For Current And Historical This Release Is Embargoed — 1996-08-13

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent before seasonal adjustment in July to a level of 157.0 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in July, the CPI-U increased 3.0 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.1 percent in July, prior to seasonal adjustment. The July 1996 CPI-W level of 154.3 was 2.9 percent higher than the index in July 1995. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent in July, following a 0.1 percent increase in June. The energy index, which turned down in June after increasing 9.4 percent in the preceding 6-month period, declined 0.4 percent in July. The index for petroleum-based energy declined 2.0 percent in July, while the index for energy services rose 1.1 percent.