For Current And Historical Material In This — 2001-02-21

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent in January, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 175.1 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in January, the CPI-U increased 3.7 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also rose 0.6 percent in January, prior to seasonal adjustment. The January level of 171.7 was 3.7 percent higher than the index in January 2000. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U increased 0.6 percent in January, its largest monthly advance since a 0.6 percent rise in March 2000. The energy index rose 3.9 percent in January, accounting for over one-half of the overall CPI-U increase. The index for energy services rose 7.7 percent, largely as a result of a record monthly increase in the index for utility natural gas--up 17.4 percent.