With the federal government shutdown limiting economic data releases, an unlikely new source of inflation data has emerged: your food delivery app. DoorDash Inc. (DASH) just released its first-ever "State of Local Commerce Report," and the White House is already taking a victory lap. The only problem? The data might not say what they think it says.

What DoorDash Found

DoorDash's report analyzes "hundreds of millions of transactions" to offer what Chief Analytics Officer Jessica Lachs calls "a ground-level view into how cities and towns across the country are changing." The company tracked pricing trends across restaurants, groceries, and retail businesses nationwide.

The headline feature is the "Cheeseburger Index," which tracks what you'd pay for a cheeseburger, soda, and fries across fast food, fast casual, and sit-down restaurants. The national average hit $18.58, up from $17.90 a year ago. That's a 3.8% increase, with prices ranging from $10.75 to $25.55 depending on where you live.

The Breakfast Basics Index tells a different story. Tracking three eggs, a glass of milk, a bagel, and an avocado, this basket dropped 14% from March to September, largely thanks to falling egg prices. Year-over-year, it's down about 1.7%, with a national average of $4.35 (ranging from $3.21 to $6.66).

Meanwhile, the Everyday Essentials Index—covering shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, laundry detergent, pain medicine, and diapers—stayed essentially flat over the past year at $55.19.

For context, the report noted that U.S. Census Bureau data showed total food spending up 4.9% year-over-year as of August, with restaurant spending up 6.3% and grocery spending up 3.0%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported headline CPI at 3% for September.

The White House Celebrates

The White House jumped on the report almost immediately, issuing a press release declaring victory. "President Donald J. Trump's bold economic agenda is delivering real results for American families – with new data from DoorDash's State of Local Commerce report confirming that inflation has been tamed, everyday prices are beginning to drop and wages are growing," the statement read.

The administration highlighted the declining Breakfast Basics and flat Everyday Essentials indexes as proof that President Donald Trump is successfully working to "Make America Affordable Again."

The official White House Rapid Response X account shared news coverage of the report, claiming "prices are steadying and wages are climbing, new DoorDash report shows." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted the same message to her personal account.

Then Came the Community Note

Leavitt's post quickly received a Community Note flagging it as "misleading." The note pointed out what the White House messaging glossed over: "The report actually shows rising food prices. Avg price of a cheeseburger, a soda & fries increased 3.8% YoY in Sep25, while typical restaurant meals rose 3.2%."

That's awkward. The same report being celebrated for showing price relief actually shows restaurant prices climbing faster than the overall CPI figure of 3%.

The Methodology Question

Here's where things get interesting. The DoorDash report only tracks spending from people who use DoorDash. That means it's capturing data from consumers already willing to pay extra for the convenience of delivery—not necessarily the consumers most squeezed by inflation.

If you're really feeling the pinch from rising prices, you probably aren't ordering DoorDash regularly. You might have cut back entirely or never used it in the first place. So the data could be skewed toward a more affluent consumer base that's less sensitive to price changes.

The reality check: Yes, breakfast got cheaper because egg prices fell. Yes, household essentials stayed roughly flat. But restaurant prices still climbed, and the overall picture is more nuanced than "inflation has been tamed." Like most economic reports, DoorDash's data offers a snapshot of certain items rather than a comprehensive inflation gauge.

The White House found the silver lining it wanted to highlight. The Community Note found the complexity the initial messaging left out. And somewhere in the middle is the actual story: some things cost less, some things cost more, and your DoorDash order is probably still expensive.