRED had not published this period yet.

## Historical Context

- Peak since 1952: **112** in January 2000
- Low since 1952: **44.8** in May 2026
- Pre-pandemic average (2015-01 – 2019-12): **95.2**
- Post-pandemic average (2020-01 – 2024-12): **71.2**

## Methodology

This indicator carries monthly observations and is interpreted as lower values indicate worse household conditions. Source: Surveys of Consumers, University of Michigan, University of Michigan: Consumer Sentiment © [UMCSENT], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (through 2026-07); University of Michigan, Surveys of Consumers, direct from its own release (2026-08 to 2026-10).
Automation: collected automatically on the daily refresh pipeline, with no hand entry.

## Source

Surveys of Consumers, University of Michigan, University of Michigan: Consumer Sentiment © [UMCSENT], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (through 2026-07); University of Michigan, Surveys of Consumers, direct from its own release (2026-08 to 2026-10) — [https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UMCSENT](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UMCSENT)

Required credit: Surveys of Consumers, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan. Copyright © 1946–2026 The Regents of the University of Michigan.

Data retrieved: 2026-10-23T14:39:04Z

## Related Indicators

- [the-warning-light](https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-warning-light/)

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

- HTML page: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-mood-ring/
- JSON: https://americandefault.org/api/indicators/the-mood-ring.json
- CSV: https://americandefault.org/api/downloads/the-mood-ring.csv
- BibTeX: https://americandefault.org/citations/the-mood-ring.bib
- RIS: https://americandefault.org/citations/the-mood-ring.ris

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-mood-ring/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-mood-ring/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-mood-ring/.

Use **American Default Research** as the institutional name in source lists, bibliographies, and press citations. **American Default** is the brand and URL form. **American Distress Index (ADI)** is the product name for the national composite score.