For Current And Historical This Release Is Embargoed — 1998-03-19

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent in February before seasonal adjustment to a level of 161.9 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in February, the CPI-U has increased 1.4 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.1 percent in February, prior to seasonal adjustment. The February 1998 CPI-W level of 158.5 was 1.1 percent higher than the index in February 1997. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.1 percent in February after being unchanged in January. The food index, which advanced 0.3 percent in January, was unchanged in February. Grocery store food prices declined 0.1 percent after increasing 0.4 percent in January, reflecting a sharp turnaround in the index for fruits and vegetables. The energy index declined sharply for the third consecutive month--down 2.2 percent in February.