For Current And Historical Material In This — 2003-03-21

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.8 percent in February, before seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The February level of 183.1 (1982-84=100) was 3.0 percent higher than in February 2002. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also increased 0.8 percent in February, prior to seasonal adjustment. The February level of 179.2 was 3.2 percent higher than in February 2002. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.6 percent in February, following an increase of 0.3 percent in January. Energy costs, which rose 4.0 percent in January, advanced 5.9 percent in February. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy advanced 10.2 percent and the index for energy services increased 1.6 percent. The index for food rose 0.7 percent in February, following a 0.2 percent decline in January.