For Current And Historical This Release Is Embargoed — 1997-10-16

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent before seasonal adjustment in September to a level of 161.2 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in September, the CPI-U increased 2.2 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.3 percent in September, prior to seasonal adjustment. The September 1997 CPI-W level of 158.3 was 2.1 percent higher than the index in September 1996. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent in September, the same as in each of the preceding two months. The food index increased 0.1 percent in September. Grocery store food prices, which rose 0.6 percent in August, declined 0.1 percent in September, reflecting decreases in the indexes for fruits and vegetables and for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.