For Current And Historical Material In This — 2002-01-16

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) declined 0.4 percent in December, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 176.7 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in December, the CPI-U increased 1.6 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) decreased 0.5 percent in December, prior to seasonal adjustment. The December level of 172.9 was 1.3 percent higher than the index in December 2000. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U, which was unchanged in November, declined 0.2 percent in December. The energy index declined sharply for the third consecutive month, down 3.2 percent in December. The index for petroleum-based energy declined 6.1 percent, and the index for energy services fell 0.8 percent. The food index declined 0.1 percent in December, the same as in November.