For Current And Historical Until 8:30 A.M. (Edt) — 1994-04-13

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent before seasonal adjustment in March to a level of 147.2 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in March, the CPI-U increased 2.5 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also increased 0.3 percent in March, prior to seasonal adjustment. The March 1994 CPI-W level of 144.4 was 2.3 percent higher than the index in March 1993. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.3 percent in March, the same as in February. The food index increased 0.1 percent in March, following declines in each of the preceding 2 months. The index for fruits and vegetables, which had risen sharply during the last half of 1993 before declining in the first 2 months of 1994, turned back up in March.