For Current And Historical This Release Is Embargoed — 1997-11-18

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent before seasonal adjustment in October to a level of 161.6 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in October, the CPI-U increased 2.1 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.1 percent in October, prior to seasonal adjustment. The October 1997 CPI-W level of 158.5 was 1.9 percent higher than the index in October 1996. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent in October, the same as in each of the preceding three months. The food index increased 0.2 percent in October. Grocery store food prices, which declined slightly in September, also increased 0.2 percent in October, reflecting a sharp increase in prices for dairy products. The energy index, which increased 1.3 percent in September, moderated substantially, rising 0.1 percent in October.