August 2016 Consumer Price Index — 2016-09-16

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index rose 1.1 percent before seasonal adjustment. The seasonally adjusted increase in the all items index was caused by a rise in the index for all items less food and energy. It increased 0.3 percent in August, as the indexes for shelter and medical care advanced. The energy and food indexes were both unchanged in August. Major energy component indexes were mixed, with increases in the indexes for natural gas and electricity offsetting declines in the gasoline and fuel oil indexes. The food at home index declined for the fourth month in a row, offsetting an increase in the index for food away from home. The 0.3-percent increase in the index for all items less food and energy was the largest rise since February 2016.