⚠ Economic Snapshot

Before vs. Now: Economy After Operation Epic Fury

A side-by-side dashboard comparing key household and market indicators before Operation Epic Fury began on February 28, 2026, with the newest available figures.

⛽ Before Operation Epic Fury
$2.98 / gal

AAA national average, Feb. 26, 2026

📅 Current / Latest Available
$4.52 / gal

AAA national average, May 10, 2026

Regular Gasoline

↗ +51.7%
+$1.54
Change
🛢️ Before Operation Epic Fury
$66.96 / bbl

Feb. 27, 2026 close

📅 Current / Latest Available
$98.48 / bbl

May 10, 2026 reported futures level

WTI Crude Oil

↗ +47.1%
+$31.52
Change
📈 Before Operation Epic Fury
2.4%

CPI-U, 12-month rate, Feb. 2026

📅 Current / Latest Available
3.3%

Latest official CPI-U, Mar. 2026

Headline Inflation

↗ +37.5%
+0.9 pts
Change
🛒 Before Operation Epic Fury
3.1%

Food CPI, 12-month rate, Feb. 2026

📅 Current / Latest Available
2.7%

Latest official food CPI, Mar. 2026

Food Inflation

↗ -12.9%
-0.4 pts
Change
🥫 Before Operation Epic Fury
2.4%

Grocery CPI, 12-month rate, Feb. 2026

📅 Current / Latest Available
1.9%

Latest official grocery CPI, Mar. 2026

Food at Home

↗ -20.8%
-0.5 pts
Change

Main takeaway

The biggest immediate economic change is energy: gasoline and crude oil are both up roughly 47–52% versus the pre-operation baseline. Official food inflation has not yet fully reflected the later fuel shock, so grocery and restaurant impacts may show up in later CPI releases.

Source notes

  • CENTCOM: Operation Epic Fury commenced Feb. 28, 2026
  • AAA: national gasoline averages, Feb. 26 and May 10, 2026
  • BLS CPI releases: February and March 2026 CPI-U and food indexes
  • Reuters / market reports: WTI futures near $98.48 on May 10, 2026