For Current And Historical Until 8:30 A.M. (Edt) — 1994-09-13

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.4 percent before seasonal adjustment in August to a level of 149.0 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in August, the CPI-U increased 2.9 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 0.5 percent in August, prior to seasonal adjustment. The August 1994 CPI-W level of 146.5 was 2.9 percent higher than the index in August 1993. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.3 percent in August, the same as in each of the 2 preceding months. The food and energy indexes rose again in August, but by less than in July. Coffee prices advanced sharply for the second consecutive month--up 22 percent in August--and accounted for over four-fifths of the 0.4 percent rise in the food index.