For Current And Historical This Release Is Embargoed — 1996-01-14

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged before seasonal adjustment in December to a level of 158.6 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in December, the CPI-U increased 3.3 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also was unchanged in December, prior to seasonal adjustment. The December 1996 CPI-W level of 155.9 was 3.3 percent higher than the index in December 1995. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent in December, the same as in each of the three preceding months. The food index increased 0.1 percent in December, after advancing at a 0.5 percent average monthly rate in the preceding six-month period. The indexes for dairy products and for fruits and vegetables, which had increased substantially during this period, declined in December.