For Current And Historical Material In This — 2002-02-20

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent in January, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 177.1 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in January, the CPI-U increased 1.1 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also increased 0.2 percent in January, prior to seasonal adjustment. The January level of 173.2 was 0.9 percent higher than the index in January 2001. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U increased 0.2 percent in January, following a 0.1 percent decline in December. The energy index, which declined sharply in each of the preceding three months, advanced 0.9 percent in January. The index for petroleum-based energy increased 2.5 percent, while the index for energy services fell 0.4 percent.